About the Position: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Office of the Chief Counsel, is hiring experienced attorneys to serve as Counsel to the Senior Contracting Official and Assistant Division Counsel. Positions provide legal advice on major procurements, complex acquisitions, and contract matters. This permanent excepted service role may fill up to five vacancies at any of the listed locations and may also support military programs, civil works, fiscal law, ethics, and labor & employment law.
Duties
- Serves as Counsel to the Senior Contracting Official and Assistant Division Counsel, advising senior leaders, contracting officials, and district offices on complex acquisition and procurement matters.
- Provides legal advice on major procurements, acquisition strategies, source selections, contract formation and administration, claims, protests, disputes, procurement integrity, and related matters.
- Develops legal guidance on complex, sensitive, and precedent-setting procurement issues affecting U.S. Army Corps of Engineers missions and operations.
- Leads and coordinates procurement law support across the assigned Division, working closely with contracting officials, program leaders, fiscal personnel, and counsel across the command.
- Supports other Division legal practice areas as needed, including military and civil works programs, fiscal law, ethics, labor and employment law, and other mission-related matters.
Salary
Qualifications
Who May Apply: US Citizens The minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration: Bar membership: Applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Professional Legal Experience: Applicant must have three or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. One year of the required professional legal experience is equivalent to the GS-13 under the General Schedule or other pay systems which includes: providing legal advice to senior officials, leadership, and program offices on complex federal procurement, acquisition, and contract administration matters; interpreting laws, regulations, and policies; advising on contract formation and administration, source selections, claims, protests, disputes, procurement integrity, and organizational conflicts of interest; preparing legal opinions and recommendations; representing agency positions in contracting-related disputes or administrative proceedings; and providing legal support across other mission-related practice areas. NOTE: ALL APPLICANTS SHOULD ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: Knowledge of federal acquisition laws and regulations, including procurement statutes, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), agency supplements, contract formation, and contract administration principles. Knowledge of federal contracting and procurement processes involving construction, services, architect-engineer, supply, and cost reimbursement contracts. Skill in legal research, analysis, and interpretation to evaluate complex statutes, regulations, policies, and legal precedents and provide sound recommendations. Ability to provide legal advice to senior leaders and stakeholders on highly complex and sensitive matters affecting organizational programs, policies, and operations. Skill in drafting and reviewing legal documents, including opinions, agreements, protest responses, memoranda, and other legal instruments with accuracy and clarity. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, to present legal positions, negotiate solutions, and advise leadership, contracting officials, and external stakeholders. Skill in analyzing and resolving complex legal and procurement issues, including protests, disputes, investigations, and compliance matters involving multiple interests or competing priorities. Ability to collaborate and build working relationships with contracting personnel, leadership, federal agencies, investigative organizations, and other stakeholders to achieve mission objectives. Knowledge of ethics, procurement integrity, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance requirements applicable to federal contracting activities. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-13). If currently employed as an attorney by the Federal Government you must have completed 1 year at the next lower level within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement or previously served at the same or higher grade as the position being filled.
Education
An applicant must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD).Only a degree from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education acceptable to meet positive education requirements, or to substitute education for experience. Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute education for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education websites at - http://www.opm.gov/qualifications and http://www.ed.gov//admins/finaid/accred/index.html.Foreign education must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency in order to be considered for this position. Please include this information in your resume. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements. As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further. 1. Your resume: Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position. Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy. For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume. 2. Other supporting documents: Cover Letter, optional Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses This position requires a job-related license or certification. You MUST submit a copy of your license or certification with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/10/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12965476). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.
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