The primary purpose of this position is to serve as an Attorney-Adviser at Headquarters United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (HQ USAFE-AFAFRICA) providing highly specialized professional services of an attorney possessing expertise in the principal areas of acquisition, aviation, fiscal, data sharing, international, operations, and security assistance, and security cooperation law and policy with a focus on matters supporting the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI).
Duties
- International and Operations Law. Serves as a Civilian Attorney for the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate providing legal advice and policy guidance on the implementation of the Air Component's European Deterrence Initiative objectives to include Air Force, joint, bilateral, and multilateral operations and exercises within the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) and with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and Partnership for Peace (PFP) partners.
- Security Assistance and Security Cooperation Law. Serves as a Civilian Attorney for the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate providing legal advice and policy guidance on security assistance to and security cooperation with allies and partners within the USEUCOM AOR as it supports the implementation of the European Deterrence Initiative lines of effort (e.g., Increased Presence; Exercises and Training; Enhanced Prepositioning; Improved Infrastructure; Build Partnership Capacity).
- Acquisition and Fiscal Law. Provides advice and guidance to all levels of the command on fiscal law issues involving both appropriated and non-appropriated funds as they relate to contracting and other matters, such as travel and personnel, supporting the European Deterrence Initiative. Reviews proposed acquisitions for fiscal correctness and compliance with Congressional, Department of Defense, and Department of the Air Force law, policy, and regulations.
- Application of Law to Information or Data Sharing. Provides expert, authoritative legal advice to the USAFE-AFAFRICA Commander, staff members, and subordinate organizations on information sharing as the Air Component seeks to make Data Sharing Enhancements in conjunction with building partnership capacity and developing a common operating picture throughout the AOR.
- $90,925 - $118,204/year
- U.S. Citizenship is required
- If authorized, PCS will be paid IAW JTR and AF Regulations. If receiving an authorized PCS, you may be subject to completing/signing a CONUS agreement. More information on PCS requirements, may be found at: https://afciviliancareers.com/regulatory/
- Males must be registered for Selective Service, see www.sss.gov.
- Attorney appointments are subject to serve a one-year probationary period.
- Candidates are not required to have active duty service or veterans’ preference to be referred and considered. All qualified candidates who meet the recruitment assessment criteria will be referred to the selecting official.
- This is a TERM position. NTE 30 SEP 2028
- PCS Cost Paid by the Gaining Unit
- Employee must adhere to the Air Force Rules of Professional Conduct
- May occasionally be required to work other than normal duty hours
- Work may occasionally require travel away from the normal duty station on military or commercial aircraft
- Incumbent is required to file an OGE Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, upon appointment and will be required to file annually
- Mobility is a condition of employment. The employee must sign an Air Force-wide mobility agreement
- Employees and family members requiring medical/dental care in the overseas location are responsible for obtaining/paying for care. Access for these members to military medical/dental treatment facilities is on space-available/reimbursable basis only
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
- You 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).
- In addition, at the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status with a bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
1. Knowledge of applicable substantive domestic laws, regulations, policies, and international law, as appropriate, as well as educational background and work experience to be able to provide timely and pertinent advice.
2. Knowledge of the statutory and regulatory process governing negotiation, conclusion, and reporting of international agreements. Experience in drafting, negotiating, implementing and interpreting international agreements between U.S. representatives and senior representatives of foreign military, foreign governments and international organizations (e.g. NATO, UN, and EU)
3. Skill to identify key facts, gather relevant data, assess the significance, and conduct thorough legal research, to include use of computer-assisted technologies, to arrive at well-reasoned and supportable recommendations and/or solutions to legal problems in areas of the law which are not necessarily well-settled, including matters requiring creativity and originality.
4. Skill to communicate complex legal issues and theories effectively orally and in writing. Must display highest degree of professional competence. Must exercise independent professional judgment and work with very limited or no preliminary instructions. Advice must be technically accurate, thorough, and expressed in clear and succinct language.
5. Ability to develop and foster relationships and work collaboratively with personnel of other military components, air staff, CCMDs, Joint Staff, DoD, DOJ, DOS, and others. High degree of ability in staff-level communications and in representing a legal office on the staff of a major overseas operational military command and understanding of staffing processes peculiar to the legal profession and the Air Force.
At the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status and in good standing with a bar of the highest court of a State, US commonwealth, US territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status and dated within four months of application.
PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.
VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Additional Conditions of Employment:
- Employee must be a graduate of an American Bar Association-accredited law school and be admitted to the active practice
of law before the highest court of a U.S. state, territory, possession, or commonwealth, or of the District of Columbia. Must have prior knowledge of, or experience in, Judge Advocate or DoD operations and procedures and general practice of law. - Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret, Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) Security Clearance. This position is designated Special Sensitive and requires eligibility for access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), other intelligence-related Special Sensitive information, or involvement in Top Secret Special Access Programs (SAP) to fully perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. A non-disclosure agreement must be signed.
- This position has been designated by the Air Force as a Testing Designated Position (TDP) under the Air Force Civilian Drug Demand Reduction Program. Employee must pass initial and periodic short notice drug testing. Illegal drug use by employees in sensitive positions presents a clear threat to the mission of the Air Force, national security, and public safety.
The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. Applicants who do not submit required documentation to determine eligibility and qualifications will be eliminated from consideration. Other documents may be required based on the eligibility/eligibilities you are claiming. Click here to view the AF Civilian Employment Eligibility Guide and the required documents you must submit to substantiate the eligibilities you are claiming.
- Online Application: Questionnaire
- Resume: Your resume may NOT exceed two pages, and the font size should not be smaller than 10 pts. You will not be considered for this vacancy if your resume is illegible/unreadable. Additional information on resume requirements can be located under "How To Apply".
- License: At the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status with a bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status.
- Name/Rank/Grade of Service Member
- Branch of Armed Forces
- Dates of Active Service (Start and End Date(s)
- Expected Date of Discharge/Release from Active Duty
- Terminal leave start date (if applicable)
- Expected character of service/discharge (honorable/general) and type of separation (i.e. separation or retirement)
- Must be certified within 120 days of anticipated discharge
- Signature by, or by direction of the adjutant, personnel office, unit commander, or higher headquarters commander
NOTICE OF VETERANS' PREFERENCE:
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation to their submissions.
Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim Veterans Preference must submit VOW certification memo or copy of the official DD Form 214, which must include the character of service, and a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at www.opm.gov.)
NOTE: Applicants for attorney appointments do not require veterans' preference in order to be eligible for consideration. How to Apply
The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/13/2026
To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12858314
To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the application questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Application button at the end of the process.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your Resume. If you submit more than one resume, only the most recent will be reviewed. The "most recent" is considered the resume with the latest timestamp.
- Resumes may not exceed two pages. The two-page resume ensures the most relevant experience is reviewed and considered, which is a common practice in both the public and private sectors. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information on how to complete or update your resume may be located here.
- For qualification determination your resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Current Federal Civilian Employees may list any relevant performance related rating (given within the last three years) and/or incentive awards in your resume.
- Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy.
- Your name, first and last, MUST be included on your resume.
2. A complete Application Questionnaire
3. Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section). Ensure all submitted documents contain your full name.
4. Help recruiters find you. Make your resume and profile searchable, which means recruiters may contact you about possible jobs. Additional information may be located here.
5. Optional Documents: Performance Appraisals for Current Federal Civilian Employees - Most recent performance appraisals (dated within last 3 years) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable.
PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. You can access your USAJOBS account to do so by clicking here. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
Human Resources WILL NOT modify or change any answers submitted by an applicant.