Attorney-Adviser (General)

About the Position: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Office of the Chief Counsel, Military Programs and Installation Law practice group is hiring an experienced attorney to provide authoritative legal advice on complex real property matters. The position supports senior leaders on real estate acquisition, management, disposal, leasing, housing, energy, and other high-value or precedent-setting transactions.

Duties

• Provides authoritative legal advice and counsel to senior officials and program offices on complex real property acquisition, management, disposal, leasing, development, and related program matters.

• Interprets statutes, case law, regulations, policies, and proposed legislation to determine legal effects on real property programs and transactions.

• Drafts and reviews legal instruments, agreements, legal opinions, briefs, and other written products to ensure legal sufficiency and protect organizational interests.

• Advises headquarters elements and subordinate organizations on the negotiation, preparation, execution, and administration of complex real property initiatives, including housing, energy, leasing, and exchange programs.

• Represents the organization in negotiations and other external engagements involving complex or controversial real property transactions; resolves legal and policy issues that cannot be addressed at lower organizational levels.

Salary

• $169,279 - $197,200/year

Conditions of Employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position requires pre-employment financial disclosure and annually thereafter in accordance with DoD Directive 5500-7-R.
• Appointment to this position is subject to a two-year trial period unless the appointee has previously met the requirements as described in 5 CFR Part 11.3.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens
In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

The minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration:

Education Requirement: 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 (LL.B. or JD.).

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Bar membership: An applicant must currently be an active member in good standing of the Bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (must provide a copy)

Fitness to Practice Law: An applicant must currently be fit to practice law. If your fitness to practice law, or your conduct has ever been challenged you must submit a sworn statement giving the facts and circumstances, together with any explanations you consider appropriate. The sworn statement should be notarized and dated within 3 months of the date of your application. (If you are currently employed as an attorney with The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this requirement does not apply to you).

Specialized 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-14 under the General Schedule or other pay systems which includes: 1) Interpreting statutes, regulations, case law, and legal authorities applicable to complex real property programs or transactions; 2) Providing legal advice to senior officials on complex real property acquisition, management, disposal, leasing, development, or energy-related matters; 3) Drafting or reviewing legal instruments, agreements, leases, easements, solicitations, legal opinions, or similar documents for legal sufficiency; 4) Resolving complex legal or policy issues involving high-value, controversial, novel, or precedent-setting real property transactions; and 5) Representing an organization in negotiations with private-sector entities, governmental organizations, or other stakeholders on complex real property agreements. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-14).

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/. Other Information Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration. You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. A trial period may be required. Per CSR XI 11.3 The first year of continuous service in the position of a preference eligible in the excepted service, or the first 2 years of continuous service in the position of an individual in the excepted service (other than a preference eligible), is a trial period. Direct Deposit of Pay is required. This position requires you to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter. This is a Legal Career Field position. Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees. If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement. When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information. Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances may be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that a PCS move is in the Government Interest. A Relocation, Recruitment, Student Loan Repayment, Advance in Hire or Advance Leave Accrual incentive may be authorized if it is in the best interest of the government. 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 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

3. If you are a current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers attorney, you MUST submit the following documents:

• Your latest non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50);
• A writing sample (Required for Non-USACE Applicants) NOTE: Writing samples shall not exceed 10 pages

4. If you are NOT a current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers attorney, you MUST submit the following documents:

• Copy of law school transcripts AND an official statement of relative standing in your class, or official statement demonstrating the unavailability of class standing information (official copies will be required if selected and before placement);
• Certificate issued by the Bar Registrar or similar official showing that you are a member in good standing with the Bar of a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia, dated NO MORE THAN 90 days before the opening date of this announcement (a copy is sufficient for the application, but a certified copy may be necessary upon selection);
• A sworn statement, certifying that your fitness to practice law or your conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction. This statement MUST be notarized, on a date NO MORE THAN 3 months before the opening date of this announcement. If your fitness to practice law or your conduct as an Attorney has been challenged in any jurisdiction, you must provide a notarized statement concerning the facts and circumstances, and any other explanation you deem appropriate.
• The names of three professional references who are each members of the Bar of a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia.
• A writing sample NOTE: Writing samples shall not exceed 10 pages.

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 11/05/2026 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/13080273).
• 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.