About the Position: New England is a full-service District that handles all Corps business lines. The District's area of responsibility includes Hanscom Air Force Base, Westover Air Force Base, and the Natick Soldier Systems Center. Civil works responsibilities include the operation and maintenance of forty-one flood control projects, the Cape Cod Canal, three storm-damage reduction barriers, and numerous federal navigation and coastal projects throughout New England.
Duties
- The Incumbent serves as Assistant Counsel in the New England District, providing legal advice to management and project teams on all matters arising in the District.
- The individual works under the general supervision of the District Counsel and independently plans and executes assignments in specialty areas and confers with the supervisor, as needed or requested.
- Work products are reviewed for soundness of decisions and recommendations, along with conformity with legal precedents and Corps of Engineers policy.
- Provides advice, guidance, and direction to District staff elements, headquarters, contracting officers, and others regarding complex contract formation and administration problems on construction, service, supply, and architect-engineer contracts.
- Provides legal guidance and assists in formulating the District's position on contract claims, disputes, and appeals, which routinely involve factual and legal issues, such as differing site conditions, delay, acceleration, and suspension claims.
- Provides legal guidance and support to the District Commander and staff on the District's regulatory program and activities related to Civil Works projects with respect to environmental laws and requirements.
- Reviews all controversial permit matters, environmental impact statements, feasibility studies, and decision documents for all Civil Works projects.
- Provides advice, guidance and direction to District staff in the review of personnel administration, EEO, and labor relations policies and procedures.
- Support duties to the Department of Justice and local offices of the United States Attorney including but not limited to: the preparation of litigation reports and extending assistance in all pre-trial, trial, and appellate matters.
Salary
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 following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration. Applicants will be evaluated to determine if they meet the minimum qualification requirements and on the extent to which their application shows possession of the following requirements: Education: Applicants must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have a professional law degree (LLB or JD). Bar membership: Applicants must be a current member in good standing of the bar of a State, Territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (NOTE: You must attach a copy of a certificate or other evidence showing you are a current member in good standing with the bar of a State, Territory of the US, the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, together with a sworn (notarized) statement that your fitness to practice law or conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction, OR if either has been challenged, a sworn (notarized) statement concerning the facts and circumstances together with any explanation you deem appropriate may be submitted. As an alternative to a sworn (notarized) statement, a declaration under penalty of perjury may be submitted in the following format: "I declare (or certify, verify or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct....executed on (Date)....(Your Signature)." (28 U.S.C. 746). This statement and certificate or other evidence showing you are in good standing with the Bar must be attached with your application and dated within 3 months of the date of your submitted application.) PLEASE NOTE: Official or unofficial law school transcript must be submitted with your resume. IN ADDITION TO THE REQUIREMENTS ABOVE, ALL APPLICANTS (CURRENT ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS ATTORNEYS DO NOT NEED TO SUBMIT ITEMS 1-4) MUST SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: (1) Official certificate or other evidence showing employee is in good standing with the Bar; (2) Sworn (notarized) statement that fitness to practice law or conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction; (3) List of References from three members of the Bar; (4) Official or unofficial law school transcript; (5) Copies of your most recent performance appraisal and most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) (current federal employees only); (6) Relevant training, awards history, professional registration/licenses, if applicable, should be included in the content of the resume; (7) Writing sample which shall not exceed 10 pages total;(8) OF612, SF171 or resume demonstrating specialized experience applicable to the job Experience at the GS-11:Applicant must have one or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, this is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of this position, OR have graduated in the top third of class, OR have obtained an advanced law degree (Master of Laws (LL.M). However, this criterion may be waived for applicants who demonstrate unusual compensating qualifications, such as significant pertinent public service experience, technical background, or other academic degrees.. Experience at the GS-12/13:Applicant must have two years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. (Exceptions to the experience requirement may be made for possession of special qualifications. For example, a second professional law degree (master of laws) or graduation with a distinguished record from an accredited law school (for example, in the top 25 percent of the class) may be substitute for one year of the required professional legal experience. Specialized experience is defined as meeting all of the following: (1) Knowledge and ability regarding federal laws, regulations, policies and procedures related to acquisition and contract claims and litigation; (2) Knowledge and ability regarding federal laws, regulations, policies and procedures related to environmental and regulatory law; (3) Knowledge and ability regarding litigation, administrative law, federal standards of conduct/ethics, employment law, labor relations, real estate, torts, Freedom of Information Act, and fiscal law; (4) Knowledge and ability to serve a as a legal advisor to a senior managers and project teams; to develop and implement innovative legal solutions to complex problems achieving organizational goals and objectives; and (5) Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing. VETERANS PREFERENCE INFORMATION: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Army considers veteran's preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran's preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documents (e.g., DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active duty) to their submissions. Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit 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 .) This is an excepted service position.
Education
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 may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. 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 qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position. For additional information 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 02/24/2025 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/12685744). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. 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. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will 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://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), 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://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
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