The Office of the Legal Adviser (L) within the U.S. Department of State seeks to hire a specialist Attorney-Adviser to provide counsel to the Bureau of Political–Military Affairs. The attorney will handle issues related to export controls and related administrative law. This position is Excepted Service, and appointments are made without regard to the requirements of the Competitive Service by laws, Executive order, or OPM regulation.
Duties- Identifies potential legal issues, researches and applies relevant law and regulations in the area of export control law, including the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
- Provides appropriate legal advice to the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs regarding relevant law and regulations with respect to licensing, compliance, management and policy issues.
- Participates in intradepartmental and interagency meetings and discussions in which he or she is expected to provide legal advice in support of the Department's desired courses of action or policy positions.
- Maintains effective client communications and time management and keeps up to date with legal developments in the field.
- At the GS-15 level, the incumbent performs the same duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are increased, and the incumbent receives less supervision than the GS-14 and below.
- $102,415 - $197,200/year
- U.S. Citizenship is required.
- Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/
- Copy of license to practice law.
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Applicants applying for this position must meet the following requirements to be eligible for further consideration:
Law Degree: Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with a J.D. or LL.M. Bar Membership: Applicants must be a current member of a bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Applicants interested in GS-12:
Experience: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal Service, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
- Experience in the area of export control law, including with the ITAR and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and/or significant legal experience in administrative law, including the promulgation of federal regulations, and civil and/or criminal enforcement of federal regulations.
- Experience working with a wide variety of assignments with short, time-critical deadlines, as well as ability to design and execute substantial analytical projects.
- Experience demonstrating exceptional analytical, writing, organizational, and interpersonal communications skills, suitable for successfully working with policy makers and senior-level officials as well as licensing, compliance, policy, and management personnel.
There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-12 position.
Applicants interested in GS-13:
Experience: Applicants must have at least two years of specialized experience with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal Service, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
- Experience in the area of export control law, including with the ITAR and/or the EAR, and/or significant legal experience in administrative law, including the promulgation of federal regulations, and civil and/or criminal enforcement of federal regulations.
- Experience working with a wide variety of assignments with short, time-critical deadlines, as well as ability to design and execute substantial analytical projects.
- Experience demonstrating exceptional analytical, writing, organizational, and interpersonal communications skills, suitable for successfully working with policy makers and senior-level officials as well as licensing, compliance, policy, and management personnel.
There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 position.
Applicants interested in GS-14:
Experience: Applicants must have at least three years of specialized experience with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal Service, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
- Experience in the area of export control law, including with the ITAR and/or the EAR, and/or significant legal experience in administrative law, including the promulgation of federal regulations, and civil and/or criminal enforcement of federal regulations.
- Experience working with a wide variety of assignments with short, time-critical deadlines, as well as ability to design and execute substantial analytical projects.
- Experience demonstrating exceptional analytical, writing, organizational, and interpersonal communications skills, suitable for successfully working with policy makers and senior-level officials as well as licensing, compliance, policy, and management personnel.
There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-14 position.
Applicants interested in GS-15:
Experience: Applicants must have at least four years of specialized experience with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal Service, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar.
Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
- Experience in the area of export control law, including with the ITAR and/or the EAR, and/or significant legal experience in administrative law, including the promulgation of federal regulations, and civil and/or criminal enforcement of federal regulations.
- Experience working with a wide variety of assignments with short, time-critical deadlines, as well as the ability to design and execute substantial analytical projects.
- Experience demonstrating exceptional analytical, writing, organizational, and interpersonal communications skills, suitable for successfully working with policy makers and senior-level officials as well as licensing, compliance, policy, and management personnel.
There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-15 position.
Education See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php. Other Information For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at OAA@state.gov. If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. Required Documents
All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to legaljobs2@state.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
1. Resume – your two-page resume or any other written format you choose should contain the required information as specified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section. Insufficient information will result in an ineligible rating. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.
2. SF-50, to qualify for a "Permanent" appointment, showing three years of Government service as an attorney or in a federal clerkship.
3. Transcripts – you must submit a copy of your law school transcript(s) from an accredited law school with your application. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
4. Proof of bar membership – you must submit proof of bar membership from any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico with your application.
5. If you are qualifying based on other criteria listed under the Qualification Section of this announcement, you MUST submit the required supporting documentation (certificates, certifications, etc.) with your application.
6. References – you must submit three professional references with your application.
7. Veterans Preference, if applicable – Veterans’ preference does not apply to this vacancy. Any supporting documentation received from veterans will be retained to document veteran’s status for appointment purposes, if selected.
- To claim 5-point preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
- To claim 10-point preference, submit all required documentation outlined on the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, etc.). If we cannot verify your 10-point preference claim, your application will be reviewed for 5-point preference.
- To claim 10-point derived preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), submit a completed SF-15 and all required documentation listed on the SF-15 to support your claim.
- To claim 0-point Sole Survivorship preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 or another form of official documentation showing that your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge.
- For all preference claims:
- DD-214 Member 4 copies are preferred and must show the dates of service, type of discharge, and any qualifying service campaign medals.
- For more veterans’ preference information, visit the USAJOBS Help Center.
The apply button is deactivated and application packages are being accepted directly by the Office of the Secretary (S) or Office of the Legal Advisor (L). We will also consider your years of service, veteran status, and performance appraisal.
Application packages are being accepted directly by emailing an application with all required documents, preferably in one PDF, to legaljobs2@state.gov. Please have the subject line of the email read "L/PM Specialist Attorney Position AND the Vacancy Announcement Number.''
Please note this vacancy exists with instructions on how to apply. Applicant notifications, however, will NOT be sent. If a hiring official determines you have the skillset for this vacancy, a member of the hiring team will contact you.
Those applicants who may be contacted for an interview may be asked to provide further application materials at that time.
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