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Attorney Adviser

Department of Justice
Offices, Boards and Divisions
Civil Rights Division, Federal Coordination and Compliance Section
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Are you interested in a rewarding and challenging opportunity? Join the U.S. Department of Justice!

The Federal Coordination and Compliance Section is seeking one or more experienced attorneys for the position of Attorney Adviser. The Section manages two websites that would be useful for candidates to review: www.usdoj.gov/crt/fcs and www.lep.gov.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
03/04/2021 to 03/25/2021
Salary
$122,530 to - $172,500 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14 - 15
Location
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
21-ATT-FCS-001
Control number
594144200

Duties

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The incumbent selected for this position will be responsible for the following duties: Providing legal counsel to federal civil rights offices; investigating complaints of discrimination, including conducting site visits and interviews; conducting legal and factual research; developing legal arguments and drafting memoranda on substantive legal and policy issues; preparing requests for information; monitoring, and enforcing agreements to ensure compliance by responding parties; drafting and editing settlement proposals; participating in settlement negotiations and mediation on behalf of the Division; reviewing and recommending opportunities for amicus participation or intervention; reviewing and contributing to appellate memoranda; analyzing and preparing proposals and recommendations on a variety of legal, policy, regulatory, and legislative documents and guidance; responding to policy inquiries, letters, memoranda, testimony, and other written materials; participating in focused areas of litigation; making public appearances and conducting outreach to educate constituents and stakeholders about the laws that FCS enforces; training federal agency staff on investigations and legal principles, and providing technical assistance on aspects of compliance with those laws.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
  • All male applicants born after 12/31/1959 must have registered for the selective service. If selected, the applicant must sign a statement certifying his registration, or the applicant must demonstrate exempt status under the Selective Service Law.
  • You may be required to complete a pre-employment security screening to initiate your background investigation, which includes a drug screening. Continued employment is contingent upon successful completion and adjudication of your investigation.
  • You must have a Juris Doctorate degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and be a member in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
  • DOJ uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, by visiting www.e-verify.gov/.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Applicants must possess a J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school, be an active member of the bar in good standing (any jurisdiction), and possess a minimum of years of post-professional law degree experience commensurate to the grade level of eligibility as shown below. Applicants also must have strong, demonstrated qualifications in the following areas: academic achievement; substantive knowledge and expertise in the laws, rules and regulations applicable to the work of the section or substantially similar laws, rules and regulations; outstanding written and oral communication skills; the ability to analyze complex issues; skill and experience working collaboratively and productively with others; organizational skills; professional judgment; initiative; and the ability to excel in a fast-paced, demanding environment. In addition, applicants must have outstanding professional references.

Preferred Qualifications:

The following qualifications are preferred but not required: Demonstrated expertise in drafting and analyzing regulations, rules, manuals, or policy documents concerning prohibitions against race, color, national origin and sex discrimination in federally-assisted programs and activities. Demonstrated experience investigating allegations of systemic race discrimination, including experience working with statisticians or other experts to develop the factual record. Substantive experience implementing, enforcing, and analyzing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Demonstrated expertise in public speaking and presentations, including use of technology and adult learning concepts. In addition, while not required, preferred candidates will have relevant civil rights experience outside of the core competencies of the Section, but within the critical responsibilities of the Division, such that the candidate could play a supporting role in the Division's initiatives. Also preferred are judicial clerkships, law review, moot court, or clinical experience; and skill and experience working cooperatively and productively with a range of people, such as charging parties, witnesses, respondents, disadvantaged or disenfranchised groups, opposing counsel, judicial or administrative officials, staff of federal or state governmental agencies, advocacy groups, and law enforcement personnel.

Possessing the minimum post law degree legal experience does not guarantee the applicant will be selected at that grade level.

  • GS-14 - minimum 2.5 years post-JD legal experience
  • GS-15 - minimum 4 years post-JD legal experience

Education

You must possess a J.D. degree.

Additional information

Equal Employment Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of color, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected genetic information, pregnancy, status as a parent, or any other nonmerit-based factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.

Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department's Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.

Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee's Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates who have lived outside the United States for two or more of the past five years will likely have difficulty being approved for appointments by the Department Security Staff. The two-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants will be evaluated based on interview performance, the qualifications set forth above, and other job-related skills, experience and qualifications consistent with merit system principles applicable to hiring for career positions with the Department of Justice.

Applicants who are selected for an interview may be asked to complete a short writing exercise, the results of which will be used when evaluating candidates for the position(s).

Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions.

Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s)). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

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