The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is an independent office within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) whose mission is to promote excellence, integrity, and accountability throughout the USDA. The OIG conducts investigations, audits, and inspections in order to enhance effectiveness and efficiency and to prevent and detect waste, fraud, and mismanagement in USDA programs and operations.
This position serves as an Assistant to the Counsel to the Inspector General, reporting to the Counsel and Deputy Counsel(s), and providing legal assistance and support.
Summary
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is an independent office within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) whose mission is to promote excellence, integrity, and accountability throughout the USDA. The OIG conducts investigations, audits, and inspections in order to enhance effectiveness and efficiency and to prevent and detect waste, fraud, and mismanagement in USDA programs and operations.
This position serves as an Assistant to the Counsel to the Inspector General, reporting to the Counsel and Deputy Counsel(s), and providing legal assistance and support.
As an Attorney-Advisor, the incumbent will perform the following duties:
Provides legal advice in matters relating to audits and investigations of the Departments programs and operations, including preparation of legal opinions, including, but not limited to, matters involving the Inspector General Act.
Conducts legal sufficiency reviews of legal documents, including IG subpoenas, and legal correspondence.
Prepares memoranda, reports, legal documents, correspondence, and assists senior attorneys, the Counsel, and Deputy Counsel in preparing briefs, responses to motions, and other pleadings in coordination with U.S. Attorneys offices, and the Department of Justice on criminal and civil matters (including, for example, IG subpoena enforcement actions, tort matters and Bivens actions FOIA litigation).
Advises agency officials in the evaluation of existing legislation and regulations relating to programs and operations of the Department concerning the impact of such legislation or regulations on the economy and efficiency of program administration and operations.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
US Citizenship is required.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
A one (1) year trial period may be required.
A background investigation MAY be required.
• To be eligible for appointment to this position, the new hire must be cleared to come on board once the results of the fingerprint check, review of the OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and the candidate’s Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (eQIP) entries have been reviewed and determined to be satisfactory. This position requires a favorable credit check as part of the background investigation. • CONFIDENTIAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT: If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter. Selectee is subject to financial Disclosure Requirements in accordance with 5 CFR, Part 2635, Sub part E regarding business or personal transactions with applicants, borrowers, or business contacts who have or who are seeking business with this Agency. Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. If selected you will be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report. • Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. If selected you may be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report inquiry.
Qualifications
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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT FOR GS-11:
Specialized Experience for GS-11: You must have one year of professional legal experience after receiving your J.D./LL.B, to include assisting in litigation, assisting in or conducting legal research on or providing legal opinions/advice on matters involving the IG Act, USDA programs or legal authorities, criminal matters, and FOIA/PA for Federal ethics authorities; OR
Possess an LL.M degree.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT FOR GS-12:
Specialized Experience for GS-12: You must have one year of professional legal experience, equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal sector, performing duties such as assisting or conducting litigation, independently conducting legal research on or providing legal opinions/advice on matters involving the IG Act, USDA programs or legal authorities, criminal matters, the FOIA/PA or Federal ethics authorities.
PLEASE NOTE: The J.D. and/or LL.M must be from an ABA-accredited law school.
Candidates must be admitted to practice law before the highest court of a state or territory of the United States; the District of Columbia; or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and must be an active member by the closing date of the announcement.
The professional legal experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector, or Volunteer Service.
One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis.
To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.
Additional information
• This announcement may be used to fill multiple vacancies. • Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing. • E-Verify: Federal law requires agencies to use the E-Verify system to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. If you are selected as a newly hired employee, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS E-VERIFY system. Under the system, the new hire is required to resolve any identified discrepancies as a condition of continued employment. • If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed. • This position is eligible for telework and other flexible work arrangements.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
This announcement is being filled using the Schedule A Hiring Authority 5 CFR 213.3102 (D) under Excepted Service procedures. Applicants who meet the qualifications for the position and submit a resume and law school transcript will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. Veterans’ preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to the announcement. Upon review, your resume and supporting documents must show evidence that you have the required qualifications.
Interview Requirement: Interviews are required for this position. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.
Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply Online" button to the right.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume: which includes 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor's phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
Transcripts: you must submit a copy of your law school transcripts (official or unofficial), and must be a legible copy. The transcript must include your name, the name of the college, and the date a degree was awarded. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Proof of bar membership: you must submit a copy of your bar membership as a part of your application package.
Writing Samples: you must submit two writing samples, such as a legal research or advice product or a litigation related item or pleading, that demonstrate your ability to perform the duties of the position. These documents must not be more that 3 MB in size. Do not submit any sensitive or classified documents or documents containing PII data.
Current and former Federal employees:
Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing that you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade (or promotion potential) held on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND
Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. Do not submit a performance plan.
Failure to provide all of the required information or documents as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, click "Apply Online" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
NOTE: You must verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the Agency's staffing system. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g., all SF-50s) into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like documents into files will simplify the application process. Documents must be in one of the following formats: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signature, or other encryption to open.
USDA-OIG HRMD
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, D.C., 20250
United States
Next steps
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login to check your application status. We expect to make a final job offer approximately 40 days after the deadline for applications.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume: which includes 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor's phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
Transcripts: you must submit a copy of your law school transcripts (official or unofficial), and must be a legible copy. The transcript must include your name, the name of the college, and the date a degree was awarded. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Proof of bar membership: you must submit a copy of your bar membership as a part of your application package.
Writing Samples: you must submit two writing samples, such as a legal research or advice product or a litigation related item or pleading, that demonstrate your ability to perform the duties of the position. These documents must not be more that 3 MB in size. Do not submit any sensitive or classified documents or documents containing PII data.
Current and former Federal employees:
Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing that you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade (or promotion potential) held on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND
Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. Do not submit a performance plan.
Failure to provide all of the required information or documents as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, click "Apply Online" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
NOTE: You must verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the Agency's staffing system. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g., all SF-50s) into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like documents into files will simplify the application process. Documents must be in one of the following formats: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signature, or other encryption to open.
USDA-OIG HRMD
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, D.C., 20250
United States
Next steps
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login to check your application status. We expect to make a final job offer approximately 40 days after the deadline for applications.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
