Clarification from the agency

Open to all qualified U.S. citizens. You are encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application package. Your application may not get full consideration if you do not follow the instructions as outlined.

The incumbent serves as the General Counsel to the Inspector General and handles the substantial legal workload that supports audits, evaluations, inspections, investigations, and other critical Office of Inspector General (OIG) activities. The incumbent:

• Provides critical, expert, official legal and policy guidance on OIG activities that affect major Department and USAGM programs and OIG internal operations, including audit, evaluation, inspection, and investigative activities and on legislative, regulatory, and administrative matters.
• Interprets and provides legal and policy advice concerning the Inspector General Act of 1978, the Foreign Service Act, and other legislation of importance to OIG, the Department, and USAGM. 
• Provides counsel to the IG, DIG, and AIGs in meetings with high-level public and private-sector officials.
• Liaises with attorneys within the Department and USAGM, other Federal departments or agencies, or private counsel.
• Assists in developing and structuring OIG audits, evaluations, and inspections and participates in OIG audits, evaluations, and inspections, including drafting (if necessary) and reviewing legal content for OIG products. 
• Supervises, directs, and coordinates the work of attorneys and support staff in the Office of General Counsel.
• Analyzes legal issues affecting conclusions in audits, evaluations, investigations, and inspections. Such issues typically involve the interpretation and application of complex Federal statues, and substantive and procedural regulations in diversified Department and USAGM operations, including procurement, personnel, and administrative law.  Answers require interpretation of opinions rendered by Federal courts, the Comptroller General, the Department's Legal Adviser, the USAGM General Counsel, and other legal authorities.
• Collaborates with senior agency officials to assist in resolving audit, evaluation, and inspection recommendations.
• Formulates the General Counsel's policy to assist in resolving audit, evaluation, and inspection recommendations.
• Identifies and analyzes existing and proposed legislation and regulations, including Departmental directives of interest to the IG; coordinates the review of such items with OIG personnel; assesses their comments; formulates the IG's positions; advocates adoption of the OIG position with appropriate officials.
• Handles a wide variety of legal and policy issues involving OIG administrative operations, including travel, personnel, standards of conduct, and internal OIG policies and directives.
• Works with the OIG Whistleblower Ombudsman on all aspects of potential whistleblower matters brought to OIG through, for example, the OIG Hotline.
• Supervises the processing of Freedom of Information and Privacy Act requests, as well as other information and records access requests.
• Manages OIG’s internal grievance process and leads litigation involving OIG before any administrative forum.
• Assists in developing, structuring, and directing OIG fraud investigations relating to Departmental and USAGM contracts and programs. 
• Assesses information developed in the course of OIG investigations to determine whether there is a reasonable cause to believe there has been violation of Federal criminal or civil law. Also makes determinations about whether the evidence is legally sufficient to warrant a referral to the Department of Justice or other authorities for further investigation, criminal prosecution, or civil redress.
• Prepares material that becomes the OIG’s justification for criminal prosecutions and civil fraud suits by the Department of Justice.
• Reviews Reports of Investigation and formulates the IG's specific recommendations for criminal, civil, or administrative redress.
• Assists other Government attorneys in actual prosecutions, litigations, and administrative enforcement actions involving major OIG cases. 
• Ensures follow-up action by maintaining a close and continuing relationship with parties to whom criminal matters have been referred, including senior officials of the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys, and the FBI.

Conditions of employment

• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• One year probationary period, unless excepted by regulation.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Requires a financial disclosure statement, SF-278.
• Copy of current license to practice law & certificate of good standing.

This position is a drug-testing designated position subject to random testing for illegal drug use. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's completion and favorable adjudication of a background security investigation. The Ethics in Government Act, PL 95-521 requires the applicant selected for this position to submit a financial disclosure statement, OGE-278, prior to assuming the SES position, annually, and upon termination of employment. 

Qualifications

RESPONDING TO EXECUTIVE CORE AND MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS:

When responding to the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQ), you must clearly show that you possess the experience, knowledge, skills and ability to perform the duties of this position by submitting narrative responses in which you detail your experience in each of the MTQs and the ECQs.  Your examples should be clear and emphasize your level of responsibilities, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments, policy initiatives, level of contacts, and results of your actions.

You should limit your narrative to two pages per MTQ and ECQ.  Applicants who use "see resume" as a response will not receive consideration for the position.

Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ):

Unless you:

1) are currently serving under a career Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment,
2) are eligible for reinstatement into the SES, or
3) have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program approved by OPM,

you must submit a narrative statement covering each of the Executive Core Qualifications.

To preview the ECQs click here. 

PLEASE ADDRESS EACH OF THE EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS IN THE QUESTION PORTION OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS. 

Additional information on the proper preparation of Executive Core Qualifications statements is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website. To access please click hereand here

Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQ):

All applicants must address each of the MTQs in order to receive consideration for this position.

1) You must address the MTQs separately (as a separate document) and NOT through the question portion of the application process.
2) After preparing your MTQs, please upload the document as an "additional document" in the document upload section.

For this position ALL applicants must address each of the following MTQs:

Demonstrated experience in legal issues relating to government matters. Relevant experience would include areas such as procurement, public contracting, fiscal, appropriations, personnel and employment, equal employment opportunity, privacy, whistleblower protection, administrative, criminal, and constitutional.

Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and advocate complex legal matters, in writing as well as orally.

Demonstrated experience in providing executive leadership, supervision, and direction to other attorneys.

IF YOU DO NOT POSSESS THE MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE, YOU MAY BE CONSIDERED INELIGIBLE FOR THIS POSITION.

How you will be evaluated

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

An Executive Review Board (ERB) and Qualifications Review Panel (QRP) consisting of senior officials will rate applicants based on the quality and extent of total accomplishments, experience and education. The ERB and QRP will determine the degree to which candidates possess the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQ) requirements of the position and the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) requirements. Among the factors the ERB and QRP will consider in determining the applicant's relative capacity and fitness for the position are education, training, experience and demonstrated executive level qualifications. The ERB and QRP will rate your application against each of ECQs and MTQs to determine the best qualified candidates. Candidates determined to be best qualified candidates will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration for the position.

NOTE:  All applicants must include with their application a copy of any current license(s) to practice law, and certificate(s) of good standing from the jurisdiction(s) in which the applicant is licensed to practice law.