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Attorney-Advisor (General)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Affairs, Inspector General
This job announcement has closed

Summary

OIG is organized into seven operational units: the Immediate Office of the Inspector General, Office of the Counselor, Office of Audits and Evaluations, Office of Healthcare Inspections, Office of Investigations, Office of Management and Administration, and Office of Special Reviews. In addition to the Washington, DC, headquarters, OIG has offices located in more than 60 locations throughout the country.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
02/03/2021 to 02/04/2021
This job will close when we have received 200 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$108,885 to - $172,500 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14 - 15
Location
Location Negotiable After Selection, United States
3 vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - The incumbent should anticipate frequent walking and standing as a component of this travel.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Full-time
Work schedule
Full-time - Excepted Service
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
21-VAOIG-86-X
Control number
591229800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. citizens and U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.

Duties

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This vacancy can be filled in ANY VAOIG location throughout the country. Arlington, VA; Asheville, NC; Aurora, CO; Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Battle Creek, MI; Bay Pines, FL; Bedford, MA; Buffalo, NY; Canandaigua, NY; Cleveland, OH; Columbia, SC; Dallas, TX; Atlanta, GA; San Diego, CA; Decatur, GA; Denver, CO; Fayetteville, NC; Gainesville, FL; Hines, IL; Houston, TX; Jackson, MS; Kansas City, MO; Katy, TX; Las Vegas, NV;  Long Beach, CA; North Little Rock, AR; Los Angeles, CA; Lyons, NJ; Manchester, NH; Martinez, CA; Miramar, FL; Middleton, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Montgomery, AL; Nashville, TN; New Orleans, LA; New York City, NY; Newark, NJ; Oakland, CA; Orlando, FL; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Richmond, VA; Sacramento, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; San Antonio, TX; Seattle, WA; Spokane, WA; Tallahassee, FL; Trenton, NJ; Washington DC; West Palm Beach, FL

The Investigative Attorney position is located in the Office of Special Reviews. This office was created to increase the Office of Inspector General's (OIG) flexibility and capacity to conduct prompt reviews of significant events and emergent issues not squarely within the focus of a single OIG directorate or office. It is led by an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) and a Deputy Assistant Inspector General (DAIG) who have staffed the office with professionals possessing a broad array of expertise. The Office of Special Reviews undertakes projects assigned to it by the Inspector General (IG) and Deputy IG and works collaboratively with the other directorates to review topics and issues of interest that span multiple offices.

The incumbent is responsible for conducting, and for directing staff in the conduct of, timely, complex reviews and special projects for OIG at the direction of the Office’s AIG and DAIG. These reviews and special projects could include working collaboratively with other Directorates.

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-15 . If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.
As an Investigative Attorney, you will:

  • Assist the AIG and DAIG in planning, conducting, and supervising reviews and special projects.
  • Consult with the other Directorates and the Counselor’s Office to coordinate reviews and special projects and plan review strategies and tactics.
  • Lead and conduct investigations and address matters involving possible violations of laws and regulations of federal law, including assessing the extent of compliance with government and agency rules and regulations, assessing program support effectiveness and efficiencies, and identifying systemic weaknesses.
  • Develop detailed plans, goals and objectives for short and long-range implementation and administration of a variety of investigative activities, including as directed by the IG, Deputy IG, AIGs, and DAIGs.
  • Collect, sort, and analyze information from a variety of sources in order to evaluate relevancy and adequacy of facts, and to develop and implement recommended courses of action relating to matters which are the subject of the investigations and reviews being conducted by the Office.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
  • Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
  • Must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals.

The experience may have been gained in either the public, 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/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirements: (Attorney-Advisor): Applicants must (1) be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D.; (2) be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and (3) meet all specialized experience requirements as described in the vacancy announcement.

Specialized experience:  For the GS-15, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: 

  • Assisting with planning, directing, and executing multifaceted investigative, analytical, and legal reviews.

Examples of such experience could include:

  • Representing entities or Federal agencies in regulatory enforcement matters or litigation; OR
  • Conducting investigations and making presentations about the subject matter to various audiences; OR
  • Providing independent legal advice and guidance on a wide range of agency programmatic responsibilities; OR

Specialized experience:  For the GS-14, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: 

  • Assisting with planning and executing investigative, analytical, and/or legal reviews.

Examples of such experience could include:

  • Representing entities or Federal agencies in regulatory enforcement matters or litigation; OR
  • Conducting legal reviews of investigative matter and presenting the subject matter to various audiences; OR
  • Providing legal advice and guidance on a wide range of programmatic issues.

Please Note:  Narrative responses are not required at this time.  If you are found qualified and are referred to the selecting official for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job-related information, which may include a timed writing exercise during the interview.

Education

Must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of graduation (a copy of your transcript will be required if selected).

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

The experience may have been gained in either the public or private sector. 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/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Additional information

- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Applicants who apply for this position may be considered for other positions within the Office of Inspector General that require the same knowledge, skills, and abilities.
- This is a non-bargaining unit position.
- A recruitment incentive may be offered.
- We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
- Full-time telework may be temporarily required if space is not currently available at the location chosen by the selectee.  Selectees will be notified prior to their start date if this is necessary.  Telework on a more permanent basis will be determined by management upon completion of all telework requirements and availability needs.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- A two year trial period may be required.
- Must successfully complete a background investigation.
- Public Trust – Background Investigation will be required.
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
- Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9.  Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
- Obtain and use a Government-issued purchase card for business-related travel.
- File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
- Undergo an income tax verification.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a “not qualified” determination.

Rating: This announcement is issued under excepted service hiring authority for Attorney positions (5CFR 213.3102): all candidates who meet all the qualification and other eligibility requirements may be referred for consideration. Competitive examining rules providing for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration.  You may be required to participate in a selection interview and/or a writing assessment. Applicants who are selected for an interview may ask questions about the evaluation process at the time they are contacted for an interview.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must be assigned the middle category or better to be rated as “well qualified" to receive special selection priority.


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