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.
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.
Open to all US citizens or US nationals; no prior federal experience is required
The incumbent of this position serves as the Deputy Counselor - Administration in the Office of the Counselor to the Inspector General (IG) and is responsible for providing critical legal and policy advice across the full spectrum of IG authorities and responsibilities outlined in the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended. The incumbent will supervise a team of seven to ten attorneys and paralegals who provide legal advice and support on a broad range of matters, including application of the IG Act and other statutory authorities, human resources, employee relations, reasonable accommodation, fiscal law, general administrative matters, and personally litigates the most significant, complex and high profile cases and supervises other attorneys and paralegals representing the agency.
As the Deputy Counselor - Administration, you will:
- Provide expert independent legal advice to OIG leadership and staff consistent with applicable Federal laws and regulations relating to all aspects of administrative law and federal policies, to include: consultations; drafting legal memoranda; interpreting and applying statutes, executive orders, directives, regulations, administrative rulings and court decisions; advising on standards of conduct and conflicts of interest matters; litigation before Federal and State administrative bodies; and assisting the Department of Justice in matters before Federal Courts.
- Perform and oversee litigation activities before the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and assist DOJ attorneys in litigating employment cases accepted by U.S. District Courts. Make recommendations for new or changes in OIG human resources policies in such areas as telework, leave, performance management, awards, and grievances.
- Advise on probable impact of new or revised legislation, recommend action or proposed alternatives as appropriate, and recommend the organization course of action. Advise on laws, regulations, Congressional legislation, etc., which may affect the VAOIG mission and function.
- Provide expert advice and guidance to human resource specialists assisting OIG supervisors and managers to resolve instances of employee poor performance and misconduct. Directly supervise the work of staff attorneys; recommend intervention strategies such as referrals to the Employee Assistance Program, training, or Performance Improvement Plans; assist managers in making decisions on reasonable accommodation requests; and provide guidance on documenting performance and conduct. Ensure that notices of proposed action and final decision meet legal and regulatory requirements, and that actions meet evidentiary burdens established in statute.
- Assist the Assistant Inspector General of Management and Administration in her or his role as the OIG's EEO official responsible for coordinating discrimination complaints received by the VA Office of Resolution Management (ORM) with OIG managers, ORM investigators, and the VA Office of Employment Discrimination and Complaint Adjudication (OEDCA). Advises the senior IG staff on merits of complaints, need for corrective action, and whether a negotiated settlement is in the interest of the Government.
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.
Key Requirements:You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state or territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
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 is 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
Serving as liaison with high-level Federal or other entity program officials.
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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
How You will be Evaluated: 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.
A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
It is anticipated that there will be significant interest in the announcement. As a result, the announcement will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on the date of receipt of the 200th application or at 11:59 p.m. ET on 2/16/2022; whichever occurs first. Any required documents should be submitted at the time that you apply as documents will not be accepted after the vacancy closes.
All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips.
VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: Even though veteran's preference does not apply to this excepted service authority you are still encouraged to submit your documentation. Please see applicant guide for required documentation.
EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: Submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are 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.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
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.
VAOIG has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
The Bureau provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your resume and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct any required suitability and/or security background investigation.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
