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The U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the General Counsel is seeking multiple attorneys to join its Contract Law Division (CLD). CLD attorneys provide comprehensive legal guidance and advisory services to the Department's contracting officers and bureau program officials in the acquisition of goods and services to support the Department of Commerce's mission.
03/08/2023 to 04/12/2023
$78,592 - $183,500 per year
GS 11 - 15
FEW vacancies in the following location:
No
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent -
Full-time -
Excepted
15
No
No
OS-OGC-PNF-11875513
711553300
Applications will be accepted from all U.S. Citizens.
USAJOBS experienced technical issues yesterday, Monday, April 10th which prevented job seekers from applying for jobs. To provide job seekers an opportunity to apply for positions that were scheduled to close yesterday, we have extended this job opportunity announcement to close on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.
The incumbent will be responsible for advising contracting officers and program officials on a wide variety of procurement-related legal issues, including:
Conditions of Employment
Basic requirement for all grade levels:
Minimum Requirements:
The career ladder for attorney positions in OGC is generally GS-11 to GS-15. The minimum qualifications for hiring at each grade level (or equivalent) are as follows:
GS-11: J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership in one of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. (The requirement that an applicant possess a J.D. may be waived if his or her bar membership is in a state that allows individuals to "read for the law" rather than pursue a formal academic degree).
GS-12: GS-11 qualifications plus one-year legal experience, or additional relevant experience that distinguishes an entry-level attorney from the GS-11. This may include: a superior academic record; specific course work or an internship in the relevant legal area; another graduate or doctoral degree. Individuals hired into Legal Intern positions at the GS-11 may be reassigned to GS-12 attorney positions upon admission to the bar, irrespective of time-in-grade.
GS-13: Two years of legal experience or relevant professional experience (legal or non-legal). Relevant non-legal professional experience could include, for example: experience as a Contracting Officer when applying for a Contract Law position. Likewise, experience in a non-attorney position within the Department, with resulting insight into the client's mission could warrant a higher grade, as could non-legal experience in regulated industry. When relying on non-legal professional experience, hiring managers must articulate in writing how the cited experience enhances the applicant's skills to warrant the higher grade.
GS-14: Typically requires a minimum of three years of relevant legal experience. On the rare occasion, two years of relevant legal experience may, in the opinion of the General Counsel or his or her designee, suffice.
GS-15: Typically requires a minimum of four years of relevant legal experience. On the rare occasion, three years of relevant legal experience may, in the opinion of the General Counsel or his or her designee, suffice.
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.
Specialized Experience Requirements:
Applicants must meet the General Professional Experience requirements set forth above and the below specialized experience by the closing date of the announcement. Specialized experience equips applicants with particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. For this position, specialized experience includes knowledge of government contract law and/or litigation experience. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to accurately identify and quickly analyze relevant and critical issues related to federal procurement. Applicants must demonstration a record of strong interpersonal skills, good judgment and exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff and client bureaus. (See above to for specific desired experience for each grade level)
Applicants may be hired at any of the grades shown in this announcement, commensurate with the candidate's experience and qualifications. You are encouraged to identify the grade level(s) or salary for which you wish to be
considered.
Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or equivalent from an accredited law school. Official or unofficial transcripts must be submitted with your application package.
This position does not confer non-competitive conversion to the competitive service. Acceptance of an excepted service appointment from applicants in the competitive service will require a written statement of understanding when voluntarily leaving the competitive service.
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. You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Applicants will be rated based on their education, experience, demonstrated legal research and writing abilities, and performance during the interview process. Basis for evaluation: If eligible and meeting basic qualifications, your application package will be evaluated in conjunction with your résumé and supporting documents for the required knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of this position:
Please be advised that Department of Commerce Attorney positions are in the Excepted Service. As such, these positions are not covered by the usual civil service hiring procedures. You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications stated herein. We will perform an initial review of applications to determine basic eligibility and minimum qualifications for the position and numeric scores will not be assigned. There are no numerical rating systems through which to apply veterans' preference; however, the Office of the General Counsel favorably considers veterans preference eligibility in hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference are encouraged to include that information in their cover letter or resume. If selected, additional information may be required.
A complete application consists of the following:
Failure to provide documents, if selected, may result in lost consideration.
Please DO NOT put your SSN on pages within your application package. Privacy Act - Privacy Act Notice (PL 93-579): The information requested here is used to determine qualifications for employment and is authorized under Title 5 U.S.C. 3302 and 3361.
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.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING RESUMES AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Please send the following documents to OGCResumes@doc.gov with subject line: Attorney-Advisor - Contract Law Division
1. Cover letter
2. Resume
3. Copy of law school transcript.
4. Certificate of bar membership and proof of good standing.
Contact phone number: 202-482-5017
Once your application is received we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your eligibility. You will only be contacted if you are found eligible and if you are selected for an interview. Applicants selected for interviews may be requested to provide a legal writing sample.
Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for OGC to share your application with others in OGC for similar positions.
By submitting your application, you are certifying the accuracy of the information contained in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be terminated after you begin work; or, you may be fined or jailed.
After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
You will be required to submit official documentation prior to appointment. The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, veterans' preference, disability, etc.).
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/711553300. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The Contract Law Division provides legal guidance and representation to the Department's contracting and program officials regarding procurements, which collectively account for approximately half of the Department's annual budget, including: providing advice in developing acquisition strategy; all aspects of contract administration, to include modifications, statements of work, and solicitations; and advancing the Department's position when disagreement arises and participating in negotiated dispute resolution; defending the protests of the Department's procurement decisions before the Government Accountability Office; defending the Department's position in contract disputes before the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals; assisting the Department of Justice's defense of procurement actions filed in the United States Court of Federal Claims; and representing the Department's Suspension and Debarment official.
The Office of the Secretary, Office of the General Counsel offers Student Loan Repayment through the Student Loan Repayment Program in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 5379. The approval is determined by the supervisor and funding must be available. There is not any guarantee to any requesting employee. For more information, please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/student-loan-repayment/#:~:text=The%20Federal%20student%20loan%20repayment%20program%20permits%20agencies,programs%20to%20attract%20or%20retain%20highly%20qualified%20employees.
