Serves as Director of Legal Operations and Strategic Advisor to the General Counsel, providing strategic leadership of operational and administrative functions across the legal organization.
Summary
Serves as Director of Legal Operations and Strategic Advisor to the General Counsel, providing strategic leadership of operational and administrative functions across the legal organization.
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—NASA may consider reimbursement of relocation expenses based on Agency discretion and/or organizational needs; relocation expense reimbursement is not guaranteed.
The Director of Legal Operations and Strategic Advisor to the General Counsel:
Responsible for serving as the point of integration for strategic workforce management, budget, and communications, and ensuring consistent agencywide approaches for legal services.
Develops and provides executive advice and oversight of the Office of the General Counsel's (OGC) organizational strategic plans, integrated management, and daily operations for a geographically dispersed legal team in a federal enclave.
Oversees, analyzes, and addresses knowledge management and risk management issues, ensuring goals and objectives are met for the organization.
Provides strategic insight into the delivery of legal programs or services, ensuring the effective and efficient application of expertise to achieve agency missions, goals, and objectives.
Identifies and addresses operational challenges specific to litigation, providing recommendations and implementation of process and systems improvements (e.g. complex legal case management, electronic discovery, etc.)
Develops, evaluates, modernizes, maintains, and implements improvements to the quality and efficiency of legal services through information technology solutions, organizational policies and operational procedures. Manages both immediate and long-term planning activities, including multi-year work plans developed to carry out the goals and objectives of the organization.
Recommends and implements consistent agency wide approaches for the delivery of legal services by monitoring and optimizing the integration and utilization of the OGC workforce.
Fosters constructive culture change and continuous improvement within the enterprise OGC organization; identifies and assesses areas of risks and recommendation to ensure operational approaches at different locations can be optimized.
Engages with stakeholders to facilitate program changes and ensures clear and transparent communications across the organization.
Fosters and continually drives a culture of engagement, diversity, inclusiveness, excellence, and innovation within and outside of the organization and NASA. Champions the Agency's commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) and creates an environment and culture that promotes and enables the Agency's commitment to safety, inclusion, integrity, teamwork, and excellence.
The individual selected will be required to file an Executive Branch Personnel Financial Disclosure Report' (OGE-278) in accordance with the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
Successful completion of a background investigation commensurate with the risk and sensitivity level of the position.
Successful completion of pre-employment and random drug screening may be required.
Must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
You may be required to serve a probationary period.
Qualifications
Candidates must be a recognized subject matter expert with at least 1 year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-15 level in leading enterprise strategic initiatives including demonstrated success in the development, evaluation, implementation, modernization, and oversight of operations for a legal organization.
Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement, or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job. NASA prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tool in drafting application and assessment responses. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process.
To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you MUST address each Senior Level (SL) Evaluation Criteria separately not to exceed a total of ten (10) pages. If you fail to do so, your application will be rated ineligible. Please cite experience directly related to the specialized experience requirements (outlined above) when addressing the SL evaluation criteria #2 (Technical Excellence and Contributions) and SL evaluation criteria #5 (Corporate Cooperation and Technical Leadership Skills). For the full definition of the SL Evaluation Criteria and Process please click here. Please include your full name on all documents submitted.
SL EVALUATION CRITERIA:
1. Education Level and Training
2. Technical Excellence and Contributions
a. Experience/Accomplishments
b. Technical and Strategic Problem Solving
c. Information Transfer
3. Awards and Recognition
4. Outside Professional Activities
5. Corporate Cooperation and Technical Leadership Skills
Education
No Educational Requirement.
Additional information
This position is concurrently advertised on USAJOBS and open to current NASA civil servant career or career conditional employees via announcement HQ-24-SL-12499156, and only one selection will be made. NASA civil service career or career conditional employees should apply to vacancy announcement HQ-24-SL-12499156.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
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.
All qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications above. To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.
You will be assessed on the following competencies:
Change Management
Legal Assistance
Oral Communication
Planning and Evaluating
Problem Solving
Program/Project Management
Strategic Thinking
Technical Competence
Under NASA's category rating process, applicants will be assessed on the position competencies and placed in one of three categories identified and defined below:
Best Qualified Category - Applicants who demonstrate a superior level of all evaluation criteria.
Highly Qualified Category - Applicants who demonstrate a satisfactory level of the evaluation criteria.
Qualified Category - Applicants who demonstrate the basic qualifications, with general knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Names of all qualified applicants in the Best Qualified category will be referred to a panel of subject matter experts (unless a sufficient number of qualified veterans are found - in which case only those names will be initially certified). Applicants within the Best Qualified category who are eligible for veterans' preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. The panel reviews the resumes and responses to the SL evaluation criteria as related to the specialized experience for this position. The panel evaluates the candidates' experience against each SL criterion. Candidates may receive an interview for further evaluation and/or be asked to provide a list of references. The panel will make a recommendation to the appropriate approving authority.
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.
You must provide a complete application package. If you do not provide all required information and supporting documentation, you will not be considered for this position.
1. Resume showing relevant work experience (start/end dates stated in month/year, description of duties), applicable education at a minimum, and your contact information. For current or previous Federal employees, it should also include the Pay Plan, Series and Grade for each work experience entry. Limit your resume to 10 pages. If more than 10 pages are submitted, only the first 10 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
2. SL Evaluation Criteria narrative responses. Limit your responses to 10 pages. If more than 10 pages are submitted, only the first 10 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
You may be asked to provide additional documentation to support your eligibility and the information provided in your application package. For example, we may request transcripts, SF-50s, etc. Therefore, we encourage you to have these documents prepared and ready when requested by the agency. If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.
If you are a veteran and you are claiming veterans' preference, we may request a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. For more information on veterans' preference and possible other supporting documents that you may have to submit, please visit NASA's SL Application Evaluation Process or FedsHireVets.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the "Required Documents" section.
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://secure.login.gov/, all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
NASA's online application process provides step by step guidance to ensure you provide all needed information. If you are unable to apply online, please contact for assistance. Faxed, emailed, and/or mailed application materials will not be accepted for this announcement.
NASA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you are an applicant with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency contact center listed on the job vacancy announcement. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be on a case-by-case basis.
NASA Headquarters
300 E St SW
Washington, DC 20546
US
Next steps
Although you may or may not be contacted during the selection process, we will always advise you about the outcome of the announcement. If you have questions, please feel free to contact NASA Executive Staffing at Agency-Executive-Staffing@mail.nasa.gov.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
You must provide a complete application package. If you do not provide all required information and supporting documentation, you will not be considered for this position.
1. Resume showing relevant work experience (start/end dates stated in month/year, description of duties), applicable education at a minimum, and your contact information. For current or previous Federal employees, it should also include the Pay Plan, Series and Grade for each work experience entry. Limit your resume to 10 pages. If more than 10 pages are submitted, only the first 10 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
2. SL Evaluation Criteria narrative responses. Limit your responses to 10 pages. If more than 10 pages are submitted, only the first 10 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
You may be asked to provide additional documentation to support your eligibility and the information provided in your application package. For example, we may request transcripts, SF-50s, etc. Therefore, we encourage you to have these documents prepared and ready when requested by the agency. If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.
If you are a veteran and you are claiming veterans' preference, we may request a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. For more information on veterans' preference and possible other supporting documents that you may have to submit, please visit NASA's SL Application Evaluation Process or FedsHireVets.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the "Required Documents" section.
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://secure.login.gov/, all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
NASA's online application process provides step by step guidance to ensure you provide all needed information. If you are unable to apply online, please contact for assistance. Faxed, emailed, and/or mailed application materials will not be accepted for this announcement.
NASA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you are an applicant with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency contact center listed on the job vacancy announcement. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be on a case-by-case basis.
NASA Headquarters
300 E St SW
Washington, DC 20546
US
Next steps
Although you may or may not be contacted during the selection process, we will always advise you about the outcome of the announcement. If you have questions, please feel free to contact NASA Executive Staffing at Agency-Executive-Staffing@mail.nasa.gov.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
