This position is located in the Office of the Legal Adviser, Office of Building and Acquisition (L/BA). The attorney will primarily provide legal advice and representation on the solicitation, award and administration of Federal acquisition contracts, grants and other federal assistance awards.
This position is in the Excepted Service and appointments are made without regard to the requirements of the Competitive Service by laws, Executive order, or OPM regulations.
Summary
This position is located in the Office of the Legal Adviser, Office of Building and Acquisition (L/BA). The attorney will primarily provide legal advice and representation on the solicitation, award and administration of Federal acquisition contracts, grants and other federal assistance awards.
This position is in the Excepted Service and appointments are made without regard to the requirements of the Competitive Service by laws, Executive order, or OPM regulations.
Yes—Situational Telework may be approved by agency
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - Term Appointment not-to-exceed 2 years. (At the end of that period, subject to continuing successful performance, appointments may be extended).
Advise on legal issues associated with the solicitation, award, administration, and termination of U.S. foreign assistance-funded acquisition contracts, grants and other federal assistance instruments, including with respect to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), USAID Acquisition Regulations (AIDAR) and Automated Directives System (ADS), as applicable.
Provide legal policy guidance, counsel, and assistance to the Office of Acquisitions, Bureau of Information Resource Management, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, and other Departmental programs and offices relative to all phases of the procurement process.
Review solicitation and award documents and make final, independent determinations regarding their compliance with all federal laws, regulations, and statutes.
Advise on Interagency Agreements (IAAs) and transferring awards or the administration thereof between U.S. federal agencies.
Participate in the conduct of major acquisitions, including review of acquisition strategy and plans, source selection evaluation plans, the review of evaluation findings and reports, competitive range determinations and award recommendations and supporting documentation.
Represent the Department in pre-award and post-award protests at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and liaise with Department of Justice (DOJ) counsel on protests at the Court of Federal Claims (COFC).
Render legal opinions in matters of contractual rights and obligations based upon statutes, regulations, court and administrative board decisions, common law, decisions of the Comptroller General and Department of State policy directives.
At the GS-14 and GS-15 levels, the incumbent performs the same duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are increased, and the incumbent receives less supervision than the GS-13 level.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/
Copy of license to practice law.
Statement of Employment & Financial Interest required prior to appointment.
Qualifications
GS-13, 14, and 15
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Applicants apply for this position must meet the following requirements to be eligible for further consideration:
If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your law school transcript with your application.
Law Degree: Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with a J.D. or LLM.
Bar Membership: Applicants must be a current member of a bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE
GS-13-Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position
Experience with federal contract law.
Experience with procurement law.
Experience with legal issues associated with the solicitation, award, administration, and termination if U.S. foreign assistance-funded acquisition contracts, grants, and other federal assistance instruments.
There is no education substitute for specialized experience for the GS-13 position.
GS-14-Applicants must have at least three years of specialized experience with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal Service, which provides you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar.
Experience with federal contract law.
Experience with federal procurement and acquisition law and practice.
Experience with legal issues associated with the solicitation, award, administration, and termination of U.S. foreign assistance-funded acquisition contracts, grants, and other federal assistance instruments.
There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-14 position.
GS-15-Applicants must have at least four years of specialized experience with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal Service, which provides you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar.
Experience with Contract Disputes Act (CDA) litigation in front of the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA), Court of Federal Claims (CoFC) or a similar tribunal.
Experience with legal issues associated with the solicitation, award, administration, and termination if U.S. foreign assistance-funded acquisition contracts, grants, and other federal assistance instruments.
Experience providing high-level legal advice related to federal contract administration and the negotiation and/or litigation of disputes related thereto.
Education
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.
See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.
Additional information
For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.
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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of State considers veterans’ preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring process. For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the qualification for this position, specifically, the education and specialized experience requirements. Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applications that are verified to meet the required qualification will be referred to the selecting official.
Your resume will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required; and to the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position as defined below:
• Knowledge of federal contract law and federal procurement and acquisition law and practice, as referenced above. • Knowledge of U.S. foreign assistance-funded acquisition contracts, grants, and other federal assistance instruments • Ability to analyze legal issues. • Skill in successfully building relations with clients, peers, and colleagues. • Ability to provide written and verbal opinions to clients • Ability to communicate clearly and concisely about legal topics.
Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determination and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education [if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume should include the dates of all qualifying experience from [month/year to month year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week.
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.
All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to legaljobs@state.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time [ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
1. Resume – your resume or any other written format you choose should contain the required information as specified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section. Insufficient information will result in an ineligible rating.
2. Transcripts – you must submit a copy of your college transcript(s) from an accredited law school with your application. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
3. Proof of bar membership – you must submit proof of bar membership from any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico with your application.
4. If you are qualifying based on other criteria listed under the Qualification Section of this announcement, you MUST submit the required supporting documentation (certificates, certifications, etc.) with your application.
5. Most recent SF-50 for federal employment (if applicable).
6. Most recent performance appraisal.
7. References – you must submit three professional references with your application.
8. Veterans Preference – There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of State considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring process. If claiming 5-point veteran's preference, you must provide a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member Copy 4 is preferred), which must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty.
If you are currently on active duty, you must provide a certification on letterhead from your military branch which contains your military service dates, expected date of discharge or release, and the character of service to show that your military service was performed under honorable conditions. The expected date of discharge or release must be no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted for consideration for this vacancy announcement. If the appropriate information is not submitted to confirm your current or expected discharge status, dates of service, etc., you will not receive credit for the claimed active duty military service.
If claiming 10-point veteran's preference (i.e., preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more), you must submit the documentation required by the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs). If we cannot verify your 10-point preference status, you will receive 5-point preference if veterans' preference requirements have been met. For further information regarding Veterans, click here.
For applicants claiming 10-point derivedveterans’ preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), a completed SF-15must be submitted with the application with all required supporting documents listed on the form.
For Sole Survivorship preference, you must provide a copy of your DD-214 (Member Copy 4 is preferred) or another form of official documentation which shows your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge.
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.
The apply button is deactivated and applications packages are being accepted directly by the Office of the Legal Adviser (L). We will also consider your years of service, veteran status, and performance appraisal.
Application packages are being accepted directly by emailing an application with all required documents, preferably in one PDF, to legaljobs@state.gov. Please have the subject line of the email read “L/BA Specialist Attorney Position AND the Vacancy Announcement Number.”
Please note this vacancy exists with instructions on how to apply. Applicant notifications, however, will NOT be sent. If a hiring official determines you have the skillset for this vacancy, a member of the hiring team will contact you.
Those applicants who may be contacted for an interview may be asked to provide further application materials at that time, including a writing sample.
All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to legaljobs@state.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time [ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
1. Resume – your resume or any other written format you choose should contain the required information as specified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section. Insufficient information will result in an ineligible rating.
2. Transcripts – you must submit a copy of your college transcript(s) from an accredited law school with your application. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
3. Proof of bar membership – you must submit proof of bar membership from any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico with your application.
4. If you are qualifying based on other criteria listed under the Qualification Section of this announcement, you MUST submit the required supporting documentation (certificates, certifications, etc.) with your application.
5. Most recent SF-50 for federal employment (if applicable).
6. Most recent performance appraisal.
7. References – you must submit three professional references with your application.
8. Veterans Preference – There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of State considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring process. If claiming 5-point veteran's preference, you must provide a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member Copy 4 is preferred), which must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty.
If you are currently on active duty, you must provide a certification on letterhead from your military branch which contains your military service dates, expected date of discharge or release, and the character of service to show that your military service was performed under honorable conditions. The expected date of discharge or release must be no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted for consideration for this vacancy announcement. If the appropriate information is not submitted to confirm your current or expected discharge status, dates of service, etc., you will not receive credit for the claimed active duty military service.
If claiming 10-point veteran's preference (i.e., preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more), you must submit the documentation required by the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs). If we cannot verify your 10-point preference status, you will receive 5-point preference if veterans' preference requirements have been met. For further information regarding Veterans, click here.
For applicants claiming 10-point derivedveterans’ preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), a completed SF-15must be submitted with the application with all required supporting documents listed on the form.
For Sole Survivorship preference, you must provide a copy of your DD-214 (Member Copy 4 is preferred) or another form of official documentation which shows your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge.
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.
The apply button is deactivated and applications packages are being accepted directly by the Office of the Legal Adviser (L). We will also consider your years of service, veteran status, and performance appraisal.
Application packages are being accepted directly by emailing an application with all required documents, preferably in one PDF, to legaljobs@state.gov. Please have the subject line of the email read “L/BA Specialist Attorney Position AND the Vacancy Announcement Number.”
Please note this vacancy exists with instructions on how to apply. Applicant notifications, however, will NOT be sent. If a hiring official determines you have the skillset for this vacancy, a member of the hiring team will contact you.
Those applicants who may be contacted for an interview may be asked to provide further application materials at that time, including a writing sample.
