This position is located in the Office of the Legal Adviser, Office of Legislation and Foreign Assistance (L/LFA). The attorney will primarily provide legal advice related to the design, development, and implementation of U.S. foreign assistance.
This position is in the Excepted Service and appointments are made without regard to the requirements of the Competitive Service through laws, Executive order, or OPM regulations.
Summary
This position is located in the Office of the Legal Adviser, Office of Legislation and Foreign Assistance (L/LFA). The attorney will primarily provide legal advice related to the design, development, and implementation of U.S. foreign assistance.
This position is in the Excepted Service and appointments are made without regard to the requirements of the Competitive Service through laws, Executive order, or OPM regulations.
Advising on legal issues associated with U.S. foreign assistance programming, including relevant authorities, restrictions, and other requirements.
Advising on proposed legislation affecting the Department’s authorities, funding, and operations, including budget requests, annual appropriations legislation, authorization legislation, and other legislative initiatives related to foreign assistance.
Advising on legal issues related to design, development, and implementation of foreign assistance programs, including legal authorities and restrictions, federal appropriations law, international law considerations, arrangements with foreign countries and international organizations, and arrangements with other U.S departments and agencies.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
Copy of license to practice law.
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/
Qualifications
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Applicants applying for this position must meet the following requirements to be eligible for further consideration:
Law Degree: Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with a J.D. or LL.M. 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.
Experience: 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 provided 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.
Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
Experience preparing legislation and legal analysis for the President’s budget submission to Congress on Foreign Operations appropriations accounts.
Experience providing legal advice and training to government officials on requirements for the obligation and expenditure of foreign assistance to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives.
Experience assisting program offices in the implementation of foreign assistance, including interagency fund transfer mechanisms, arrangements with foreign partners and international organizations, and provision of funds through multi-donor trust fund mechanisms.
Experience with legal issues related to disaster assistance, food assistance (including Food for Peace), and/or health assistance is highly desired.
There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-15 position.
Education
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, 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 similar positions in any Bureau/Office listed on this announcement for approximately 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.
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 qualifications for this position, specifically, the education and specialized experience requirements. Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applicants that are verified to meet the required qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.
Your resume will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required; and on 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:
Skill in preparing legislation and legal analysis.
Ability to provide legal advice to officials on requirements for the obligation and expenditure of foreign assistance.
Skill in assisting policy bureaus in the implementation of foreign assistance.
Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations 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. For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.
Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement. Your application package must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying.
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 application packages are being accepted directly by the Office of the Legal Adviser (L).
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/LFA Specialist Attorney Position" AND the Vacancy Announcment 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 may have the needed skillset for the vacancy, a member of the hiring team will contact you.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and before the closing date of this announcement. Those applicants who may be contacted for an interview may be asked to provide further application material at a later 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 application packages are being accepted directly by the Office of the Legal Adviser (L).
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/LFA Specialist Attorney Position" AND the Vacancy Announcment 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 may have the needed skillset for the vacancy, a member of the hiring team will contact you.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and before the closing date of this announcement. Those applicants who may be contacted for an interview may be asked to provide further application material at a later time, including a writing sample.
