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Trial Attorney (General)

Department of Defense
Washington Headquarters Services
Defense Legal Services Agency (DLSA), Office of Military Commissions (OMC)

Summary

This position is located in the Department of War (DoW), Office of the Chief Prosecutor (OCP) for Military Commissions. The OCP is responsible for recommending and prosecuting cases for trial before military commissions in accordance with the Military Commissions Act of 2009 The OCP is a component of the Office of Military Commissions and is comprised of the Chief Prosecutor, prosecutors, and other persons under the supervision of the Chief Prosecutor.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Salary
$143,913 - $197,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14 - 15
Promotion potential
15
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Temporary - This is a time limited position, not to exceed 30-SEP-2030, but may be extended up to 8 years in one-year increments
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Excepted Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Top Secret
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
ST-13076420-26-JJG
Control number
888276300

Duties

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Incumbent typical work assignments may include the following:

  • Serves as a senior prosecutor in the OCP Motions & Appeals Section, which provides motions research and drafting support, as well
    as appellate assistance and advocacy, in each of OCP's ongoing military commissions.
  • Directly advises the Chief Prosecutor, Deputy Chief Prosecutors, Trial Counsel, and others on actual and potential appellate issues.
  • Coordinates, as appropriate, with the trial teams that originally prosecuted cases on appeal.
  • Serves as a Senior Attorney for the organization and a foremost advisor to the Chief Prosecutor, Deputy Chief Prosecutors, and other
    senior DoW managers and staff about policy matters involving all aspects of prosecuting complex cases before military commissions.
  • Mentors and serves as an advisor to less experienced attorneys.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration)
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment
  • Required to participate in the direct deposit program
  • This position is subject to the DoD Priority Placement Program
  • The incumbent of this position must be able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI)
  • This position is subject to pre-employment and random drug testing
  • This position may require up to 25% occasional travel away from your normal duty station for official business on military or commercial aircraft
  • Position requires active membership in the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia.
  • Position requires a current, valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Qualifications

You may qualify at the GS-14 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates your ability to:

  • Receive assignments with general instructions regarding the legal/policy objectives and potential issues; and
  • Research and analyze a wide variety of legal and/or historical materials related to issues in military commissions and/or criminal litigation generally; and
  • Collaborate under the strategic direction of Chief Prosecutor when dealing with international laws.
All qualifications and education requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume. Your resume may not exceed two (2) pages. For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the duration of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.

Read more about what should I include in my federal resume at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include

ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: Federal agencies treat active duty service member as veterans, disabled veterans, and preference eligible, when they submit, as part of their application package, a "certification" of active service in lieu of a DD-214, indicating the service member is otherwise eligible and will be discharged or released within 120 days from the date of submission.. A "certification" letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. This "certification" must include your rank, dates of active duty service, type of discharge and character of service (i.e. honorable), and date any terminal leave will begin. It must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters. Active duty members that fail to provide a valid "certification" of service with their initial application will be found "not eligible". Members may be appointed before the effective date of their military retirement/separation if they are on terminal leave.

Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.

Education

Education cannot be substituted for experience.

Additional information

Probationary Periods: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing an online application, you may request an alternative application. Please send an email to the following address for information on how to obtain an alternative application: whs.job.application.assistance@mail.mil

Reemployed Annuitants: Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants (DODI 1400.25, volume 300). http://www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/

Nepotism: Under the provisions of 5 USC 3110, an individual may not be appointed into a position if the position is under the supervisory chain of command of a relative.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

Your eligibility and qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents and the responses you provide on the application questionnaire. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Legal Acumen
  • Strategic Analysis
  • Communication
  • Judgment
DOD PPP candidates using Application-Based Procedures:

Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible: Military Spouse Preference applicants, must be selected and placed at the highest grade level for which they have applied and been determined best qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-4) dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility for Military Spouse Preference.

Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians PPP Eligible: MR and NG technicians PPP applicants must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-3) to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician preference.

Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians Receiving Disability Retirement PPP Eligible: MR and NG technicians receiving disability retirement PPP applicants must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-2) to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability preference.

Retained Grade PPP Eligible: Retained Grade PPP applicants, must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Retained Grade PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-1) to verify your eligibility for Retained Grade preference.

Washington Headquarters Services

The Office of the Secretary of War (OSW) is the principal staff element of the Secretary of War in the exercise of policy development, planning, resource management, fiscal, and program evaluation responsibilities. OSW includes the immediate offices of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of War, the Under Secretaries of War, the Assistant Secretaries of War, General Counsel, Director of Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation, Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, the Chief Information Officer of the DoW, the Director of Administration and Management, and such other staff offices as the Secretary establishes to assist in carrying out assigned responsibilities.

Agency contact information

Washington HQ Services
Email
whs.job.application.assistance@mail.mil
Address
WHS Office of Military Commission
Human Resources Directorate
4800 Mark Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22350
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Washington Headquarters Services, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.whs.mil/

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