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Joining the Secret Service, Office of the Chief Counsel, will allow you to be responsible for conducting legal research and providing legal opinion, advice and representation on all programs, responsibilities, and legislative activities of the Secret Service under the executive supervision of the Director of the Secret Service.
For definitions of terms found in this announcement, please click here.
05/20/2025 to 06/09/2025
$167,603 - $195,200 per year
Salary listed includes applicable locality pay.
GS 15
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
No
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent
Full-time
Excepted
None
No
Yes
LEG-KR-12736558-25-EX
837266200
The selectee will serve as a Attorney Advisor (Construction) in the Office of the Chief Counsel. Typical work assignments include:
To be considered qualified for this position applicants you must meet the following qualification requirements for the respective grade level in which applying.
You must demonstrate that you meet the Basic Requirements AND Minimum Qualification requirements as listed below:
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
A. A first professional law degree (Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or Juris Doctor (J.D.)) obtained from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time the degree was obtained.
AND
B. Be an active member in good standing of the bar of a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. (Note: Supporting documentation must be included with the application package).
IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS ABOVE, YOU MUST ALSO MEET THE FOLLOWING MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
You qualify for the GS-15 level (starting salary $167,603.00) if you possess the following:
The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
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.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and date of completion. An official transcript will be required if you are selected for the position.
DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to HRsupport@usss.dhs.gov.
More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade and unit occur. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.
The Secret Service prohibits employees from having visible body markings (including but not limited to tattoos, body art, and branding) on the head, face, neck, hand and fingers (any area below the wrist bone) (exception: a single conservative and unobtrusive tattoo in the form of a ring is authorized on one finger).
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
This announcement is being filled using the Schedule A Hiring Authority 5 CFR 213.3102 (D) under Excepted Service procedures. Traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply to attorney positions. Applicants who meet the qualifications for the position and submit a cover letter, resume, and law school transcript will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.
The Office of the Chief Counsel (LEG) will evaluate qualified applicants by comparing each candidate's qualifications to those pertinent to the position. LEG will consider relevant skills and experience, education and training. An applicant need not have specific knowledge and experience with regard to each item listed in the Duties section in order to qualify for the position.
Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Homeland Security considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference are encouraged to include that information in a cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214 or other substantiating documents) to their submissions. View information on veterans' preference.
Interviews are required for this position. As part of the interview process, you may be required to provide a legal writing sample and references, a second interview may be conducted. These additional assessments will be considered in the selection process. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.
Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.
If selected this announcement confers a permanent appointment in the excepted service and will be filled on a full-time permanent basis. Employees hired under an Excepted Service appointment are required to serve an one (1) year trial period, unless already completed. Upon successful completion of the required trial period, this position will be permanent. 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 must include all required documentation, as set forth below, with your application package before the closing date. No extensions will be granted. 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.
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.
To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 06/09/2025 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
To update your application, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login). All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides the Announcement Status and a "You applied on" date. This information does not confirm the agency application status. Use the "Track this Application" link for additional information regarding the agency application status, the documentation you submitted, and any correspondence sent related to this application. The Announcement Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated.
It is your responsibility to verify that any information entered or uploaded is received and is accurate. Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application. Determining qualifications is dependent on the supporting documentation and information provided, which may impact your referral for further consideration. If a document is not legible, we will not be able to view it in your application.
We strongly encourage you to apply online. If you cannot apply online, you may contact theAPT Talent Management Division at HRSupport@usss.dhs.gov by calling (202) 406-6420 or TDD at (202) 406-5390 between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:30 pm EST (excluding Federal holidays) prior to the closing date of this announcement to receive assistance.
The Secret Service provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications. We expect to make a selection within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We will notify you by email after each of these steps has been completed. Your status will also be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. For more information on applying for Federal employment, please click here.
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/837266200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.