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Summary

The Office of General Counsel (OGC) at the ODNI provides legal advice and counsel to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and other ODNI officials on a wide range of legal issues to include intelligence and national security law; procurement and acquisition law; personnel law; government ethics, fiscal law; general administrative law; legislative support; government information practices (Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act); and intellectual property law.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
12/12/2025 to 01/09/2026
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$120,579 to - $156,755 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Locations
Few vacancies in the following locations:
Bethesda, MD
McLean, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
26-12853435-DNI/GC/LI
Control number
852365900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to current and former Federal employees with competitive or excepted status; and all U.S. Citizens. Former members of the Peace Corps may be considered for ODNI employment only if five full years have elapsed since separation from the Peace Corps.

Duties

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Provide preliminary legal advice to Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) leadership on areas of law affecting ODNI's duties and responsibilities under the National Security Act, Presidential directives, Executive Orders and other related laws and policies.

Provide recommendations to senior attorneys to support the development, review, and preparation of United States (US) Government-wide and IC-wide policies, procedures, guidelines, rules, and standards.

Counsel clients, including ODNI leaders, on legal issues and provide effective guidance on possible courses of action; prepare documents on legal issues for a variety of internal and external recipients.

Provide expert legal advice and counsel on matters relating to the running of a federal agency.

Provide expert legal counsel to support the development, review, and preparation of United States (U.S.) Government-wide and IC wide policies, procedures, guidelines, rules, and standards.

Counsel clients, including senior ODNI leaders, on complex legal issues and provide innovative and highly effective guidance on possible courses of action; expertly prepare complex, high profile, and persuasive legal documents on complex legal issues for a variety of internal and external recipients.

Expertly conduct or direct legal research and analysis on extremely complex or sensitive legal issues as well as on laws, regulations, and policies that have a significant impact on ODNI and IC interests and brief ODNI leadership on issues and findings.

Provide timely reviews of planned ODNI and IC activities for compliance with the Constitution and laws of the U.S., Executive Orders, and other applicable regulations and policies affecting ODNI and the IC and brief ODNI leaders on potential legal and policy issues, and develop solutions to address difficult legal problems having potential high-level or large-scale impact on the ODNI's or the IC's missions or activities.

Expertly analyze statutes, bills, reports, and Congressional materials, as well as proposed Executive Branch orders, directives, regulations, and policies, to determine their effect on the ODNI and the IC; provide expert advice and counsel to senior management on legislative proposals, Congressional testimony, and related documents.

Provide expert briefings for ODNI and IC views on particular matters to Executive Branch entities, Congress, and private sector entities; cogently brief senior ODNI leaders on legal issues that relate to or effect ODNI and IC activities.

Maintain productive working relationships with ODNI elements, IC colleagues, executive agencies, congressional personnel and members, congressional committees, and use these relationships to advocate ODNI and IC positions, support a continuing dialog, and provide insight into ongoing and planned ODNI and IC activities.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen residing in the United States
  • Appointment is subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance based on an SBI with eligibility for sensitive compartmented information (SCI)
  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • A two-year trial period is required for all new permanent appointments to the ODNI.

Qualifications

Multi-disciplinary legal skills and experience dealing with complex legal issues, as well as ability to interpret laws, regulations, judicial decisions, Executive Orders, and statutes involving complex concepts and issues.

Multi-disciplinary legal skills and experience dealing with complex legal issues, as well as an expert ability to interpret laws, regulations, judicial decisions, Executive Orders, and statutes involving complex concepts and issues.

Knowledge of one or more of the general or specialized areas of OGC's law practice, such as: national security law, including legal issues relating to counterterrorism, counter proliferation, cybersecurity, and counterintelligence; intelligence oversight; privacy and civil liberties; standards of conduct & criminal conflicts of interest; Equal Employment Opportunity law; acquisition and appropriations; administrative law; and litigation.

Thorough research abilities, including the ability to quickly integrate and synthesize the facts and law to make legally sound decisions, and recommendations pertaining to the most complex situations, or in the context of ambiguous or ill-defined situations.

Ability to routinely communicate, orally and in writing, the most complex concepts and issues in a manner well matched to the audience being addressed, and to consistently make sound, timely decisions in complex, ambiguous or ill-defined situations.

Thorough interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to work effectively both independently and in a collaborative environment and superior creative problem-solving skills.

Thorough legal knowledge obtained through the completion of a Juris Doctorate from an American Bar Association-accredited law school, and active membership in the Bar of the highest court of a US State, Territory, Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.

To qualify for a position at the GS-13 level: You must possess a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from an accredited ABA law school, active bar status in good standing, and at least three years professional legal experience post bar admission.

Education

Bachelors Degree

Additional information

Duty location may be McLean, VA or Bethesda, MD

Job Interview Travel: Candidates from outside the Washington, D.C., area may be selected for a telephone, teleconference, or in-person interview.

Salary Determination:

The ODNI uses a rank-in-person system in which rank is attached to GS employees on the basis of individual qualifications, experience, and performance.

Individuals whose current GS grade is equivalent to the grade of the advertised position will retain their current grade and step.

Individuals who transfer to the ODNI from a non-GS pay scale will have base pay converted to the appropriate GS grade and step as determined by the Director/ Human Resource Management.

On occasional instances when a current federal civilian employee applies for an ODNI position that is a lower grade than his or her personal grade, the candidate's personal grade will be downgraded to the grade of the advertised ODNI position and pay will be set at the step that is closest to but not less than the employee's current annual base rate of pay, not to exceed the maximum rate (i.e., step 10) of the GS grade to which assigned.

Relocation Expenses: For new ODNI employees, reimbursement for relocation is discretionary based on availability of funds.

Reasonable Accommodations:
The ODNI provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Reasonable Accommodations Officer by classified email at dni_reasonable_accommodation_wma@cia.ic.gov, by unclassified email at DNI_DRA@dni.gov, by telephone at 703-275-3900 or by FAX at 703-275-1217. Your request for reasonable accommodation will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION TO THE EEOD EMAIL ADDRESS. THIS EMAIL IS FOR REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS ONLY.

The ODNI is an equal opportunity employer and abides by applicable employment laws and regulations.

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.

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

You must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you are among the best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview. w.

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