Attorney-Advisor (General)

Summary

About the Position: This position is in the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). Employees occupying DCIPS positions are in the Excepted Service and must adhere to U.S. Code, Title 10, as well as Department of Defense Instruction 1400.25. This position is located at the National Ground Intelligence Center, Office of the Commander, Legal Counsel, Charlottesville, VA 22911

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Duties

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• Provides legal advice regarding Intelligence and National Security Law, administrative investigations, security violations, mishandling of classified information, financial liability investigations of property loss, and intelligence oversight.
• Provides advice and written legal opinions on all matters requiring Ethics opinions and decisions, and ensures compliance with all applicable ethics regulations and policies when conducting official activities.
• Issues opinions on conflicts of interest, misuse of position, disqualification, outside employment, post-Government employment, gifts, use of official travel resources, performing official duties, and impermissible government endorsement issues.
• Serves as fiscal and contracts legal adviser on all fiscal and contractual matters, including but not limited to, acquisition planning, solicitation preparation, bid protests, contract administration and performance, and contract dispute litigation.
• Writes opinions on the expenditure of various fund types to support on-going intelligence operations and activities.
• Develops and presents training classes on various legal topics to military and civilian employees required by policy and regulation.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• In accordance with Change 3 to AR 600-85, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Program, individual must successfully pass a urinalysis screening for illegal drug use prior to appointment and periodically thereafter.
• Must be willing to undergo and successfully complete a counterintelligence-scope polygraph examination with No Deception Indicated (NDI) on a pre-appointment and periodic basis.
• Must be a member in good standing of the bar of any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance based on an SBI with eligibility for sensitive compartmented information (SCI).
• Must perform temporary duty worldwide for periods of up to five days per month or longer if necessary (approximately 25%).
• All INSCOM employees may be subject to extended TDY or worldwide deployments during crisis situations to perform mission essential functions as determined by management.

Qualifications

Who May Apply:

Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

1. Ability to analyze and problem-solve a wide variety of legal issues related to intelligence and national security law, knowledge of the statutes, regulations and case law related to intelligence and national security law.

2. Knowledge of federal and/or administrative law to include statutes, regulations, and case law related to the Freedom of Information Act(FOIA), Privacy Act (PA), administrative investigations , fiscal law, federal acquisitions law, ethics, standards of conduct, executive orders and regulations.

3. Knowledge of federal and/or DoD civilian personnel laws and the ability to litigate sensitive cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Merit System Protection Board.

4. Ability to write clear and concise legal documents.

VETERAN'S PREFERENCE INFORMATION: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Army considers veteran's preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran's preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documents (e.g., DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active duty) to their submissions. Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-point Veteran Preference, and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF 15, which lists the type of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at

The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration:

EDUCATION: An applicant must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD).BAR MEMBERSHIP: Applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

WARNING: DO NOT INCLUDE CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKET! Application packages that contain Classified information WILL NOT receive consideration for this position. Should you submit a resume or any other document as part of your application package and it is confirmed that any of the information is Classified, in addition to being found ineligible for consideration for this position, your Security Office will be notified to determine if any further action is warranted.

Resume: If you submit a resume with inappropriate material e.g. photos, you will not be considered for this vacancy. Your resume may be submitted in any format. For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., Hrs per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). Resumes that do not contain this information will be marked as insufficient and applicants may not receive consideration for this position.

Official law school transcript and an official statement of relative standing in class. Photo static copies of documents are acceptable when applying but certified documents must be furnished before entering duty.

Official certificate showing that you are a member in good standing of the bar. The official certificate must be dated within three months of the date that the application package is submitted. The certificate is required to be submitted by all applicants to include attorneys currently appointed to positions under the qualifying authority of The Judge Advocate General (including active duty Army Judge Advocates).

A sworn (notarized) statement from you that your fitness to practice law or conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction to the best of your knowledge, or if either has been challenged, a sworn (notarized) statement concerning the facts and circumstances, together with any explanation that you deem appropriate may be submitted. As an alternative to a sworn (notarized) statement, a statement which includes a declaration under penalty of perjury may be submitted in the following format: "I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct...executed on (date)...(your signature)." (28 U.S.C. 1746). The statement must be dated within three months of the date the application package is submitted. The statement is required to be submitted by all applicants to include attorneys currently appointed to positions under the qualifying authority of The Judge Advocate General (including active-duty Army Judge Advocates).

Examples of writing skills as demonstrated by legal briefs, memoranda, or letters. These examples should total no more than ten pages in length. Extracts of selected sections of larger documents are acceptable.

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

EXPERIENCE: Applicant must have two or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. Graduation from an ABA-Accredited Law School in the top 25% of the class or an advanced law degree such as an LLM may substitute for one year of the required professional legal experience.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION : If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit:

Additional information

• This position requires a 2 year trial period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
• All INSCOM employees may be subject to extended TDY or worldwide deployments during crisis situations to perform mission essential functions as determined by management.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI/SBI security clearance.
• This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) or a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• This is a(n) 56 Career Field position.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
• Telework may be authorized based on agency policy
• Recruitment / Retention and or Relocation incentive (s) may be authorized.

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.

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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.

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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.