Attorney-Adviser

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Duties

The Departmental Ethics Office is seeking a highly motivated, self-starter to join their U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Ethics Team. This position is located in Reston, VA and will be primarily responsible for serving as a Senior Attorney in the USGS Ethics Branch of the DEO to provide support for clients served by the USGS Ethics Branch, including senior career officials throughout the USGS. This position also will provide guidance on novel and cross-cutting issues related to conflict-of-interest provisions of 18 U.S.C Part I, Chapter 11; the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch; the Department of the Interior supplemental standards and employee conduct rules; and other standards of conduct or behavior. This is a permanent position.

Duties

At the full performance level of GS-15 the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Serving as a legal adviser for the Department and advising on all legal issues pertaining to Government ethics, including criminal conflict of interest laws, Executive Branch Standards of Conduct and the Hatch Act;
• Writing opinions for the Designated Agency Ethics Official and Deputy Ethics Counsels of various Offices and Bureaus as appropriate in response to requests from current or former employees;
• Reviewing public and confidential financial disclosure reports, providing cautionary guidance, and recommending appropriate action;
• Coordinating advice and guidance provided to Department employees with the Office of Government Ethics, the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel, the Office of Special Counsel, the Office of White House Counsel, and other agencies' ethics officials as necessary;
• Ensuring that information regarding possible violations of law is referred to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) as required, referring other matters for OIG investigations as appropriate and providing technical assistance to the OIG in the analysis of potential ethics violations;
• Recommending possible disciplinary or remedial actions to program officials arising out of OIG reports of investigation;
• May be reviewing legislative proposals and helping the Departmental Ethics Office to coordinate the Department's response on items that affect the Department's ethics program.
  
  

Salary Information: First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level.

Reston, VA: GS-15: $163,964 - $191,900 per annum.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Key Requirements

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Must be an active member of the bar.
• Selectee may be subject to serving a 2-year trial period.
• You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
• Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.
  
  

Are There Any Special Requirements for This Position?

• A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
• Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
  
  

Qualifications

In order to better assess your qualifications for this position, when preparing your resume please be sure to address your experience in or familiarity with the following areas of legal work: advising on all legal issues pertaining to Government ethics, including criminal conflict of interest laws, Executive Branch Standards of Conduct and the Hatch Act; In addition, please address your experience in or familiarity with the following subject matter areas and legal authorities: providing guidance on novel and cross-cutting issues related to conflict-of-interest provisions of 18 U.S.C Part I, Chapter 11; the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch; the Department of the Interior supplemental standards and employee conduct rules; and other standards of conduct or behavior.

Basic Qualification Requirements

Applicants must be law school graduates with LL.B. or J.D. degrees AND applicants must be an active member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar.

Applicants Must Also Meet The Following

GS-15: In addition to meeting the basic qualification requirements described above, applicants must also have the following additional years of professional legal experience for the grade level indicated:

• To qualify for a GS-15 applicants must possess at least 6-years of professional legal experience following law school graduation; 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.
  
  

You can substitute one year of experience with any of the following:

• have a second professional law degree; OR
• meet any of the criteria indicated below:
• academic standing in top one-third of law school graduating class;
• other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement.
• significant summer law office clerk experience; or
• significant participation in a clinical legal aid program;
• significant participation in the law school's moot court competition.
• significant participation on the law school's law review;
• graduation with academic honors.
  
  

Candidates should have excellent oral communication, writing, research and analytical skills, and the ability to work effectively with other people, and exercise sound judgment.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.

Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Additional information

Other Information

The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position. The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

Agency Benefits

Working for the DOI, Office of the Solicitor offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; health, life, dental, vision, and long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

SOL has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework in accordance with the DOI Telework policy and with supervisor approval. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis.

For additional information on telework you may access the Department of Interior's Telework Handbook at https://www.doi.gov/telework/policies.

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• Help Help 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.
  
  

Review our 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.

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made.

Please note applicants must meet the all qualifications requirement and submit all required documentation by closing date of the announcement for consideration for this position. Failure to meet all qualifications requirement and/or submit all required documents will result in an ineligible for consideration rating.

Applicants who are found to be qualified and referred to the selecting official for consideration may be asked to provide a writing sample. Instructions will be included in the email communication sent to qualified candidates

Basis of Rating: Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applicants that meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements of the position will be referred to the selecting official for consideration

To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12447008