Summary
The Office of the Legal Adviser (L) within the U.S. Department of State seeks to hire a specialist Attorney-Adviser to serve in the Office of Employment Law (L/EMP). The attorney will defend the Department in litigation and provide legal advice to senior officials on issues related to employment law. This position is Excepted Service and appointments are made without regard to the requirements of the Competitive Service by laws, Executive order, or OPM regulations.
Duties
Identifies potential legal issues, researches and applies Department regulations, policies, laws, Executive Orders, and other guidelines for legal implications related to human resources.
Provides appropriate legal advice on relevant laws including the Civil Service Reform Act, the Foreign Service Act, the Civil Rights Act, and the Rehabilitation Act. Works with DOJ on employment cases in federal courts.
Conducts negotiations, plans the approach, and develops the completed product.
Participates in intradepartmental, interagency, and inter-jurisdictional meetings and conferences in which s/he is expected to justify recommendations for particular legal considerations associated with deciding courses of action or policy positions.
At the GS-15 level, the incumbent performs the same duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are increased, and the incumbent receives less supervision than the GS-14.
Education
See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.
How you will be evaluated
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of State considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring process. For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the qualifications for this position, specifically, the education and specialized experience requirements. Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applicants that are verified to meet the required qualifications will be referred to the selecting official. Your resume will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required; and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position as defined below: Ability to draft legal briefs, formulate legal arguments, perform legal research, and conduct administrative litigation in defense of the Department's position. Ability to orally present factual and legal arguments in formal hearings before administrative authorities as well as in meetings with Department senior management. Ability to negotiate settlement agreements with parties holding widely divergent objectives and points of view. Ability to draft clear legal arguments citing applicable laws, regulations, and precedents. Knowledge of employment law including Federal statutes, administrative regulations, and judicial decisions that pertain to areas of the employer/employee relationship such as employment discrimination and overtime regulations; Foreign Service and Civil Service personnel management laws, rules, and regulations. Ability to provide guidance to less experienced colleagues. Your resume limited to two pages serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume should include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. For assistance with creating a resume, please click here. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further. Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement. Your application package must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. You may preview questions for this vacancy.