Duties

Summary

The incumbent of this position serves as a supervisor in the Office of General Law, Contracts and Fiscal Law Division providing legal advice/representation on all non-program litigation affecting the Agency's operations and employees with an emphasis on contract formation, administration and litigation, as well as appropriations and property management matters. He/she supervises attorneys, paralegals and support staff involved in providing legal services in contract and fiscal law matters.

Responsibilities

Provides legal advice and counsel on General Law matters to other senior OGC attorneys, the Associate General Counsel for General Law, the Deputy Associate General Counsel for General Law,
[cont.] the Deputy General Counsel, and the General Counsel with respect to unique and often critical and sensitive matters.
Serves as principal advisor to the Associate General Counsel for General Law in providing, directing, coordinating and supervising OGC staff engaged in providing legal advice on non program issues.
Provides legal services on business management activities and administrative operations throughout SSA, including procurement, contracting, patents, copyrights, personnel, budget,
[cont.] appropriations, employment, compensation, travel, training, etc., and claims involving these areas by and against SSA.
Participates with the Associate General Counsel in the overall planning, reporting, and budgeting of the general law work of the Office, and in the selection of assignment, utilization and evaluation of professional and clerical staff setting.
Assigns work considering the relative difficulty of the assignment and the varying capabilities of employees.
Evaluates the performance of subordinate staff employees.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status

Yes

Promotion Potential

None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

U.S. Citizenship required

Selective Service Registration, if applicable (www.sss.gov)

Background and/or security investigation required

Job offers are contingent on background / security investigation results

Selectees are required to serve a 2 year trial period.

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

Applicant must submit proof of Active Bar Membership.

Applicant must submit Law School Transcript with degree and date conferred.

May be required to serve a one-year probationary period for supervisors.

Qualifications

Positions will be filled in the Excepted through the use of Schedule A 213.3102(d) appointing authority. Competitive examining procedures will not be conducted. Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirements shown above.

Applicants must possess a law degree and currently be an active member of the bar. You must be duly licensed, authorized and eligible to practice as an attorney under the laws of a state, District of Columbia or US Territory. This is a continuing requirement of the position.

Additionally, applicants must meet all four of the following mandatory qualification requirements to be eligible for further consideration:

Experience providing legal advice and counsel, orally or in writing, to senior officials of a large government agency at the federal or state level, or to top executives of large private sector firms or to non-government public service/non-profit agency officials on a wide variety of legal issues;
OR
Experience providing legal advice and counsel, orally or in writing, to senior attorneys in OGC, the General Counsel, the Deputy General Counsel, Associate General Counsels, Regional Chief Counsels, or key officials throughout SSA such as Deputy Commissioners, Associate Commissioners, and Division Directors, and other top agency officials on a wide variety of Program Law and/or General Law legal issues.

Experience litigating or managing litigation concerning the agency's federal benefit programs or litigation arising under statutes including but not limited to federal or state: civil service reform acts, civil rights acts, privacy acts, ethics in government acts, or freedom of information acts. This experience may be in litigation before federal and/or state courts, government boards, commissions, authorities, or administrative judges, or arbitrators.

Strong communication, interpersonal and leadership skills, including experience that demonstrates success in decision making, problem solving, and negotiation.

Demonstrated ability for clear, concise and well-organized writing that complies with the Plain Writing Act of 2010. Applicants must submit a writing sample that reflects the applicant's own work, shows the ability to analyze a legal problem, and clearly and concisely articulates legal reasoning in drawing conclusions or resolving that problem.

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

Applicant must be duly licensed, authorized and eligible to practice as an attorney under the laws of a state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a U.S. Territory.

To be considered, applicants must provide proof that they are authorized to practice law. Such proof can include a current active bar card, a screen print from a bar web site that reflects you are an active member of the bar or a letter/certificate from the bar certifying that you are licensed and authorized to practice law. Being an active member of the state bar association is not the same as being an active member in good standing of the state bar.

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

Education

TRANSCRIPTS ARE ALSO REQUIRED TO SUBSTANTIATE POSSESSION OF THE REQUIRED AND CLAIMED EDUCATION. UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS (INCLUDING SCREEN PRINTS FROM YOUR SCHOOLS WEB PORTAL) ARE ACCEPTABLE FOR INITIAL APPLICATION; HOWEVER, YOUR TRANSCRIPT MUST SHOW A DEGREE AND CONFERRED/AWARDED DATE PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT . SELF-PREPARED TRANSCRIPTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT.

YOU MUST SUBMIT THE DOCUMENTS ACCORDING TO THE PRESCRIBED APPLICATION SUBMISSION DETAILS AT THE END OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE CLOSING OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT. DOCUMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED VIA EMAIL OR REGULAR MAIL.

Additional information

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 www.sss.gov.

Additional selections may be made for this vacancy six months from the closing date of this announcement.

THIS POSITION IS IN THE EXCEPTED SERVICE.

Selectee may be able to work remotely.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your application will be compared to the requirements for the position. It is your responsibility to include all information in your application that is needed to evaluate your qualifications and determine if you meet the requirements for the position. If there is insufficient information, your application will be found ineligible.

The evaluation you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire, which is designed to capture the desired competencies for this position. These competencies include:

Knowledge of the American legal system and established processes and a thorough knowledge of the laws, regulations and precedents relating to fiscal, contracts, or procurement matters and related litigation.
Ability to communicate at multiple organizational levels both orally and in writing.
Ability to manage workloads.
Skills in managing and supervising employees.

Please make sure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation. The questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. To preview the questions, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11103300

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance

Not Required

Drug test required

Position sensitivity and risk

High Risk (HR)

Trust determination process

Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

You must submit supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to claim certain types of preference.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your military discharge certificate (DD 214 member 4 copy) or an official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty. To be acceptable, the document must show Character of Service. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference based on a service-connected disability, you must also submit the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference (SF 15). Applicants claiming derived preference must submit the SF-15 and the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF 15. Preference will be granted based on the documents received. For more information visit the Vet Guide.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO VETERANS: The Office of Personnel Management has published the end date for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) as August 31, 2010. To receive veterans' preference for service during the Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom era, you must have served for more than 180 days between September 11, 2001 and August 31, 2010 OR be in receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal. The updated CFR language is available here. Other qualifying eligibility for preference (e.g., disability) remains unchanged.

PROOF OF EDUCATION: If you are qualifying on the basis of education or satisfying an educational requirement, submit a copy of your transcripts with the course title, number of credits, grade, and date of completion. To qualify, the degree must be from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Education completed in a foreign institution must be certified as equivalent to coursework completed at a U.S. college or university. Certification of equivalency must be submitted at the time of application. For a list of Credential Evaluation Services, log on to: Credential Evaluation Services
(http://www.edupass.org/admissions /evaluation.phtml)

PROOF OF CURRENT BAR MEMBERSHIP: Proof of active Bar Membership (e.g., screen print of your profile from a bar web site which reflects your name and active status, a letter from the bar certifying that you are licensed and authorized to practice law, OR copy of a recent bar card.) Being an active member of the state bar association is not the same as being an active member in good standing of the state bar.

WRITING SAMPLE: Applicants must submit a writing sample that reflects the applicant's own work, shows the ability to analyze a legal problem, and clearly and concisely articulates legal reasoning in drawing conclusions or resolving that problem.

Benefits

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.