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Summary

This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the General Counsel, headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

What You'll Be Doing Day To Day

• Providing legal advice and services to Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR).
• The legal work will focus on legal authorities used to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies caused by natural disasters, outbreaks of infectious disease, and bioterrorist threats.
• Advising on legal authorities activated by public health emergency declarations and other declarations issued by the Secretary, authorities to support research and development, procurement, domestic and international distribution of medical countermeasures, and liability protections for these activities.
• Providing legal advice related to biosecurity and biosafety and national health security strategies.
• Providing advice concerning ASPR's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the HHS Coordination Operations and Response Element (H-CORE), and the Strategic National Stockpile.
• Providing legal advice on liability issues and declarations under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act), as well as biosecurity, biosafety, and dual use research.
• This position will be in regular contact with high-level ASPR, OGC, and HHS decision-makers and will closely collaborate with attorneys throughout OGC.

We seek a versatile individual who can become a specialist in legal issues impacting HHS's emergency preparedness work and who can also work comfortably on a broader set of general health law and administrative law matters. We seek a person who can work independently, but also works well in a team.

For more information on the Attorney Advisor positions, please refer to the link below: https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/ogc/careers/open-opportunities/index.html

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service - http://www.sss.gov
• Suitable for federal employment.
• Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. All information concerning qualifications is subject to investigation.
• Documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.
• All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• Financial disclosure statement may be required.
• Probationary (or trial) period may be required.

Qualifications

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Minimum Qualifications

Must have successfully completed a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from an accredited educational institution.

AND

Must have a current active bar membership from any State, territory, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, District of Columbia, or Federal Court.

AND

For GS-13: Must have at least two (2) years experience post bar admission in procurement law and related litigation, contract awards, contract appeals Freedom of Information Act, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Department Organization, Federal Advisory Committee Act, and Delegations of Authority; outstanding client counseling skills; superior legal writing and research ability with a demonstrated commitment to professionalism, ethics, civility and public service. One year of experience must be equivalent to the GS-13 level.

For GS-14: Must have at least three (3) years of experience post bar admission in procurement law and related litigation, contract awards, contract appeals Freedom of Information Act, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Department Organization, Federal Advisory Committee Act, and Delegations of Authority; outstanding client counseling skills; superior legal writing and research ability with a demonstrated commitment to professionalism, ethics, civility and public service. One year of experience must be equivalent to the GS-13 level.

Documenting experience: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational application questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the "percentage of times" the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.

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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

OPM Qualification General Policies Website

Education

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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: http://www.ed.gov.

Additional Information

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon multiple factors, including funds availability . If authorized, certain incentives may require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Incentives may include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc.

Bargaining Unit Position: No

Research position: No

Drug Screening Required: No

Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP/ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an CTAP/ICTAP eligible see http://opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap . To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

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• 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 window Learn 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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

In accordance with Executive Order 12564 of September 14, 1986, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is A Drug-Free Federal Workplace. The use of illegal drugs, on or off duty, by Federal employees is inconsistent not only with the law-abiding behavior expected of all citizens, but also with the special trust placed in such employees as servants of the public.

Once the application process is complete, a review of the resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply to this vacancy. Applications will be evaluated against the basic qualifications. Qualified candidates will be referred for consideration in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management direct hire guidelines. Veteran's Preference does not apply to the direct hire recruitment procedures. Selections made under this announcement will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would, therefore, be given new appointments to the civil service.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12255425