About the Position: This position is located at U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command (MEPCOM), Office of the Commander, MEPCOM-North Chicago, Illinois. If you are currently serving in a permanent, competitive service appointment in the Federal service, and are selected for this position, the appointment will remove you from the competitive service while you occupy this position.

Duties

Serves as the senior attorney of the RIA-JMTC with primary responsibilities for Labor, Administrative Law, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), and Civilian Ethics area of RIA-JMTC mission. Serves as the principal consultant on legal matters pertaining to all EEO/Title VII cases involving RIA-JMTC. Oversees the review, coordination, and analysis of highly complex and controversial matters and policy issues related to the Legal Office mission that require extensive research and evaluation of laws, regulations, and other types of precedents. Represents the Command in administrative hearings before mediators, arbitrators, investigators, and Administrative Judges from various agencies including the U.S. Army Civilian Appellate Review Agency, the Merit Systems Protection Board, etc. Serves as legal advisor and consultant to Commander, and staff on civilian personnel, labor relations, and equal employment law issues. Incumbent must be full conversant with all program matters having legal implications and attend meetings as a legal advisor possessing detailed program knowledge of the major matters under review. Provides oral and written advice concerning civilian personnel law, employment discrimination law, and all labor relations matters. Reviews proposed activity regulations for legal sufficiency and impact on other regulations. Establishes case strategy and tactics; prepares pre-hearing motions and petitions; identifies relevant witnesses and documents via discovery procedures, including interrogatories and depositions. Develops Command position on litigation issues that arise in conjunction with federal court and administrative tribunal proceedings. Cases involve union/employee grievances on a wide variety of topics, including adverse actions, reductions in force, employment discrimination, collective bargaining, negotiability determinations, and unfair labor practice. Incumbent maintains an in-depth knowledge and keeps current with the extremely complex federal statutes and regulations, state laws and regulations, as well as a system-wide application of diverse and complex federal and state laws.

Requirements

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• A two year trial/probationary period may be required.
• This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Secret security clearance for access for the duration of employment.
• This position may require the incumbent to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) upon entry, and annually thereafter in accordance with DoD Directive 5500-7-R.
• This position requires the incumbent to maintain active bar membership, in good standing (as defined by the pertinent bar) of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens Applicants will be evaluated to determine if they meet the minimum qualification requirements and on the extent to which their application shows possession of the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the position. KSA's: Skill in identifying and researching highly technical and complex legal issues. Skill in providing legal, technical, and policy guidance. Ability to effectively, professionally, and ethically manage a heavy caseload of clients with complex legal needs. Qualification Requirements: The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration: Education Requirements: Position requires the possession of the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) AND in good standing with the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. Applicants for initial appointment into attorney positions within the Department of Army must be graduates of law schools accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of the applicant's graduation. As indicated below, a law school transcript must be submitted with your application materials. Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be a member in good standing (as defined by the pertinent bar) of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. As noted below, proof of such membership and good standing must be submitted with your application materials. Experience: In addition to the requirements above, applicants for the GS-13 or equivalent Attorney positions must also possess 2 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. Time in Grade: The Qualifying Authorities (QA's) will make a determination as to the applicability of time in grade based on the requirements of the position. If you are currently employed as an attorney by the Federal government you must have completed one year at the next lower grade level within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement, or previously served at the same or higher grade level as the position being filled. NOTICE OF VETERAN'S PREFERENCE: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (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. The SF 15 will identify the supporting documentation required along with the list of the types of 10-point preference. The SF 15 is available from the OPM at https://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/sf/.

Education

Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute education for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education websites at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications and http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.

Contacts

• Address BG-APF-W37NAA HQ US MEPCOM DO NOT MAIL Rock Island, IL 61299 US
• Name: Army Applicant Help Desk