About the Position: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Office of Counsel, is seeking the recruitment of an Attorney-Advisor (General), GS-0905-13, who is interested in the career advancement provided by practicing law in the Corps located at the Saint Paul District, St. Paul, Minnesota. The Office of Counsel's staff is comprised of the District Counsel, Deputy District Counsel, five Assistant District Counsels and one paraprofessional.

Duties

Incumbent will independently plan and execute assignments across the full spectrum of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers legal services, conferring with the District Counsel and the Deputy District Counsel on unusual problems and unfamiliar matters. Provides advice on procurement matters and presentation of Government position on contract claims and appeals. Provides legal assistance relating to the Civil Works Program including environmental and policy matters. Provides representation and advice on the administration of the District's regulatory program under the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Acts as a District Labor Counselor, advising on matters pertaining to allegations of prohibited personnel practices filed with the MSPB, EEOC, or FLRA. Acts as a Claims Attorney in connection with claims for and against the Government involving damage to U.S. or private property or personal injury to private parties or District personnel. Provides legal services in support of Corps Real Estate activities. Serves as a one of the District Ethics Counselors. Advises on responses to Freedom of Information Act requests. Provides litigation support in affirmative or defensive litigation.

Requirements

• Appointment may require a suitability/fitness determination.
• A one year trial period may be required.
• This position requires a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
• Business travel up to 10% of the time.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Qualification Requirements: The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration: Education Requirements: Position requires the possession of a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) and, for assignment within the Department of Defense, OGC, or DLSA, active membership in the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. The Military Departments may also extend the requirement for active bar membership to assignment of civilian attorneys within their respective Departments. 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. Thus, an applicant must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.). As indicated below, a law school transcript must be submitted with your application materials. Statement of Good Standing: Applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, 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: Attorneys performing duties at the GS-13 or equivalent-level positions are expected to perform with substantial independence, even when working on the most complex or difficult matters. Thus, the applicant must have 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 LL.M. may substitute for one year of the required professional legal experience. You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Your application package (resume and supporting documents)f will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If qualified, your application package will be evaluated as to whether and how your experience, knowledge, skills, training and/or education clearly reflect that you possess the following required knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of this position: Knowledge and experience of laws, regulations, and procedures relating to government contracts and fiscal law, civilian personnel and employment, labor-management relations, civil works project authorities, litigation, general administrative law, environmental law, standards of conduct, ethics and real estate. Knowledge of handling complex litigation in federal courts and before federal administrative tribunals. Ability to work effectively in a team environment with other attorneys and paraprofessionals to develop legal approaches to complex legal questions or factual issues through research, analysis, and developing factual and expert evidence. Ability to function as a counselor and advisor to the Commander; to work effectively with other military and senior management officials within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with other governmental entities, and with private parties. Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, both orally and in writing, with diverse clients and constituencies on varied and complex topics. 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 Army considers veteran's preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran's preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documents (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. (SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at http://www.opm.gov/).

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address GG-APF-W2R906 US ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT, ST PAUL DO NOT MAIL St. Paul, MN 55101 US
• Name: Army Applicant Help Desk