About the Position: This position is located at U.S. Army IMCOM and Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (OSJA), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. 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 Command Labor and Employment Law attorney. Provides oral and written advice concerning civilian personnel law, employment discrimination law and all labor relations matters to the Mission Commander and Garrison leadership, and other tenant Army organizations on the Installation. Advises managers and supervisors on informal resolution of grievances and providing advice to line management and EEO officer on resolving informal discrimination complaints. Represents the Command and the Department of the Army as a trial attorney in all federal civil litigation proceedings including arbitration, MSPB, EEOC, FLRA, and FSIP. Advises or participates on the management negotiating teams before and during union contract negotiations. Conducts extensive research in connection with cases to analyze factual and legal issues and to determine what additional facts are needed and what legal sources are applicable. Represents the Command at Industry, DoD, and/or DA-wide Federal Labor and Employment Law related conferences and/or events. Provides advice to Commanders, Directors, and supervisors on a wide range of general administrative and civil law matters by interpreting statutes, regulations, directives, and policies to ensure the command actions comply with authorities. Serves as a Command Ethics Counselor. Conducts ethics training, and provides advice, review, and assistance to all command personnel on a wide range of Government ethics related issues.

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 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: Knowledge of federal labor law and skill and ability to analyze, provide expert legal and policy advice, and represent the agency on civilian personnel law, labor law and employment law matters, general administrative and civil law matters, and Government ethics. Ability to prepare pretrial briefs, motions, pleadings, responses and other documents to present the issues independently with little or no direct supervision. Skill as a trial attorney and ability to effectively represent the Department of the Army in litigation. Knowledge of labor and employee relations concepts, case law, principles, practices and regulatory requirements sufficient to perform detailed analysis and advise senior leaders on matters related to bargaining unit contracts and employee relations. Ability to effectively, professionally, and ethically manage a heavy caseload with complex legal needs. Skill in identifying and researching highly technical and complex legal issues. Ability to maintain effective working relationships with agency staff at all levels and to exercise sound judgment in challenging situations. 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 a member 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-14 or equivalent Attorney positions must also possess 3 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 FU-W12KAA US ARMY IMCOM-USAG JBLM DO NOT MAIL Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA 98433 US
• Name: Army Applicant Help Desk