With an emphasis on high ethical standards, excellence in public service and the delivery of quality legal services, the Office of the Solicitor performs the legal work for the United States Department of the Interior, manages the Department's Ethics Office and resolves FOIA Appeals.

Duties

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, Division of Parks & Wildlife, Branch of Fish and Wildlife located in Washington D.C. At the full performance level, GS-14, the Attorney-Adviser's major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: 1. Providing legal advice and other legal services to the Secretary of the Interior and other Department officials on matters within assigned areas of responsibility. 2. Branch attorneys also work closely with the Department of Justice to defend the Department in judicial proceedings. 3. The primary area of practice will be wildlife law, with a particular emphasis on the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Migratory Bird Treaty Act. 4. Some other areas of practice may include, but are not limited to: (1) Laws and regulations related to the National Wildlife Refuge System and Fish & Wildlife Service grantmaking programs; and (2) Broadly applicable Federal statutes and regulations (e.g., National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Administrative Procedure Act (APA)). 5. This position requires strong research skills, the ability to multitask, and the ability to communicate effectively in writing and orally. Applicants should have experience advising clients on, or litigating cases arising under, the Endangered Species Act or other wildlife laws. Salary Information: *First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level. GS-12: $99,200 (Step 1*) - $128,956 (Step 10) per annum GS-13: $117,962 (Step 1*) - $153,354 (Step 10) per annum GS-14: $139,395 (Step 1*) - $181,216 (Step 10) per annum This position is in the excepted service and not subject to competitive service procedures. Merit promotion procedures do not apply. This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Qualification Requirements Applicants must be law school graduates with LL.B. or J.D. degrees AND applicants must be an active member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar. Applicants must also meet one of the following: possess at least 1-year of professional legal experience following law school graduation; OR have a second professional law degree; meet any of the criteria indicated below: academic standing in top one-third of law school graduating class; graduation with academic honors; ? significant participation on the law school's law review; significant participation in the law school's moot court competition; significant participation in a clinical legal aid program; significant summer law office clerk experience; OR other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement. GS-12/13/14: In addition to meeting the basic qualification requirements described above, applicants must also have the following additional years of professional legal experience for the grade level indicated: GS-12 = 1 year GS-13 = 2 years GS-14 = 3 ½ years 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Candidates should have excellent oral communication, writing, research and analysis skills, and the ability to work effectively with other people, and exercise sound judgment. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.

Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Contacts

• Address
• Name: Rosa Johnson
• Phone: 504-736-2440
• Email: [email protected]