Supervisory Attorney-Adviser (General)

Summary

About the Position: This position is located at HQ, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), Office of the Commander-J0, Legal Counsel-J054, Stuttgart, Germany. 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 supervisory attorney for the Administrative and Civil Law Division within U.S. Africa Command’s Office of Legal Counsel.
• •Supervises a mixed military-civilian team of five attorneys (2 DA civilian, 2 active component, and 1 reserve component) and bears primary responsibility for their professional development.
• •Exercises independent judgment in the planning, coordination, and execution of complex legal assignments involving administrative and civil law matters of command-wide, DoD-wide, national, or international significance.
• •Serves as the recognized command expert and primary legal advisor on: (a) interagency, inter-service, and exercise support agreements (including negotiation with foreign partner nations); (b) civilian personnel, labor, and employment law.
• •Provides definitive legal advice to Flag and General Officers, Senior Executive Service personnel, and other senior officials on the full range of administrative and civil law matters including FOIA and Privacy Act, Anti-Deficiency Act, ethics, etc.
• •Serves as the primary legal liaison with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff, other Combatant Commands, the Military Services, and foreign government officials on issues within the Division’s portfolio.

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 involving administrative, civil, labor/employment, fiscal, and international law. Skill in providing legal, technical, and policy guidance to senior military and civilian leaders (Flag/General Officer and SES level). Ability to supervise and lead a small mixed military-civilian legal team, including performance management and professional development. Ability to analyze, formulate legally sound opinions, and represent the agency on complex civilian personnel, labor, and employment law matters (including litigation before administrative boards). Skill in drafting, negotiating, interpreting, and advising on international and interagency agreements (including exercise support arrangements, MOUs/MOAs, and Status of Forces-related instruments). Ability to effectively, professionally, and ethically manage a heavy caseload of complex legal matters while coordinating with multiple legal offices and senior stakeholders. 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-15 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/. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration. Direct Deposit of Pay is required. If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information.

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.