Attorney Advisor

Legal Support: Provision of expert legal advice and counsel, including oral and written opinions to Commissioners, senior government officials, and staff on a broad range of questions, regulations, laws, policies, practices, precedents and issues of jurisdiction, diplomatic considerations, and other legal matters concerning the operations, responsibilities, and functions of the Commission. Legal research, interpretation, analysis, oral communication, and writing, including preparing Orders of Approval (and amendments) for applications approved by the Commission and responding to questions arising from Boards and Tasks Forces appointed by the Commission. Collaborating across teams and stakeholders, such as the U.S. and Canadian sections of the Commission (including the counterpart Canadian attorney), contractors, the Department of State, Canadian officials, U.S. inter-agency counterparts, Boards, Working Groups, and other Commission-affiliated entities, and external parties.

Drafting or reviewing briefing notes and participating in Commission meetings and other engagements, including providing legal insights and opinions in response to questions from Commissioners, staff, Commission Boards/Task Forces and stakeholders. Managing litigation and/or other conflicts involving the Commission, including developing legal strategies and recommendations for the Commission and its advisory groups, such as Boards and Task Forces. Contracting Compliance Interprets complex technical and legal language in contracts utilizing procedures and provisions under the Department of State Acquisition Regulations (DOSAR) and the Federal Government Acquisition Regulations (FAR).

Advises Commissioners, senior management, and all staff on compliance with contract procurement, management, and oversight requirements and drafts and negotiates contacting documents as needed. Works with staff and stakeholders to develop appropriate contractual language and mitigate disputes. Administrative Oversight Provides advice, counsel, and instructions on personnel, performance, and EEO policies and procedures.

Supports the operations and functions of the Commission, including drafting, communicating, and interpreting internal Commission policies.

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.

There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of State considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring process. For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the qualifications for this position, specifically, the education and specialized experience requirements.

Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applicants that are verified to meet the required qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.

Your resume will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required; and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position as defined below: • Knowledge of civil criminal, and administrative laws referenced above. • Ability to Negotiate. • Skill in successfully building relations with clients, peers, and colleagues. • Ability to provide written and verbal opinions to clients. • Ability to write and speak clearly and concisely.

Your resume limited to two pages serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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).

Your resume should include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. For assistance with creating a resume, please click here. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement.

Your application package must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at [email protected]. If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

The apply button is deactivated and applications packages are being accepted directly by the Office of the International Joint Commission (IJC). We will also consider your years of service, veteran status, and performance appraisal. Application packages are being accepted directly by emailing an application with all required documents, preferably in one PDF, to [email protected].

Please have the subject line of the email read “International Joint Commission (IJC) Attorney Advisor Position AND the Vacancy Announcement Number. Please note this vacancy exists with instructions on how to apply. Applicant notifications, however, will NOT be sent.

If a hiring official determines you have the skillset for this vacancy, a member of the hiring team will contact you. Those applicants who may be contacted for an interview may be asked to provide further application materials at that time.

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to [email protected] by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume – your two-page resume or any other written format you choose should contain the required information as specified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section. Insufficient information will result in an ineligible rating. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.
2. Writing Sample – you must submit a writing sample (less than 10 pages) with your application.
3. Transcripts – you must submit a copy of your college transcript(s) from an accredited law school with your application. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
4. Proof of bar membership – you must submit proof of bar membership from any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico with your application.
5. If you are qualifying based on other criteria listed under the Qualification Section of this announcement, you MUST submit the required supporting documentation (certificates, certifications, etc.) with your application.
6. References – you must submit three professional references with your application.
7. Veterans Preference, if applicable – Veterans' preference does not apply to this vacancy. Any supporting documentation received from veterans will be retained to document veteran's status for appointment purposes, if selected.

To claim 5-point preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. To claim 10-point preference, submit all required documentation outlined on the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, etc.). If we cannot verify your 10-point preference claim, your application will be reviewed for 5-point preference.

To claim 10-point derived preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), submit a completed SF-15 and all required documentation listed on the SF-15 to support your claim. To claim 0-point Sole Survivorship preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 or another form of official documentation showing that your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge. For all preference claims: DD-214 Member 4 copies are preferred and must show the dates of service, type of discharge, and any qualifying service campaign medals.

For more veterans' preference information, visit the USAJOBS Help Center.