Supervisory Legal Administrative Specialist
About This Position
This announcement is for current Federal employees in permanent competitive service positions (status candidates) in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Texas, plus well-qualified surplus and displaced DOJ employees (CTAP) in the local commuting area. Merit Promotion/Internal Employees Only. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Qualifications
To qualify for the position of Supervisory Legal Administrative Specialist, at GS-0901-12, you must meet the qualification requirements listed below. To be eligible at the GS-12 level, you must meet at least ONE full year of Specialized Experience as defined below. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes experience training and mentoring legal support staff personnel; assisting in the management of legal support services; and performing complex technical legal support functions.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the GS-11 grade/level in the federal service.
You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including time-in-grade, by 09/01/2026 of this announcement.
Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) - The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria.
You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/
Major Duties
If selected for this position, you will support Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Brownsville Division representing the United States in criminal/civil cases in state and federal courts throughout the Southern District of Texas. The duties and responsibilities for a GS-0901-Supervisory Legal Administrative Specialist-12 generally include, but are not limited to, the following: Planning work to be accomplished by subordinates, setting goals and priorities, and preparing schedules for completion of work.
Serving as an office manager for assigned areas with responsibility for law office management, case management, legal research and overall support to litigation activities of the organization. Reviewing and analyzing applicable directives, orders, manuals, and guidance to ensure legal support activities are in compliance with district policies and procedures, and established Department of Justice (DOJ) and Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) regulations.
Coordinating with court and other personnel on a variety of issues or concerns in connection with carrying out legal support activities of the organization. Analyzing and summarizing substantive information on statutes, contracts, other legal instruments, and specific legal subjects. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/. For more information on the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx.
Education
Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.
How You Will Be Evaluated
Your complete application package (resume/supporting documentation, online questionnaire, and USA Hire 0901-12 (EOUSA / Supervisory Judgment Test) will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.
If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.
In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Additionally, you must meet the area of consideration (see above). Applicants who do not meet this are ineligible for consideration. Basis of Rating: DOJ's Merit Promotion Procedures will be used to evaluate candidates.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics): If you would like to preview the application questionnaire, please see: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13043067
Additional Information
Additional selections may be made from this announcement. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.
EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline. DOJ Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate.
Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. The DOJ Reasonable Accommodation policy can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/reasonable-accommodation#policy Selective Service: If you were born male, on or after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.
Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov. Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: The Fair Chance Act prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOJ employee or Federal contractor acting on its behalf has violated your rights under this Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to Cassandra Vela at [email protected].
Note: In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201(b) certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance Act.
This position is excluded from the bargaining unit.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation.
Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/01/2026 to receive consideration.
Click Apply to access the online application.
You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package.
You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position.
Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. NEED HELP? If you need help with USAJOBs or the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help or Application Manager Online Help websites which includes information on managing your account, creating an application, uploading documents, etc. Reasonable Accommodation: To request reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact Melissa D. Newbell at [email protected] or (713) 567- 9348 for assistance.
Required Documents
It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation based on your eligibility. Resume Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process). Resume - All Applicants: You must submit a resume (a two page or less resume is required) containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history: Official position title, Employer name and contact information, Start and end dates (including month and year), Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
SF-50: You must submit your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action). Do not submit an award SF-50, these do not contain sufficient information about your appointment.
Your SF-50 should list the full position title, series, grade and step, organization, duty location, service computation date, effective date, and your service type and tenure status. Most recent performance appraisal: Must submit a signed copy of your most recent performance evaluation or appraisal showing your final rating. If a performance appraisal is not available submit a statement explaining why one is not available.
Awards: Submit a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. CTAP eligibility documentation: A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for declining a directed geographic relocation outside of the local commuting area; a Certificate of Expected Separation ; or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, or a notice of eligibility for discontinued service retirement).
A copy of your most recent performance appraisal and SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" noting current position, grade/band level, promotion potential, and duty location. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: Position title; Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee); Agency; and Beginning and ending dates of appointment.