Attorney-Advisor (General)

Summary

You will serve as an Attorney-Advisor (General) for the Office of the Solicitor, Rocky Mountain Region.

Duties

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, Rocky Mountain Region and the duty station is either Billings, Montana OR Lakewood, Colorado. This particular position will be assigned to the Billings Field Office and will primarily represent the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) on any matters relating to BIA's Rocky Mountain Region, which covers reservations in Montana (except for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes) and in Wyoming. The position may also provide representation to other Interior bureaus, primarily relating to Indian law. Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Representing the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Civilian Board of Contract Appeals cases and Interior Board of Indian Appeals cases. Advising the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act contracts. Reviewing Bureau of Indian Affairs land acquisitions and issue title opinions. Reviewing and preparing litigation reports, overseeing discovery, drafting pleadings, and reviewing Department of Justice filings in judicial litigation on matters arising out of various programs and activities for Interior's agencies. Other duties as assigned, including authoring memoranda of understanding, recommendations regarding appeal, settlement documents, and other transactional documents arising out of bureau and agency program activities. Assist on other matters assigned by the Regional Solicitor, Field Solicitor, or other supervising attorney advisor. Such assignments may include conducting legal research, analyzing and interpreting federal statutes, regulations, case law, other legal documents, and agency guidance and producing opinions and memoranda requiring a high degree of creative legal effort, judgment, and discretion, often harmonizing conflicting positions in areas with little or no precedent, while promoting goals of uniformity, simplicity, and efficiency, and providing formal and informal advice to various DOI agencies. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level. For duty station in Billings, Montana GS-13: $106,437 (Step 1) - $138,370 (Step 10) Per Annum GS-14: $125,776 (Step 1) - $163,514 (Step 10) Per Annum For duty station in Lakewood, CO GS-13: $118,675 (Step 1) - $154,280 (Step 10) Per Annum GS-14: $140,239 (Step 1) - $182,316 (Step 10) Per Annum

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/. A financial disclosure report will be required within 30 days of appointment. You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. Requirement. Active bar membership is required for all attorneys engaged in the practice of law in Federal government. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications and evaluation

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Please note applicants must meet the all qualifications requirement and submit all required documentation by closing date of the announcement for consideration for this position. Failure to meet all qualifications requirement and/or submit all required documents will result in an ineligible for consideration rating. Applicants who are found to be qualified and referred to the selecting official for consideration may be asked to provide a writing sample. Instructions will be included in the email communication sent to qualified candidates. Basis of Rating: Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applicants that meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements of the position will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361. Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position. To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13072146

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: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification

How to apply

Applications (resume and application questions) for this vacancy must be received on-line via USAJOBS BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online resume, you will not be considered for this position. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Instructions for Applying Online for this Vacancy Announcement:1) Click the blue "Apply Online" button.2) If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new account and follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile.3) As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application.4) Check the "Certification" box and click the "Apply for this position now!" button located at the bottom of the screen.5) Address the eligibility questions as well as the questionnaire containing questions and/or task statements that address the knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies for this vacancy.6) Submit required documents using one of the available methods listed below.7) If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk.

Required documents

All Applicants The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/14/2026 - unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement: Your resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements as stated in this vacancy announcement and OPM qualification standards for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. It is strongly recommended that you use the USAJobs Resume Builder as it was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is available at: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/account/documents/resume/build. All college transcript(s), unofficial transcripts will be accepted at the time of application, but official transcripts will be required before entry on duty. You must submit proof that you are licensed and authorized to practice law. Such proof can include a current active bar card, a screen print from a bar website that reflects you are an active member of the bar or a letter/certificate from the bar certifying you are licensed and authorized to practice law. Documents (bar card, screen print, letter/certificate) must be dated within 3 months of the closing date of the announcement. If using a screen print, make sure it is clear when the screen print was taken. For bar cards that do not have a date on them, please also submit a screen print or letter/certificate certifying you are licensed and authorized to practice law dated within 3 months of the announcement closing date. Cover letter: A 1-2 page cover letter is required expressing your interest and qualifications for this position. Current & Former Federal Employees If you are a current or former Federal employee, please submit the following by the closing date of this announcement: a copy of a recent SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting tenure, position title, occupational series, grade level, step and salary; and your most recent performance appraisal (if you do not have your most recent performance appraisal, please submit an explanation as to why it is unavailable) If you are claiming veterans' preference you must submit a copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, by the closing date of this announcement. If you are currently on active military duty, you must provide documentation (e.g., campaign document, award citation, etc.), that verifies entitlement to veterans preference and that your character of military service is honorable. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the DD-214, you must submit documentation that supports your claim (e.g., an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability; or receipt of a Purple Heart). If you fail to submit any of the required documentation, you will not be granted veterans preference. Additional information on veterans' preference can be found in the VetGuide.

Additional information

This position is in the excepted service and not subject to competitive service procedures. Merit promotion procedures do not apply. Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor. All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions. The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.