Attorney Adviser International

Summary

The Office of the Legal Adviser (L) within the U.S. Department of State seeks to hire a specialist Attorney-Adviser to provide counsel to the Bureau of Political–Military Affairs. The attorney will handle issues related to export controls and related administrative law. This position is Excepted Service, and appointments are made without regard to the requirements of the Competitive Service by laws, Executive order, or OPM regulation.

Duties

Identifies potential legal issues, researches and applies relevant law and regulations in the area of export control law, including the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Provides appropriate legal advice to the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs regarding relevant law and regulations with respect to licensing, compliance, management and policy issues. Participates in intradepartmental and interagency meetings and discussions in which he or she is expected to provide legal advice in support of the Department's desired courses of action or policy positions. Maintains effective client communications and time management and keeps up to date with legal developments in the field. At the GS-15 level, the incumbent performs the same duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are increased, and the incumbent receives less supervision than the GS-14 and below.

Qualifications and evaluation

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 and ability to work within a regulatory environment (e.g. knowledge of administrative law, self-starter, limited support). Ability to communicate orally with factual and legal arguments in formal hearings before administrative authorities as well as in meetings with Department senior management. Ability to perform deep-dive legal research into complex export control frameworks, evaluating nuanced government regulations and agency precedents to synthesize findings into clear, structured, and authoritative legal positions. Knowledge of and ability to work with promulgation of regulations. Knowledge of and ability to work with regulatory compliance and enforcement actions. Knowledge of and ability to interpret complex export control regulations and provide clear, structured guidance. 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.

Education

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.

How to apply

The apply button is deactivated and application packages are being accepted directly by the Office of the Secretary (S) or Office of the Legal Advisor (L). 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 legaljobs2@state.gov. Please have the subject line of the email read "L/PM Specialist Attorney 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.

Required documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to legaljobs2@state.gov 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. SF-50, to qualify for a "Permanent" appointment, showing three years of Government service as an attorney or in a federal clerkship. 3. Transcripts – you must submit a copy of your law school 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.

Additional information

For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at OAA@state.gov. 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.