Attorney-Adviser

Summary

This Attorney-Adviser position will provide legal services and strategic advice on transactional agreements in contracts law and/or partnerships. You will be advising on legal matters such as acquisition planning and integrity, fiscal law, real property, and data rights in support of Agency missions. The selected candidate(s) may serve as an Attorney Adviser in either or both areas to ensure compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, and policies.

Duties

Duties described below are at the highest grade advertised. Duties assigned at lower grade levels will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee. Advises on formation and administration of complex agreements, such as procurement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements, real property instruments, licenses, and interagency agreements. Drafts, reviews, and negotiates strategic partnership instruments with private industry and interagency partners. Handles disputes and litigation related to contracts, agreements, leases, intellectual property, and other types of transactions. Anticipates risks and provides counsel across multiple disciplines, to include data rights and intellectual property, fiscal law, ethics, procurement integrity, real property, safety and security, and administrative law issues. Supports the development, interpretation, and application of policies, regulations, guidance, and internal procedures to ensure compliance with federal statutes and Agency requirements. Prepares written legal opinions, briefings, and recommendations for senior leadership, provides training and outreach to supporting personnel, and collaborates with attorneys on best practices and legal risk mitigation.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements for all grade levels: You must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from a full course of study at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; be an active member in good standing of the bar of any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and have been admitted to practice law before a state or federal court. To qualify for the GS-14: you must meet the basic requirement for all grade levels (as outlined above). In addition, one of the following requirements must be satisfied: One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level: Serving as a subject-matter resource with the ability to handle complex, high-visibility, or legally significant issues; Communicating issues to leaders and stakeholders while collaborating across organizational boundaries; Providing technical guidance and mentorship to support policy and organizational objectives.. OR A graduate law degree (e.g., Master of Laws/LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the experience described above. To qualify for the GS-15: you must meet the basic requirement for all grade levels (as outlined above). In addition, one of the following requirements must be satisfied: One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level: Serving as a subject-matter expert with demonstrated ability to handle complex, high visibility or legally significant issues; Routinely communicating complex issues laterally and to senior executives to ensure enterprise alignment; Providing enterprise subject-matter leadership and mentorship with demonstrated ability to accomplish high level policy and organizational outcomes. OR A graduate law degree (e.g., Master of Laws/LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the experience described above. Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of artificial intelligent (AI) or AI-assisted tools during the application process.

Education

Basic Requirements: U.S. degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements listed in this vacancy announcement. To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the assessment questionnaire. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or assessment questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. These competencies will be assessed using technical assessments. They may also be evaluated during a structured interview: Commercial Law Contracts Law Legal Application Practice Written Communication To preview the application questionnaire, click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13024118 NASA considers 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. NASA will not ask you to disclose criminal history record information during the application process or before we make a conditional/tentative offer of employment. If you apply for this position and are selected, NASA will conduct a suitability/security background investigation after you accept a tentative job offer. If you feel you are asked to disclose your criminal history before you accept a tentative offer and wish to file a complaint within 30 days, please contact: Agency-FCCJ@NASA.gov.

Required Documents

All submitted resumes must not exceed two (2) pages in length. Resumes longer than two pages will be rejected by USAJOBS. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize including experience and relevant qualifications that directly align with the position advertised. All work experience and accomplishments must be associated with dates (month/year) to allow for accurate qualification assessment. A complete application package includes a resume, required documents and completion of the vacancy announcement questionnaire. Please see this guidance: What to include in your resume. If you are using a Curriculum Vitae (CV) as a resume, it must meet all requirements listed above for a complete resume package. Your resume should describe your specialized experience and support your answers to the vacancy announcement questionnaire. Please note: if any of the following types of information are included on your resume, your application package will be disqualified: Classified or government sensitive information. Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc. Encrypted and digitally signed documents. Social Security Number (SSN) Photos of yourself If your resume contains any of the above information, you must redact that information prior to the submission of your application. The following documents are required: Resume Transcript As listed in the Education section above, this position has a basic education requirement. To be found qualified, you must provide a copy of your college transcript that fully demonstrates you meet the requirements listed in the Education section. You may provide either an unofficial transcript or a copy of an official transcript. Failure to provide a complete copy of your college transcript that shows you have completed a required degree program or coursework may result in you being found not qualified. There may be other supporting documents (licenses, certification, veterans preference, etc.), depending on your answers to the questionnaire and job announcement description, that you may have to submit, please verify your application. Do not submit an OF-306 with your application. Official documents are required at the time of appointment for verification of eligibility and qualifications.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application and have all required information available. We encourage you to provide a complete description of your educational achievements and include both paid and non-paid work in the experience portion of your resume. If you submit a resume that does not contain the required information, you may lose consideration. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To begin the application process, you will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application process. Once logged in to your account, click on the "Apply" link. Follow the prompts to select your resume (2 pages or fewer) and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. Resumes longer than 2 pages will be rejected by the system. Resumes submitted via other document types will not be forwarded to the hiring manager, nor will they be used in the review of your qualifications. We strongly encourage you to utilize the USAJOBS resume builder when creating your resume. Using the resume builder will help you ensure your resume includes important information related to your qualifications and eligibility for this position. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. During the application process you can review, edit, delete and update your information. We'll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won't lose any changes. 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 vacancy questionnaire which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify all required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. NASA's online application process provides step by step guidance to ensure you provide all needed information. If you are unable to apply online, please contact NSSC-STAFFING@MAIL.NASA.GOV for assistance. Be advised - application materials faxed, emailed, and/or mailed to NASA Headquarters will not be accepted for this announcement. NASA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you are an applicant with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency contact center listed on the job vacancy announcement. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be on a case-by-case basis.

What to Expect Next

Once you submit your application package, you will receive an acknowledgement email. Throughout the process you will receive regular status updates through USAJOBS. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (Account Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: Application Status. Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends upon the location of the position and the judgment of the hiring manager. If you are selected, you will be notified by phone or email with a tentative job offer. If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing a scheduled appointment, we may rescind a tentative job offer. An official, written job offer will be issued once all requirements have been verified.

Additional Information

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. Any applicant that received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) from the federal government within the last five years based of the closing date of this announcement, if selected, may be required to repay the full amount prior to establishing a start date. For additional information on the VSIP repayment requirement, click here - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/voluntary-separation-incentive-payments/. Trial Period You may be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may 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...

Basic Requirements for all grade levels: You must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from a full course of study at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; be an active member in good standing of the bar of any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and have been admitted to practice law before a state or federal court. To qualify for the GS-14: you must meet the basic requirement for all grade levels (as outlined above). In addition, one of the following requirements must be satisfied: One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level: Serving as a subject-matter resource with the ability to handle complex, high-visibility, or legally significant issues; Communicating issues to leaders and stakeholders while collaborating across organizational boundaries; Providing technical guidance and mentorship to support policy and organizational objectives.. OR A graduate law degree (e.g., Master of Laws/LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the experience described above. To qualify for the GS-15: you must meet the basic requirement for all grade levels (as outlined above). In addition, one of the following requirements must be satisfied: One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level: Serving as a subject-matter expert with demonstrated ability to handle complex, high visibility or legally significant issues; Routinely communicating complex issues laterally and to senior executives to ensure enterprise alignment; Providing enterprise subject-matter leadership and mentorship with demonstrated ability to accomplish high level policy and organizational outcomes. OR A graduate law degree (e.g., Master of Laws/LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the experience described above. Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of artificial intelligent (AI) or AI-assisted tools during the application process.