Attorney Advisor

Summary

The position is located in the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Office of General Counsel. This position is to serve as the Assistant General Counsel for Procurement Matters and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Privacy Act (PA), and Investigations.

Duties

As an Attorney Advisor, you will be responsible for duties to include, but are not limited to: Provides expert advice to senior agency officials, and employees at all levels on interpretation and application of laws, rules, and regulations concerning investigations including congressional oversight investigations, OIG investigations, or related matters. Research and interpret policies, procedures, regulations, and statutes relating to the provisions of the Privacy Act and other relevant Acts, court decisions and administrative rulings. Reviews proposed contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, delivery orders, and interagency agreements prior to their final execution, certifying to the General Counsel that they conform to law and regulation and are legally sufficient. Develops policies and establishes procedures concerning implementation of USAGM policy and procedural guidance for the programs and establishes standards and procedures designed to assure compliance with pertinent statutory requirements and Agency directives.

Qualifications

To qualify for the GS-15, you should have four (4) or more years of post-J.D. legal experience, at least one (1) of which were specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-14 grade level or higher and hold an active bar membership. Applicants must have a minimum of one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility comparable to the GS- 14 or comparable pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and includes all of the following: The statutory requirements and guidelines governing Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act programs. Experience in drafting or revising organizational policies, based upon continuing review of case law, appropriate legislation, and regulatory implementation, to minimize organizational legal risk.

Education

Attorney positions do have an education requirement. Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D. For positions with an education requirement, you MUST submit a copy of your unofficial transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions. Applicant cannot substitute education for experience at the GS-15 levels, although educational achievement may be considered when rating applicants, as with any attorney position.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Once your application package has been received, a review of your qualifications will be made to ensure you meet the job requirements and competencies required for this position. Competencies: Legal, Government and Jurisprudence Possession of competencies must be addressed in a resume and/or cover letter. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your qualifications. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. You will be placed in one of three rating categories: Qualified Category-Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position, a numeric rating below 79. Well Qualified Category-Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position, a numeric rating of 80-89. Best Qualified Category-Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position, a numeric rating of 90 and above. Application of Veterans' Preference: Category Rating does not add veterans' preference points, but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more will be placed at the top of the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher). Preference eligibles who do not have a service-connected disability of 10 percent or more will be assigned to the appropriate quality category based upon the job-related assessment and will be listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within the appropriate quality category. Fair Chance Act: Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to HROperations@usagm.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.

Required Documents

The following documents are required by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date for your application package to be complete. Encrypted or ineligible documents may result in loss of consideration. Resume: Include contact information, education, and detailed work experience (including work schedules, employment dates, and position titles). Transcripts: This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education, you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application. If selected for the position, you will also be required to submit official transcripts before your start date. *For foreign education, you must submit an equivalency evaluation from a member organization of Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) or National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). The evaluation must include all criteria found on the OPM website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4. Veteran Preference: If you are a veteran with preference eligibility, you must submit the member 4 copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility stating character of service. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit a VA letter and an Application of 10-Point Veterans' Preference (SF-15). Applicants seeking widow or other special veterans' preference must submit a SF-15 form and all documents indicated for their specific form of preference. If you are still on active duty, you may submit a statement of service from your Personnel Command which states the date you entered active duty, the date you are separating, and the campaign medals you have received. ICTAP: If you are an eligible Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) applicant, you may apply for selection priority. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 80 or above on the rating criteria for this position. ICTAP eligibles must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility for the special selection priority: a separation notice; a "Notice of Personnel Action" (SF-50) documenting separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; OR a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.

How to Apply

You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you cannot complete the Application Package online, please contact the Human Resource Specialist listed in this vacancy announcement. To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents and any appropriate Accepted Documents. To begin, click Apply in the announcement; then, choose to create a new USAJOBS account or Sign-in into your existing account. 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 submitting it. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. Click the following link to pre-view and print the occupational questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13029627. After completing the questionnaire and uploading appropriate documents, click the Submit Application to submit your application package. It is applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered in the profile is accurate and all required documents are uploaded and submitted before 11:59 PM (ET) on 08/24/2026 of the announcement to receive consideration. Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application. If a document is not in legible format, applicant will not be able to view it in Application Manager which means applicant must again upload the documentation to the system by the closing date of this announcement. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account. The page will display the positions for which you've applied as well as the status of each application. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click on the plus sign (+) next to the job title to expand information about the job. Next click on Update Application to complete the application process. Note: Submission of a resume alone IS NOT a complete application. This position requires the completion of additional forms and/or supplemental materials as described previously. Please carefully review the complete job announcement, including the Required Documents, Other Information, and How to Apply sections of the announcement. Application packages will NOT be accepted via mail or e-mail. All resumes/applications received at the addresses listed in the Contact Information or Agency Information will be destroyed and will not be considered for this vacancy announcement. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact HROperations@usagm.gov or 202-920-2400 to request this.

What to Expect Next

Once the online questionnaire and application package is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.

Additional Information

Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by closing date of the announcement to be considered. 1. If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency. For Military Selective Service Act requirement information, please visit Selective Service 2. Your application to this vacancy announcement will only allow consideration for this announcement. We cannot electronically or manually move your application to corresponding announcements, if applicable. 3. Additional vacancies not reflected in the announcement that occur after the opening date of the vacancy announcement for position(s) identical (same grade, series and title) to the original vacancy may be filled from the selection certificate during the validity of the certificate. 4. Budgetary conditions may delay or otherwise affect filling this vacancy. However, all interested candidates should apply now.

To qualify for the GS-15, you should have four (4) or more years of post-J.D. legal experience, at least one (1) of which were specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-14 grade level or higher and hold an active bar membership. Applicants must have a minimum of one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility comparable to the GS- 14 or comparable pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and includes all of the following: The statutory requirements and guidelines governing Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act programs. Experience in drafting or revising organizational policies, based upon continuing review of case law, appropriate legislation, and regulatory implementation, to minimize organizational legal risk.