General Attorney (Office of the Inspector General - Employment Law)

Summary

The Social Security Administration's (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Office of the Counsel to the Inspector General (OCIG), seeks attorneys with extensive experience in employment law to provide legal guidance on a wide variety of employment related issues. Our attorneys represent SSA OIG before multiple tribunals including the EEOC, the MSPB, and mediators. Attorneys may also work with the DOJ to represent SSA OIG on complex litigation in federal district and appellate courts.

Duties

The incumbent serves as a General Attorney within the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Office of Counsel to the Inspector General (OCIG), providing legal services to the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG). Advises other OIG attorneys, Supervisory Attorneys, the Chief Counsel, management officials and Senior Executives, including the Inspector General, on unique, critical, and sensitive matters. OIG is a modern public service law office with a highly skilled, engaged, and diverse workforce dedicated to protecting SSA OIG’s legal interests. We offer the opportunity to handle meaningful and challenging legal work in a professional, team-oriented, and flexible work environment. We seek candidates with strong legal acumen in employment/labor law, litigation experience, research and writing skills, pro?ciency with eDiscovery, and the ability to quickly form positive relationships with internal clients and stakeholders. We encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds, qualities, and experiences to apply.

Qualifications

Resumes exceeding two pages in length will not be considered. Please visit the new resume guidance for more information. READ ALL SECTIONS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY. THIS INFORMATION IS CRUCIAL TO SUBMITTING A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION. Law Degree: Applicants must hold a law degree from a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association. Bar Membership: Applicants must also be an active member of the bar, and in good standing. You must be duly licensed, authorized and eligible to practice as an attorney under the laws of a state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a U.S. Territory. This is a continuing requirement of the position. Below is a list of acceptable documents. To be considered, at least one of the following three documents is required. Any proof of bar document submitted must include your name, status, state, and must be dated within one year of the closing date of the announcement: Letter or Certificate of Good Standing dated within one year of the announcement; OR Copy of your Bar card with the current year if it reflects a date that is within one year of the announcement; OR Screen print from a Bar website that reflects your active Bar membership (must include the state and be dated within one year of the announcement). In addition to the above requirements, applicants must also meet the following criteria to qualify: Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-13 level or equivalent, which is in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Such experience must include: Personnel and employment law, AND Litigating cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), including preparing and arguing pleadings, briefs and motions, affidavits, or other materials involving personnel and employment law. Please note: your resume must specifically document your experience as an attorney providing legal guidance on labor and employment related issues e.g. performance management, employee misconduct, labor and employee relations, EEO issues, and reasonable accommodation requests, or you will be found ineligible. Applicants MUST meet all eligibility requirements on or before the closing date of the announcement to be considered for the position.

Education

Submit a copy of your law school transcripts that includes your name, the name of the educational institution, course title(s), number of credits, grade, and degree award date. Unofficial transcripts or screenshots of electronic/web transcripts with the required information will be accepted at the time of application. Self-prepared transcripts will not be accepted. You must submit your transcripts according to the application submission details of this announcement. Documents will not be accepted via email or regular mail. If selected, you may be required to provide your official college transcripts prior to the effective date of the personnel action placing you into the new position. Foreign Education: If your transcripts show education completed in foreign colleges or universities, you must also provide documentation that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

How You Will Be Evaluated

The evaluation you receive is based on your responses to the online assessments completed during the application process. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Reasoning Decision Making Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Your application will be compared to the requirements for the position. It is your responsibility to include all information in your application that is needed to evaluate your qualifications and determine if you meet the requirements for the position. If there is insufficient information, your application will be found ineligible. Please make sure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation. Cheating on the online assessment may result in your removal from consideration.

Required Documents

You must submit supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will not be considered. To be considered, your resume must: Be no longer than two pages Clearly demonstrate your qualifications for the position Include your contact information We recommend using a clear, easy-to-read format and focusing on information most relevant to the job announcement. RESUME: Include the following information: 1) personal information (full name, mailing address, work and home phone numbers); 2) education; 3) work experience (paid and unpaid, including clerkships/internships). Show job title, including series and grade if Federal employment, detailed duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address, supervisor's name and phone number, starting and ending dates (mm/dd/yy), hours per week, and salary; 4) other qualifications (skills, certifications/licenses, honors, awards, special accomplishments, and job-related training courses). Please note that providing the mm/dd/yy for all work experience is critical for evaluating your application. If actual dates are not known, provide your best-estimated timeframes. Please refer to How to Build a Resume for instructions. PROOF OF EDUCATION: Submit a copy of your law school transcripts with the course title, number of credits, grade, and date of completion. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application; however, self-prepared transcripts WILL NOT be accepted. The degree must be from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Education completed in a foreign institution must be certified as equivalent to coursework completed at a U.S. college or university. Certification of equivalency must be submitted at the time of application. For a list of Credential Evaluation Services, log on to: Credential Evaluation Services. (See Education section for specific transcript information.) PROOF OF CURRENT BAR MEMBERSHIP: Proof of active Bar Membership e.g., screen print of your profile from a bar web site which reflects your name and active status, a letter from the bar certifying that you are licensed and authorized to practice law, OR copy of a recent bar card. Such proof must include the state, status, and be dated within one year of the closing date of the announcement! (See Qualifications section for specific Bar Membership information.) VETERANS' PREFERENCE: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your military discharge certificate (DD-214 member 4 copy preferred) or an official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty. To be acceptable, the document must contain dates and show Character of Service. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference based on a service-connected disability, you must also submit an Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference (SF 15) and the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF-15. Applicants claiming derived preference must submit the SF-15 and the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF-15. Preference will be granted based on the documents received. Note: If you are a current active duty military member who does not have a DD-214 and are claiming preference under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces indicating that you will be discharged or released under honorable conditions from active duty within 120 days of the date on the certification. Certifications must be on letterhead from the appropriate military branch and include the following information: military dates of service and expected discharge or release date, the character of service, military rank, type of discharge, and date when terminal leave will begin. Certifications must be signed by or under the direction of military members' military personnel offices, unit commanders, or higher headquarters. For more information visit the Vet Guide.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include 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, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you both on screen and via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. You may check Computer System Requirements here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_System_Requirements. Note: Set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application. You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. If you use assistive software or an adaptive device, or you are experiencing some other type of technical difficulty and/or otherwise require assistance with the application process, please contact Careers at SSA at Careers@ssa.gov. Individuals with hearing or speech disabilities may use the listed email or 7-1-1 for TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Services to call the listed phone number. Additional Telecommunications Relay Services options are available in each state: https://www.fcc.gov/general/trs-state-and-territories Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email or standard mail. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.

What to Expect Next

If you meet the minimum qualifications of this position, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments system. These additional online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement unless you have requested Reasonable Accommodation for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments based on a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Your results will be kept on record for one year when applying for future jobs that require the same USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Once you have successfully submitted all of the required application materials and assessments, you can expect to receive at least two or more o...

Resumes exceeding two pages in length will not be considered. Please visit the new resume guidance for more information. READ ALL SECTIONS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY. THIS INFORMATION IS CRUCIAL TO SUBMITTING A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION. Law Degree: Applicants must hold a law degree from a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association. Bar Membership: Applicants must also be an active member of the bar, and in good standing. You must be duly licensed, authorized and eligible to practice as an attorney under the laws of a state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a U.S. Territory. This is a continuing requirement of the position. Below is a list of acceptable documents. To be considered, at least one of the following three documents is required. Any proof of bar document submitted must include your name, status, state, and must be dated within one year of the closing date of the announcement: Letter or Certificate of Good Standing dated within one year of the announcement; OR Copy of your Bar card with the current year if it reflects a date that is within one year of the announcement; OR Screen print from a Bar website that reflects your active Bar membership (must include the state and be dated within one year of the announcement). In addition to the above requirements, applicants must also meet the following criteria to qualify: Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-13 level or equivalent, which is in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Such experience must include: Personnel and employment law, AND Litigating cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), including preparing and arguing pleadings, briefs and motions, affidavits, or other materials involving personnel and employment law. Please note: your resume must specifically document your experience as an attorney providing legal guidance on labor and employment related issues e.g. performance management, employee misconduct, labor and employee relations, EEO issues, and reasonable accommodation requests, or you will be found ineligible. Applicants MUST meet all eligibility requirements on or before the closing date of the announcement to be considered for the position.