• Review solicitation and award documents and makes final, independent determinations regarding their compliance with all laws and regulations, including statutes, Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Department of State Acquisition Regulations (DOSAR) and judicial and administrative precedent, including Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA) decisions.

• Participate in the conduct of major acquisitions, including review of acquisition strategy and plans, source selection evaluation plans, the review of evaluation findings and reports, competitive range determinations and award recommendations and supporting documentation.

• Represent the Department in pre-award and post-award protests at the GAO and liaise with Department of Justice (DOJ) counsel on protests at the Court of Federal Claims (COFC).

• Render legal opinions in matters of contractual rights and obligations based upon statutes, regulations, court and administrative board decisions, common law, decisions of the Comptroller General and DOS policy directives; confer with Government and Contractor personnel regarding controversial and sensitive matters that might become the subject of future disputes and litigation; and draft necessary legal documents, and develop conclusions and recommendations. At the GS-14 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-13.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/
• Copy of license to practice law.

Qualifications

GS-13, 14, and 15

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Applicants apply for this position must meet the following requirements to be eligible for further consideration:

If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your law school transcript with your application.

Law Degree: Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with a J.D. or LL.M.

Bar Membership: Applicants must be a current member of a bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

GS-13-Experience: Applicants must have at least two years of specialized experience with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal Service, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience with federal contract law.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 position.

GS-14-Experience: Applicants must have at least three years of specialized experience with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal Service, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience with federal contract law.
• Experience with federal procurement and acquisition law and practice.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-14 position.

GS-15- Experience: Applicants must have at least four years of specialized experience with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal Service, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience with federal contract law.
• Experience with federal procurement and acquisition law and practice.
• Experience with defense of bid protests at the Government Accountability Office or the Court of Federal Claims.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-15 position.

Education

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.

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

Additional information

• For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
• If eligible, 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.
• BUYOUT - If you previously left federal employment and received a separation incentive (buyout) and you are selected for this position, you may be required to repay the full amount of the buyout to the agency that paid you.
• PRIVACY ACT - Your application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (p.L. 93-579.5 USC 552a). This information is used to determine qualifications for employment and is authorized under Title 5 of the U.S. Code, Sections 3302 and 3361.
• FALSE STATEMENT - If you make false statements in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or you may be subject to fine, imprisonment, or other disciplinary action.
• To be eligible for Federal employment, male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify at the time of appointment that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under Selective Service law.
• EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY- The Department of State is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, age, political affiliation, union or non-union affiliation, sexual orientation, disability, or any other non-merit factors.
• DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY - We strive to create a workforce that reflects America's diversity. We nurture a community where differences are valued, honored, and celebrated.

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits.
  
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  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

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 qualification for this position, specifically, the education and specialized experience requirements. Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applications that are verified to meet the required qualification 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 federal contract law and federal procurement and acquisition law and practice, as referenced above.
• Ability to analyze legal issues.
• Skill in successfully building relations with clients, peers, and colleagues.
• Ability to provide written and verbal opinions to clients
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely about legal topics.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determination 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.

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