Attorney Adviser (Contracts)

Closing Date: 28th May, 2024

Description:

Summary:
About the Position: This is an Attorney-Adviser (Contracts), GS-0905-14 position with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Division (SWD), Fort Worth District, Office of Counsel. This is a permanent, full-time position.

Salary posted is range for the primary Rest of the United States localities and will be adjusted to the locality of the selectee's physical duty location.

Duties:

• Renders legal advice, assistance and support to the Fort Worth District (SWF) Commander, Deputy Commanders and other Division Chiefs on the most difficult and comprehensive contract issues in the District.
• Interfaces with Division Chiefs and Project Delivery Teams providing legal guidance on technical issues and contract administration, interpretation and enforcement issues.
• Renders legal advice, assistance and support to the District Commander, Deputy Commanders and other Division Chiefs on difficult and comprehensive projects and programs involving work for other Federal agencies.
• Makes recommendations to the District Commander and District Counsel for referrals to the U.S. Attorney for defense of litigation instituted against the USACE under the Contract Disputes Act.
• Interfaces with organizations to resolve differing policies and contract execution philosophies between SWF and the other Districts involved with government contract work.
• Interacts with other agencies involving issues of high sensitivity having the potential to either establish national precedent or revise national precedent for large and important national programs and issues involving very large sums of money.
• Advises the Commander and Division Chiefs on legal matters involving contract formation, administration, and disputes.

Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.

Qualifications:
Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document (https://portal.chra.army.mil/hr_public?id=kb_article&sysparm_article=KB0016283).

The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration:
Education: An applicant must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.). Law school transcripts must be submitted at the time of application.

Bar Membership: An applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, or commonwealth of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Experience: An applicant must have more than 3 years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

Time in Grade Requirement: If currently employed as an attorney by the Federal Government you must have completed one year at the next lower grade level within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement, or previously served at the same or higher grade as the position being filled.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Your application package will be evaluated to ensure your experience, knowledge, skills, training and/or education meet the qualification requirements stated in this vacancy announcement. Quality of experience relates to how closely or to what extent an applicant's background and recency of experience and education clearly reflect that you possess the following required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of this position. The following KSA's must be addressed in your resume. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating or effect your overall rating.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities (KSAs) Qualification Requirements:

1. Specialized experience and knowledge regarding federal laws, regulations, policies and procedures related to providing legal advice and legal reviews on construction, architect-engineering, and contract formation and contract administration issues (including knowledge of and experience in interpreting the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Department of Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and the Army Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (AFARS)).
2. Knowledge, skills, and ability as it applies to providing legal advice on interagency actions and authorities to include the Economy Act requirements, applying another agency's authorities when acting as a servicing agency, interagency agreements, and general fiscal law requirements and principles related to both USACE's and another agency's funding.
   
3. Knowledge, skills, and ability in the following areas of federal law and practice: real estate law; regulatory law; federal tort law; procurement fraud; civil works; Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act; ethics; and administrative law.
   
4. Ability to communicate effectively.
   

Education:
Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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 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/.

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