Attorney Advisor (International)/Resident Legal Advisor, Ukraine

OPDAT’s mission is to build strong foreign partners who can work with the United States to enhance cooperation in transnational cases and to fight crime before it reaches our shores. OPDAT provides expert assistance and case-based mentoring to foreign counterparts to help develop justice systems that can effectively combat transnational crime, corruption, and terrorism consistent with the rule of law and in furtherance of U.S. national security.

Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

  12/27/2024 to 01/17/2025

• Salary

  $104,604 – $159,950 per year
  No change to base pay under detail assignment. If applicable, the selectee will also receive appropriate post and overseas salary differentials.

  
  
  
• Pay scale & grade
  

  GS 14 – 15

• Location

  1 vacancy in the following location:

  
  
• Remote job
  

  No

• Telework eligible

  Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

  
  
• Travel Required

  Occasional travel – Extensive travel to and from Ukraine and some travel within Ukraine or to neighboring countries, to include Poland, may be required.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

  Yes-Relocation expenses are authorized to and from post. This is an unaccompanied position.

  
  
  
• Appointment type

  Multiple Appointment Types

• Work schedule
  

  Full-time

• Service
  

  Excepted

• Promotion potential
  

  15

• Job family (Series)
• Supervisory status
  

  No

• Security clearance
• Drug test
  

  Yes

• Financial disclosure
• Bargaining unit status
• Announcement number
  

  25-CRM-OPD-007

• Control number
  

  826018000

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Duties

This is for a two-year term appointment or a two-year reimbursable detail appointment, with the possibility of extension, contingent on the availability of funding.

The Resident Legal Advisor (RLA) will represent the U.S. Department of Justice and OPDAT in the implementation of a justice sector technical assistance program focused on helping Ukrainian prosecutors, investigators, and judges address complex war crimes and mass-atrocity crimes resulting from the Russian war of aggression. The RLA will engage in a combination of targeted capacity-building engagements, intensive case-based mentoring, and as needed, legislative and policy reform. The RLA will build and maintain essential partnerships with senior justice sector officials, as well as interagency and international partners. Further, the RLA will coordinate efforts of interagency counterparts, NGOs, international partners, and others who also are engaged in providing assistance on war and atrocity crimes capacity-building.

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to qualify for this position.
• You must undergo a pre-employment security investigation.
• You must sign a standards of conduct agreement for overseas service.
• You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• All male applicants born after 12/31/1959 must have registered for the selective service. If selected, the applicant must sign a statement certifying his registration, or the applicant must demonstrate exempt status under the Selective Service Law.
• DIRECT DEPOSIT: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• You may be required to pass a State Department medical clearance.
• The Criminal Division participates in the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program. E-Verify helps employers to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. For more information, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.

Qualifications

Required : To qualify for this position, applicants must possess ALL of the requirements below:

• A J.D., or equivalent, degree, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing.

Specific grade level requirements:

1. GS-15: At least four (4) years of post J.D. legal experience, to include four (4) years of prosecutorial experience in Article III courts or comparable state level courts.
2. GS-14: At least three (3) years of post J.D. legal experience, to include three (3) years of prosecutorial experience in Article III courts or comparable state level courts.

Preferred : Applicants should have a thorough understanding and practical knowledge of Department of Justice and other U.S. Government approaches and policies involving complex criminal investigations and prosecutions. A working understanding of domestic war crimes statutes, core international crimes, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions, and Additional Protocols, and/or related areas is desirable. Experience with domestic criminal prosecution of war or atrocities crimes and/or experience with international criminal tribunals or related international institutions is beneficial. Experience living, working, and/or training in an overseas environment is also valuable, particularly in countries with challenging living conditions.

The successful applicant should also have:

• Ability to function effectively in an international, multi-cultural environment;
• Excellent interpersonal and management skills;
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing;
• Extensive prosecution experience; and
• Experience in bar activities, teaching, designing course curricula, and/or work with international development projects.

Education

A J.D., or equivalent, degree.

Applicants who possess an equivalent degree rather than a J.D. may be subject to additional review by the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management.

Additional information

The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of color, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, on the basis of personal favoritism, or any non merit factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Additional information on DOJ’s EEO policy can be found on our .

It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the United States Attorneys’ Offices. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, non-U.S. Citizens may apply for employment with other organizations, but should be advised that appointments of non-U.S. Citizens are extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department’s mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please reach out to or (202) 514-0361 for alternative application procedures.

• 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. .

  
  
  

  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.

BASIS OF RATING: Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans’ preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans’ preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the “point” system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s)). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

• 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. .

  
  
  

  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.

• Required Documents

  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have – whether you’re a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you’re eligible under their policies.

  
  
  

  See “How to Apply”

  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

  
  
  

  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from .

  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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