An official website of the United States government
This executive position is in DOE's Office of the General Counsel and serves as chief legal advisor to the staff and leadership at the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) Golden Field Office (GFO). Acts as the GFO's Office of the Chief Counsel (OCC), responsible for providing legal advice and representation in a number of legal areas such as: environmental and energy; contracting and procurement; administrative; and employment law.
Learn more about this agency11/22/2021 to 01/03/2022
$174,255 - $199,300 per year
ES 00
1 vacancy in the following location:
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Yes—Relocation expenses or hiring incentives may be paid in accordance with agency policy and funding availability
Permanent
Full-time
Senior Executive
None
Yes
Yes
22-EE-GO-00085-11279025-SES
623302200
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Those who meet the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs).
Open to all U.S. Citizens
As the Chief Counsel, Golden Field Office you will:
Provide legal advice and counsel to the GFO Director, Deputy Director, and associated staff concerning the legal authority for and the legal implications of all activities. Provide or arrange for the provision of the full range of legal services including representation, advice and counsel, and program management in all areas of law practice, with a strong emphasis on environmental and energy law and contract management. personnel, labor relations, and fiscal law. Programs include litigation, contract fraud remedies, employee ethics, and legislation.
Assist the GFO Managers and staff in developing solutions to technical and administrative problems which are often complex and unique in conformity with the legal policies and procedures of the Department.
Participate in negotiations of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, interagency agreements, and regulatory compliance agreements to which GFO/EERE is a party, providing legal counsel and assistance to the GFO Managers and principal staff on all pertinent matters. Provide legal advice and assistance in the selection, negotiation, award, preparation, execution, and modification of contracts, subcontracts, interagency and compliance agreements.
Prepare or review a wide variety of complex contractual instruments, including operating contracts, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost plus incentive fee and cost-plus-award-fee contracts, architect-engineer contracts, construction contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, fixed price contracts, automatic data processing contracts, contract modifications, and other types of instruments to assist Headquarters and to support programs, projects, and functions assigned to GFO/EERE. Serve as legal adviser to Source Evaluation Boards and GFO selection panels. Serve as chairman of the NREL M&O review performance committee and rates the performance of NREL counsel.
Provide legal interpretation of statutes and regulations governing environmental restoration and environmental compliance, and negotiated and advertised procurements.
Take appropriate legal action to protect the interests of DOE in litigation and adminstrative proceedings in which GFO has an interest. Supervise the conduct of litigation by or against DOE, and oversee lawsuits by or against its contractors. Represent DOE and the United States in Federal district court; assist the Department of Justice in representing the Department in Federal courts of appeals and the United States Supreme Court.
Advise on probable impact of new or revised legislation, recommend action or proposed alternatives as appropriate, and recommend an agency course of action. Advise on laws, regulations, Congressional legislation, etc., which may affect the mission and associated functions. Answer questions over interpretation of legal authorities and recognizes questions which require interpretation. Prepare responses outlining facts and applicable law when such material will become the agency's justification for litigation.
Provide legal advice and counsel to the managers and staff in all areas affecting the operation of GFO, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), safeguards and security, Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, federal personnel, administrative review process, work for others, finance and budget, state and local taxes, environmental laws, contractor operations, health and safety, personnel actions, equal opportunity, labor laws, conflicts of interest and real estate.
Coordinate with the Department of Energy's Assistant General Counsel for Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property with regard to the patents and technical data clauses to be included in contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements originated by GFO.
Serve as the first line supervisor for the GFO Office of Chief Counsel.
Brief DOE General Counsel on legal policy matters and matters of national significance and provide support to the General Counsel.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT FOR THIS VACANCY: This is a career position in the SES. Unless the selectee is already a member of the SES with career status or has successfully completed an SES Candidate Development Program certified by OPM, executive qualifications must be approved by OPM before the appointment can be effected. If you are selected, you will be responsible for working with a DOE Executive Consultant to finalize your ECQ narrative for OPM submission.
CITIZENSHIP: You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE (HSPD-12): A selectee's appointment is contingent upon compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12) governing personal identity.
PUBLIC FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT (OGE 278): If you are selected for this position, will be required to file this report prior to entry on duty in accordance with the Ethics of Government Act of 1978.
PROBATIONARY PERIOD: An individual's initial SES career appointment becomes final only after the individual successfully completes a one-year probationary period.
SECURITY CLEARANCE: You must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance
DRUG TESTING: As a condition of appointment to this position, you will be subject to pre-employment/pre-appointment testing for illegal drug use under the U.S. Department of Energy Employee Drug Plan. If you are selected you will be provided information regarding drug testing. Failure to undergo testing or positive findings resulting from the test will eliminate you from further consideration for this position. If selected for and appointed to this position you will be subject to random drug testing while employed.
SELECTIVE SERVICE: All males born after December 31, 1959 must abide by laws regarding Selective Service registration. To learn more about this law, visit the Selective Service web page, Who Must Register. If you are not registered and don't have an approved exemption, you will not be eligible for employment with the Federal government.
E-VERIFY: New employees to the Department of Energy will be required to 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.
You must meet the minimum education requirements of successful completion of a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) with a professional law degree (L.L.B or J.D.)
You must be a current member in good standing of the Bar of a state or territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. You must provide a copy of this certification.
You must provide a copy of your transcripts from an accredited institution. Be sure to include those transcripts directly applicable to determining your meeting the education requirements. Failure to provide proof of education will result in non-consideration for this position. OFFICIAL ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPTS will be required to be provided prior to entrance-on-duty for individuals selected.
Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see Department of Education
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education (if applicable). Your application will be rated and ranked by an Executive Resources Board (ERB) Panel, comprised of at least three SES members, using only the information submitted within the application package. Applicants who do not demonstrate in their application sufficient possession of the ECQs & MTQs will be determined ineligible for further consideration.
As part of the Resume Based recruitment method, the ERB Panel conducts a structured interview for all applicants, both competitive and non-competitive, who are determined to be in the top category from the ERB Rating Panel. Based on the Panel's evaluation, applicants who are determined Best Qualified will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.
Veteran's Preference does not apply to the Senior Executive service (SES).
Once a candidate has been identified for selection, reference checks may be completed. The Department's appointing official(s) will make a final approval of the selection, and in competitive cases, OPM's Qualifications Review Board (QRB) must certify the ECQs before final appointment can occur. If OPM approval is required for the ECQs, the candidate is required to assist in the development of the QRB template for submission to the QRB. Verification of performance, suitability and security information from reference checks will be taken into consideration when making offers of employment.
Please carefully review the following list to determine what documentation you need to submit. Some documents may not apply to all applicants. If you fail to submit required documentation before the announcement closes, you will be rated "ineligible."
You must submit:
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 schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
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.
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. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration. Faxed or e-mailed applications and/or resumes will not be accepted. Requests for extensions will not be granted.
All statements made in this application are subject to investigation and any false or dishonest answer to any question may be grounds for disqualification and loss of consideration. If your resume does not support the responses in your application questionnaire, or if you fail to submit required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible' or 'not qualified'.
The application process is as follows:
You may check your application status any time after the announcement closes. USAJOBS has added an alert setting to the system to drive status updates notification for applicants. We recommend that you update your USAJOBS profile to receive these status updates via email after the announcement closes. We will continue to update your status on-line as changes are made. Applicants who meet the mandatory ECQs and MTQs will be evaluated by a panel of senior executives. Failure to meet all qualifications automatically disqualifies an applicant. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. Persons tentatively selected for appointment to SES positions must have their ECQs approved by OPM Eligibility for this position will be based upon a clear showing that the applicant has experience of the scope and quality sufficient to effectively carry out assignments of the position.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/623302200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
