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The Smithsonian Institution's (SI), Office of General Counsel (OGC) seeks an assistant general counsel to provide professional legal advice and services on a variety of matters in support of SI's complex operations and expansive educational mission in a fast-paced environment under the supervision of the General Counsel. This position requires a thorough understanding of the SI's unique legal status and the goals and objectives of an Office of a General Counsel.
02/28/2024 to 04/03/2024
$139,395 - $181,216 per year
GS 14
No
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Not required
No
Permanent - Federal
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Excepted
15
No
No
24R-CW-310192-OTH-OGC
778742900
This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement # More than one selection may be made from this announcement.
The essential requirements as an Attorney Advisor (Tax) position require a high degree of legal expertise, experience, and good judgment. The Smithsonian is a trust instrumentality of the United States and a 501(c)(3) organization. Its unique nature differs from Executive Branch departments or agencies and enhances the complexity of the work of the Office of the General Counsel, requiring careful analysis, originality, and excellent judgment in developing and supporting the Institution’s legal positions and arguments.
In this position, duties include, but are not limited to:
Drafting or reviewing tax filings and audit documents.
Evaluating proposed activities and policies with particular focus on tax implications. The Attorney Advisor (Tax) evaluates facts, determines questions of law, and either recommends adoption of a decision prepared by another attorney or drafts an independent decision for consideration and adoption by the General Counsel and, as appropriate, senior management who exercise final authority in such matters.
Advising on laws, regulations, Smithsonian policy, opinions of the Internal Revenue Service, and opinions of the Comptroller General regarding use of Smithsonian federal funds.
Conditions of Employment
Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.
ATTENTION: Due to the large number of qualified applicants for positions of this type, this job announcement will close at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on either: (A) The closing date listed above or (B) The date that 200 applications are received; whichever occurs first. If the announcement closes on the date that 200 applications are received, all applications submitted by 11:59pm that day will be given consideration, including those in excess of 200.
There is no OPM qualification standard established for positions in the Attorney-Advisor, 0905 series, and agencies may establish their own standards for these Excepted Service positions. The following minimum qualification requirements will be used to determine if applicants are eligible for further consideration:
Education: An applicant must have professional law degree (J.D., LL.B., or LL.M) from an accredited law school, college, or university. (Submit either a copy of your Official or Unofficial Transcripts)
Bar Membership: An applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the Bar of the highest court of any state, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory or the District of Columbia. (Submit a copy of your membership)
Experience: Applicant must have four years of specialized legal experience relevant to the duties of the position or education beyond the first professional degree which included courses directly related to the duties of the position and which has enabled the applicant to step into complex legal work and to operate with a substantial degree of independence and responsibility at the grade 14 level. For this position, specialized experience is defined as extensive knowledge of non-profit tax and contract law and their application to a wide array of binding and non-binding arrangements with donors and domestic and foreign governmental, non-profit, and for-profit entities.
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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.
N/A
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.
Your resume will be used to evaluate your experience, education, and/or training that address the competencies below. Those applicants who meet the qualifications will be referred on a certificate for further consideration:
Extensive knowledge of contract law and application of contracting principles to a wide array of binding and non-binding arrangements with governmental, non-profit and for- profit entities, domestic and foreign, as demonstrated by past professional experience.
Extensive knowledge and experience negotiating complex contracts and agreements, including contracts involving large sums and high levels of risk, as demonstrated by past professional experience.
Expert knowledge and ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of officials from other federal and state agencies, legal organizations, and businesses, as demonstrated by past professional experience.
Important Note:
Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system will not be considered for this position. Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
Those persons found eligible and selected for interviews will be required to submit a writing sample of a legal document or memo that you have already authored.
Your application package should include the following documents:
Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position.
For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.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.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:
At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed. Additional Information:
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/778742900. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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