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This is a Public Notice. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.
This position is located within the Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), The Office of the Under Secretary (UNSEC), Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Enforcement Section with one (1) vacancy located in Gloucester, MA.
Learn more about this agency11/18/2024 to 12/02/2024
$98,240 - $191,900 per year
GS 12 - 15
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent
Full-time
Excepted
15 - If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you may be non-competitively promoted if you perform successfully and if recommended by management.
No
No
Yes
OGC-25-12605567-DE
819327100
As an Attorney-Advisor in the NOAA Office of the General Counsel, Enforcement Section:
The Attorney Advisor will join a national team of civil enforcement attorneys who are charged with protecting ocean ecosystems, living marine resources, and marine sanctuaries. The work of the Attorney Advisor will be diverse and complex. The Attorney Advisor will work with federal and state law enforcement agencies to investigate violations of marine resource conservations laws such as the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Lacey Act. The Attorney Advisor will be responsible for all phases of civil administrative litigation including charging decisions, discovery, motions practice, and trial practice.
In addition, the Attorney Advisor will provide guidance on legislative and regulatory issues; work with the Department of Justice on criminal cases; and provide training to federal and state law enforcement partners. The Attorney Advisor may also serve as a legal advisor to U.S. delegation to various international fisheries management meetings, working with the NOAA Fisheries Office of International Affairs, Trade and Commerce and the Department of State to develop effective enforcement positions in the international arena to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Finally, the Attorney Advisor may contribute to capacity building efforts internationally on issues related to fisheries enforcement and prosecution. For additional information about the General Counsel Enforcement Section, see https://www.noaa.gov/general-counsel/gc-enforcement-section.
The attorney(s) will be hired at the GS-12 through GS-15 grade levels, depending on experience. The promotion potential for this position is GS-15 level.
Conditions of employment:
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Key Requirements:
This position has positive education requirements. Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement:
The career ladder for attorney positions in OGC is generally GS-12 to GS-15. Applicants may be hired at any of the grades shown in this announcement, commensurate with the candidate's experience and qualifications. You are encouraged to identify the grade level(s) or salary for which you wish to be considered. The minimum qualifications for hiring at each grade level (or equivalent) are as follows:
To qualify at the GS-12 level:
Holds a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from an accredited law school; and
Must be an active member in good standing of a State bar, the bar of the District of Columbia, the bar of a U.S. territory, or the bar of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
To qualify at the GS-13 level:
Holds a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from an accredited law school;
Must be an active member in good standing of a State bar, the bar of the District of Columbia, the bar of a U.S. territory, or the bar of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and possess a minimum of twenty four months of relevant legal experience.
To qualify at the GS-14 level:
Holds a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from an accredited law school;
Must be an active member in good standing of a State bar, the bar of the District of Columbia, the bar of a U.S. territory, or the bar of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and possess a minimum of three years relevant legal experience.
To qualify at the GS-15 level:
Holds a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from an accredited law school;
Must be an active member in good standing of a State bar, the bar of the District of Columbia, the bar of a U.S. territory, or the bar of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and possess a minimum of four years relevant legal experience.
Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or equivalent from an accredited law school. Official or unofficial law school transcripts must be submitted with your application package.
Note: Your law school transcript is used to verify successful completion of a degree, or college course work. An official law school transcript will be required before you can report to duty.
Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website. You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation by the closing date of the announcement will result in lost consideration. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated visit: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation.
Salary Ranges:
GS-12: $98,240-$127,707
GS-13: $116,820-$151,870
GS-14: $138,046-$179,462
GS-15: $162,377-$191,900
Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.
The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
NOAA participates in e-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
NOAA places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants will be evaluated based on their education, experience, demonstrated legal research and writing abilities, and performance during the interview process. Basis for evaluation: If eligible and meeting basic qualifications, your application package will be evaluated in conjunction with your resume and supporting documents.
Please be advised that NOAA Attorney positions are in the Excepted Service. As such, these positions are not covered by the usual civil service hiring procedures.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications stated herein. We will perform an initial review of applications to determine basic eligibility and minimum qualifications for the position and numeric scores will not be assigned.
There are no numerical rating systems through which to apply veterans' preference; however, the Office of the General Counsel favorably considers veterans preference eligibility in hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference are encouraged to include that information in their cover letter or resume. If selected, additional information may be required.
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete application package by the closing date of this announcement. Failure to submit documentation may result in not receiving consideration for this position. A complete application consists of the following:
Failure to provide documents, if selected, may result in lost consideration.
Please DO NOT put your SSN on pages within your application package. Privacy Act - Privacy Act Notice (PL 93-579): The information requested here is used to determine qualifications for employment and is authorized under Title 5 U.S.C. 3302 and 3361.
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.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING RESUMES AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION: Your complete application, including required documents, must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Please send the following documents to gc.attorney.vacancy@noaa.gov with Subject Line: "Attorney-Advisor - Enforcement Section"
For instructions on submitting your application in an alternate format, please contact the Agency Contact listed in this vacancy announcement.
Contact Address: NOAA, Office of the General Counsel, 14th & Constitution Avenue NW Washington DC 20230
Once your application is received we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your eligibility. You will only be contacted if you are found eligible and if you are selected for an interview. Applicants selected for interviews may be requested to provide a legal writing sample.
Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for OGC to share your application with others in OGC for similar positions.
By submitting your application, you are certifying the accuracy of the information contained in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be terminated after you begin work; or, you may be fined or jailed.
After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
You will be required to submit official documentation prior to appointment. The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, veterans' preference, disability, etc.).
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/819327100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
An extraordinary opportunity is available to serve as an Attorney-Advisor in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of the General Counsel. The NOAA Office of the General Counsel employs approximately 120 attorneys at headquarters in the Washington, DC area and six regional sections. The Office of General Counsel provides legal advice to the NOAA Administrator and NOAA program offices on a wide variety of legal issues including U.S. and international fisheries, marine mammals, endangered and threatened marine species, preservation of coastal areas, marine sanctuaries, and licensing of commercial satellites. NOAA is a premier environmental agency located within the Department of Commerce and employs over 12,000 people nationwide. The agency's mission is to conserve and manage coastal and marine resources and to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment to meet the Nation's economic, social and environmental needs.
