U.S. Department of Justice
National Security Division
Office of Intelligence
Oversight Section
Attorney Advisor(s)
Washington, D.C.
GS-13/14/15
About the Office: The mission of the National Security Division (NSD) is to coordinate the Department of Justice's efforts in carrying out its top priority of preventing and combating terrorism and protecting the national security. NSD provides legal and policy advice on national security matters, litigates counterterrorism, counterespionage, and foreign intelligence surveillance matters, represents the Government before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and other federal trial and appellate courts, and conducts oversight over the activities of various United States Intelligence Community (USIC) agencies.
Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: The Office of Intelligence (OI) of the NSD is seeking experienced attorneys for its Oversight Section. Attorneys in the Oversight Section oversee various foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities of the USIC, including activities pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), to ensure compliance with the Constitution, statutes and Executive Branch policies. To accomplish this mandate, attorneys work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other USIC agencies to identify individual and systemic incidents of non-compliance, and then work with the responsible agencies to correct existing problems, as well as to limit the occurrence of future incidents. Attorneys are expected to participate in some travel in order to carry out these functions. Oversight attorneys are also engaged in developing policies relating to oversight and compliance matters. In addition to its broad intelligence collection oversight responsibilities, the Oversight Section also fulfills various reporting obligations, including statutorily required reporting to Congressional oversight committees. Attorneys work closely with other components of the DOJ and with agencies in the USIC, often in collaboration with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to provide guidance on interpretation and application of governing authorities. The Oversight Section also works closely with OI's Operations and Litigation Sections.
Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree with at least one year of post J.D. experience, be an active member of a bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least three years professional experience relevant to the position. Applicants must have superior academic credentials, possess excellent analytical and writing skills, and have the dedication and capacity to work independently in a very demanding environment.Past experience in national security or intelligence field is not required.
Applicants must be able to qualify for the highest and most sensitive security clearances.
Salary Information: http://www.opm.gov/ Current salary and years of experience determine the appropriate salary level:
(GS-13) $ 89,033 - $115,742 per annum
(GS-14) $105,211 - $136,771 per annum
(GS-15) $123,758- $155,500 per annum
Location: Washington, D.C.
Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses are not authorized.
Travel: Some travel may be required.
Application Process and Deadline Date: Please submit a cover letter highlighting your relevant skills and experience and describing why you are interested in working with oversight and compliance issues, a copy of your resume with a writing sample (we encourage you to submit a legal memorandum or brief), and a current performance appraisal (if a current performance appraisal is available). Applicants with three or fewer years of post J.D. experience must submit a copy of their law school transcript (unofficial is acceptable):
U.S. Department of Justice
National Security Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20530
ATTN: Aprel Thompson/Oversight Vacancy
No telephone calls please.
Or apply by email to: intelligenceoversightvacancy@usdoj.gov with the subject line "Oversight Vacancy."
Applications will be handled on a rolling basis until all available positions are filled.
Internet Sites: This and other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at: http://www.justice.gov/careers/legal/attvacancies.html
For more information about the National Security Division, please visit the NSD Web page at: http://www.usdoj.gov/nsd/
Department Policies: 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.
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.
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, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf 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).
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.