VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 09-SES-CRD-001 OPENING DATE: OCTOBER 20, 2009 CLOSING DATE: NOVEMBER 30, 2009 POSITION: CHIEF, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES SECTION, ES-0905

Vacancy Announcement Number: 09-SES-CRD-001

Opening Date: October 20, 2009

Closing Date: November 30, 2009

Position: Chief, Educational Opportunities Section, ES-0905

Salary Range: $117,787 - $177,000 Per Annum. Senior Executive Service (SES) pay is determined within the pay range, commensurate with experience, superior leadership qualifications, and/or other competencies consistent with the Civil Rights Division’s mission.

Duty Location: Washington, D.C. (one vacancy)

Area of Consideration: Applications are being accepted from all qualified attorneys.

The Civil Rights Division is seeking a managing attorney to lead the Educational Opportunities Section in enforcing federal statutes that prohibit discrimination in public elementary and secondary schools and public colleges and universities. The Section’s enforcement responsibilities include:

• Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964;

• The Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974;

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, upon receiving a proper referral from the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights;

• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and,

• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

The successful candidate will:

• Lead directly and through subordinate supervisors, approximately 20 attorneys, civil rights analysts and support employees.

• Supervise the preparation of cases, including investigation, records analysis, drafting and filing of complaint, pre-trial discovery, writing of trial briefs, and trial.

• Direct and review investigations that arise from complaints regarding violations of applicable federal statutes.

• Consults and advises the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and other Department of Justice officials regarding discrimination issues in public elementary and secondary schools and public colleges and universities.

• Confer with U.S. Attorneys in matters related to alleged discrimination in educational institutions.

• Resolve cases through settlement agreements, consent decrees, or litigation; and prepare recommendations for or against appeal and may brief or assist in the argument of the case on appeal.

Qualification Requirements:

Applicants must demonstrate that they meet each of the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) in addition to the technical/professional qualifications relevant to this position as these items will be used to access the relative standing of each applicant. All candidates must provide a supplemental statement that demonstrates strong possession of all of the technical/professional requirements as outlined below, and a narrative that separately addresses successful performance and creative leadership in prior managerial positions for each of the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs).

A. Executive/Managerial Requirements

• Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.

• Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.

• Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.

• Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.

• Building Coalitions: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit and private-sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.

For additional guidance, applicants are encouraged to review the Office of Personnel Management Guide to Senior Executive Service Qualifications.

B. Technical/Professional Requirements

• Must be a graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.

• Must be an active member in good standing in a State's Bar Association (mandatory).

• Extensive knowledge of Federal civil rights statutes, with an emphasis on laws and regulations regarding discrimination in public educational institutions, and experience in supervising the development and prosecution of civil rights cases.

• Ability to consult and provide advice on complex legal and technical issues; and to negotiate settlements and other agreements through effective oral and written communication.

• Ability to establish an organizational vision, implement strategic change, develop and advance policy initiatives, build coalitions, both within the organization and outside the organization, to effectively enforce Federal statutes that prohibit discrimination in public educational institutions.

Evaluation Methods:

Applications will be evaluated against the foregoing qualification requirements. Failure to meet the mandatory technical or executive core qualification standards will eliminate a candidate from further consideration. The selected candidate's executive/managerial qualifications must be certified by the Office of Personnel Management prior to an initial SES career appointment.

How to Apply:

Applicants may apply for this position by submitting an Optional Form 612, a resume, or other written format. Candidates must enter the announcement number on the first page of their application. Please note that there are minimum requirements for resume content; see Optional Form 612 for specific instructions.

Applicants should attach separate statements describing the qualification requirements described above or otherwise identify how those qualification requirements are included in the application. Failure to address qualification requirements will adversely affect a candidate's chances for selection.

Current or recent Federal employees must submit your most recent performance appraisal, or if none exists, a statement to that effect, along with a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50).

You must submit your application so that it will be received by the closing date of the announcement. You may FAX (at 202-305-9667) or e-mail (at crd.attyvacancies@usdoj.gov) your application by the closing date for this position. Due to security precautions associated with postal mail deliveries, mailed applications must be received by 5:30 pm EST on the closing date and should be sent to:

Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
Human Resources Office
Attn: Sebora Kargbo
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (Room 5075D NYA Bldg.)
Washington, D.C. 20530

Other Information:

The managerial qualifications of a selectee who is not a current or former career Senior Executive Service employee must be approved by the Office of Personnel Management before appointment. In addition, individuals entering the SES career service for the first time are subject to a one-year probationary period.

If the selectee is not a current employee of the Offices, Board, or Divisions of the U.S. Department of Justice, he/she will be required to submit to an urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.

Successful completion of a background investigation is required for non-Department of Justice applicants.

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, politics, marital status, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism. 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.