Deputy Chief of Staff

Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA)
Attorney
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530
United States
About the Office: 

OLA has responsibility for devising and implementing the legislative strategy to carry out the Attorney General's initiatives requiring congressional action. OLA articulates the views of the Department, including its components, on congressional legislative initiatives. OLA responds for the Department to requests and inquiries from congressional committees, individual Members of Congress, and their staffs. OLA coordinates the Department's responses to congressional oversight activities involving the Department, as well as the appearance of Department witnesses at congressional hearings and the interagency clearance through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of all congressional testimony by representatives of federal agencies. In addition, the Office participates in the Senate confirmation process for Department nominees, such as Assistant Attorneys General. 

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

Job Description: 

OLA is seeking an attorney to serve as a Deputy Chief of Staff.
 
The Deputy Chief of Staff will report directly to the Chief of Staff. The Deputy Chief of Staff will be responsible for providing legal advice and guidance to the Chief of Staff, the Assistant Attorney General for OLA, and other individuals within OLA. The legal advice and guidance will relate to matters such as personnel management and employment matters within OLA, proposed legislation, congressional correspondence, preparations for hearings before Congress, matters related to the OMB clearance process, policies and procedures for OLA and the Department, ethics compliance, and any other matters on which the AAG or the AAG's designee may seek advice. The Attorney Advisor will also assist the AAG with the development of methods, practices, and procedures to meet OLA's mission requirements.
 
The Deputy Chief of Staff will need to work in a very fast-paced, highly professional environment. The Deputy Chief of Staff should have experience in or want an opportunity to develop strategic thinking and take ownership of executing upon those strategies. Specific duties and responsibilities will vary depending on the attorney's level of experience and OLA's needs. 

Qualifications: 

Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 8 years of post-J.D. legal and/or other relevant experience. United States citizenship is required. 
 
Applicant preferably will have experience as a human resources officer or an Executive Officer, particularly at the Department of Justice. Experience with labor and employment laws, hiring process for attorneys and non-attorneys, supervision of attorneys and non-attorneys, management of details, performance plans, working with JMD and OARM, also strongly preferred. 
 
Preference will also be given to applicants with prior leadership experience in leadership components, such as the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, or the Office of the Associate Attorney General. Prior experience with the Justice Management Division's Human Resources division and the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management will also be considered. Prior experience as a Chief of Staff or Deputy Chief of Staff, or a position that reported directly to a component head, is also strongly preferred. 

Salary: 
GS-15, ~$155,700 to $183,500
Travel: 
No travel is expected for this position.
Application Process: 

Please submit a resume, a cover letter outlining relevant experience and reason the application, and a list of references. Please submit application materials to OLA.Resumes@usdoj.gov
 
Applications must be received by March 6, 2023.

Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Application Deadline: 
Monday, March 6, 2023
Relocation Expenses: 
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Number of Positions: 
1
Updated February 10, 2023

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Department Policies

Equal Employment Opportunity:  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 race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based 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. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.

Reasonable Accommodations:  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.

Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities:  The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements.  Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority.  Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.   

Suitability and Citizenship:  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. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is 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. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.

Veterans:  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 their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

USAO Residency Requirement:  Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof.  See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

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This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. 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.