Legal Careers
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney/Attorney Adviser
Alexandria, VA 22314 - United States
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has oversight of the full scope of Department of State (Department) and Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) programs and operations, including more than 75,000 employees and approximately 280 overseas missions and broadcasting networks, as well as the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission. The OIG utilizes investigations to combat and prevent waste, fraud, and mismanagement that may constitute either criminal wrongdoing or a violation of Department or BBG regulations.
This position is located in the Office of General Counsel and will provide prosecution support to the Office of Investigations (INV) in furtherance of OIG criminal and civil investigations. INV has broad jurisdiction of criminal, civil, and administrative investigations within Department/BBG programs and operations, which includes activities that threaten the integrity of Department/BBG employees, programs, contracts, and grants. INV manages, supervises, coordinates, and conducts investigations of financial fraud, visa and passport fraud, false statements and claims, conflict of interest, embezzlement and theft, bribery and kickbacks, and other wrongdoing affecting Department/BBG programs, employees, contractors, grantees, lessees, or other persons and entities doing business with the Department/BBG.
THE INCUMBENT WILL BE ASSIGNED/DETAILED AS A SPECIAL ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY TO THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA, IN ALEXANDRIA, VA.
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.
The incumbent reports directly to the General Counsel to the Inspector General/Deputy General Counsel and serves as a liaison for the OIG to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and manages the prosecution team, which may encompass special agents and investigative support staff from multiple agencies, in all criminal and civil matters referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The incumbent is responsible for:
- Identifying the scope of the investigation and directs the strategic approach to investigation and prosecution of Federal criminal/civil offenses;
- Reviewing evidence collected by special agents and reaches an independent decision of the prosecutorial merit of each investigation;
- Presenting matters to Federal grand juries;
- Preparing all legal documents, including but not limited to, search warrants, subpoenas, indictments, plea agreements, statements of fact, pre-trial motions and responses, jury instructions, post-trial motions and responses, sentencing positions, settlement agreements, and any necessary appellate briefs; and
- Preparing and tries criminal and civil cases. Represents the United States in matters before the U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals.
The term of the Special AUSA appointment is 12 months, with a potential for an extension. At the conclusion of the term of appointment, the SAUSA will not be hired by this office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA). However, the SAUSA may apply for AUSA positions in the office after completing service as a SAUSA.
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Applicants apply for this position must meet the following requirements to be eligible for further consideration:
Law Degree: Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with a J.D. or LL.B.
Bar Membership: Applicants must be a current member of a bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Experience required to qualify for the GS-14 position: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal Service, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position.
The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
- Experience with assisting in the planning, designing, and carrying out of criminal and civil prosecutions.
- Experience with presenting to Federal grand juries and preparing and trying criminal and civil cases.
- Experience with reviewing evidence to determine prosecutorial merit for investigations.
Experience required to qualify for the GS-15 position: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal Service, which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position.
The specialized experience must have been gained after admission to the bar. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
- Experience with planning, designing, and carrying out criminal and civil prosecutions.
- Experience with presenting to Federal grand juries and preparing and trying criminal and civil cases.
- Experience with reviewing evidence to determine prosecutorial merit for investigations.
The Ethics in Government Act, PL 95-521 requires the applicant selected for this position submit a financial disclosure statement, SF-278, prior to assuming the position, annually, and upon termination of employment.
United States citizenship is required.
Initial appointment as a Special AUSA is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
Please carefully read all the instructions before you begin the application process.
To apply for this job opportunity, you must submit a resume and an on-line application through the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) application system, USAJOBS. This information will be transferred to the Department of State's Gateway to State Automated Application System.
Here's the link to the USAJOBS vacancy announcement: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/479268200
You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement to complete the following four-step application process:
STEP 1: Select the "Apply On-line" button and follow the instructions to register or sign into USAJOBS.
STEP 2: Submit a detailed resume or any other written format you choose documenting your job-related qualifications, experience, and education (if applicable). Cover letter is optional. If you submit a cover letter, you must also submit a resume. Please see the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section for specific information that should be outlined in your resume.
STEP 3: Answer the self-assessment questions on-line through the Gateway to State automated application system.
STEP 4: Submit all required documentation, applicable to you, listed in the Required Documents section of this job opportunity to the Department's automated application system "Gateway to State" prior to the closing date of this announcement. For instructions on how to view the status of your supporting documentation, please click here.
Technical assistance with your on-line application can be obtained by contacting the Help Desk at mgshelp@monster.com OR by calling (866) 656-6830 or (703) 269-4944 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET
ALTERNATE APPLICATION PROCEDURES
NOTE: If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package by fax. Contact the Human Resources office listed on the announcement between the business hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, at least two working days prior to the closing date of this announcement. The application package for alternate application procedures must be submitted and received in the Human Resources office no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement.
NOTE: Paper applications and information sent by mail WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
How You Will Be Evaluated
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of State considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring process.
For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the qualifications for this position, specifically, the education and specialized experience requirements. Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applicants that are verified to meet the required qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.
Your resume will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required; and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position as defined below:
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- Ability to manage prosecution teams and investigative support staff in criminal and civil matters.
- Ability to plan, design, and carry out criminal and civil prosecutions.
- Ability to develop prosecution theories and methodology to organize and present facts to Federal grand juries and empaneled juries.
- Skill in oral and written communication in order to prepare and try criminal and civil cases, present matters to Federal grand juries, and prepare legal documents.
Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.
Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement.
To preview questions please click here.
- Required Documents
Required Documents
All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system "Gateway to State" by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
1. Resume - your resume or any other written format you choose should contain the required information as specified in the “How You Will Be Evaluated” section. Insufficient information will result in an ineligible rating.
2. A completed online job specific self-assessment questionnaire through the Department’s automated system “Gateway to State”.
3. Transcripts - if you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed under the Qualifications and Evaluations section, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript(s) with your application.If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
4. Proof of bar membership – you must submit proof of bar membership from any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico with your application and proof that you are in good standing.
5. Performance Appraisal - All current Federal employees and reinstatement eligible applicants must submit a copy of your most recent completed annual performance appraisal that includes the final rating. If a performance appraisal does not exist, is incomplete or unavailable, a Form DS-1812 (Applicant Appraisal) or equivalent form from another agency signed by the current supervisor is acceptable. Mid-year progress reviews will not be accepted.
6. Current, former, and non-competitive Federal employees must submit SF-50s (Notification of Personnel Action) that show: effective date, position title, series, grade, salary, tenure, position occupied, full promotion potential, and name of agency. Examples include promotion & within-grade increase actions. Award SF-50s often do not show this information. Multiple SF-50s may be needed to show all information.
$112,021 - $161,900
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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.
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.
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.