Trial Attorney

Criminal Division (CRM)
Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section
Attorney
Washington, DC 20005
United States
15-CRM-NDD-041
About the Office: 

The Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) supervises and has responsibility for enforcing federal statutes pertaining to narco-terrorism, narcotic drugs and other controlled substances. The Section advises the Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Department of Justice and other federal officials involved in drug enforcement on all matters related to federal narcotics and narco-terrorism law enforcement including proposed and enacted legislation, policy, enforcement initiatives, and criminal and civil litigation. The Section has direct litigation responsibilities in significant drug and narco-terrorism investigations and prosecutions targeting national and international narcotics trafficking and money laundering organizations.

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: 

The U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, NDDS, currently seeks a Trial Attorney for the Policy Unit. This position reports to the Section's Deputy Chief for Policy. Policy Unit attorneys serve the interests of the Department by interacting with the interagency, particularly the State Department, ONDCP, the Department of Defense and other federal, state and local governing bodies and agencies to develop, implement and monitor the implementation of national and international drug strategies pertaining to the Controlled Substances Act, and the 1961, 1971, and 1988 United Nations Drug Conventions. Policy Unit Attorneys also monitor, study, and advise the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, the Chief of NDDS, and other policymakers within DOJ regarding the aforementioned statutes and treaties, and draft legislative or administrative amendments if needed, to address emerging drug trends requiring supplemental legislation, administrative scheduling changes, or other additional laws or regulations.

Policy Unit attorneys directly advise litigation teams in ongoing civil or criminal cases, and in some instances directly serve on trial teams; assist foreign governments in drafting effective counter-narcotics legislation; and are also responsible for appellate litigation arising from decisions of the DEA Administrator, both through briefs and oral argument before United States Courts of Appeal. Policy Unit attorneys also respond to inquiries from multiple sources, including United States Attorney’s Offices, relating to substantive and procedural litigation matters and policy matters, and represent the Criminal Division on a wide range of maritime law enforcement issues, including serving as the on-call Departmental representative to the interagency process that makes disposition decisions on where cases interdicted on the high seas are brought for prosecution. This position is located in the Policy Unit and requires a 3 year commitment to NDDS.

Qualifications: 

Required Qualifications: Interested applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of a State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and have at least four (4) years of post-J.D. experience one of which was specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-14 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include: participation in legal cases, including briefing and oral arguments, and advising other attorneys on complex and contentious legal issues with regard to legal cases. Applicants must be an active member of the bar in good standing. All applicants must also have, or be eligible for, a Top Secret clearance.

Preferred Qualifications: Your qualifications will be further evaluated based upon the following competencies.

· Ability to advise senior officials on a wide range of domestic and international maritime drug trafficking enforcement issues.

· Ability to negotiate and maintain maritime interdiction agreements that contribute to the dismantling of the sophisticated maritime drug smuggling organizations that threaten the security of the United States.

· Ability to advise senior officials on the principles, laws, regulations, and practices relating to the enforcement of domestic and international narcotics, narco-terrorism, maritime and money laundering laws.

· Ability to represent the Section in Department, interagency and other committees, groups and task forces.

Salary: 
$126,245.00 to $158,700.00
Travel: 
Occasional domestic and international travel will be required.
Application Process: 

Due to the high volume of applicant interest, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. A list of eligible candidates will be referred to the hiring managers every 14 days during the open period of the announcement. The announcement may be closed at any time once all selections are made. If you are interested in applying, it is recommended that you do so early.

The Application Package must be received by 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, on the closing date of this announcement.

Please submit your application through USAjobs. The list of required documents can be found in the USAjobs announcement.

1. If you do not already have an account, please create a USAjobs account before applying Create an Account. You will be able to upload your resume and supporting documents and complete your profile prior to applying.

2. Once you have an account, apply to the USAjobs vacancy: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/411323900.

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: 
Friday, August 28, 2015
Relocation Expenses: 
Relocation expense may be authorized.
Number of Positions: 
1
Updated April 7, 2016

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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.