Assistant General Counsel

About the role

The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in in the Deputy General Counsel for Litigation, Office of General Counsel, Smithsonian Institution.

What you will do

• The Assistant General Counsel is responsible for providing professional legal services under the supervision of the Chief Legal Officer and the Deputy General Counsel for Litigation.
• In this position, you will: Represent the Smithsonian Institution in legal matters pending before federal adjudicating bodies (including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Government Accountability Office, the Court of Federal Claims, Federal Courts of Appeal, and United States District Courts).
• Conduct affirmative discovery and coordinate responses to discovery requests for matters filed in federal courts and federal administrative forums, including the preservation, identification and production of documents and responds to subpoenas.
• Identify and prepare witnesses for depositions, hearings and administrative proceedings in several administrative forums.
• Represent the Smithsonian in hearings and administrative proceedings in several federal administrative forums.
• Advise the Chief Legal Officer and SI units on the defense or settlement of such claims and cases.
• Collaborate with the Department of Justice on federal court litigation involving the Smithsonian, including claims under Title VII, ADEA, Rehabilitation Act, Equal Pay Act, Federal Tort Claims Act, bid protests, breach of contract, copyright infringement, property matters, and federal environmental laws.
• Provide legal advice in matters related to federal laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the ADEA, the Rehabilitation Act (including requests for reasonable accommodation), the Federal Labor Relations Act, the Equal Pay Act, and the civil service laws; the Federal Tort Claims Act; Federal Acquisition Regulations and contract law; property law; and federal environment laws.
• Provide legal advice in matters which affect the Institution's operations and activities.
• Promote and assist with the effective implementation of the Chief Legal Officer's plans and priorities.

Requirements

• Conditions of Employment Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

Education

There is no basic education requirement.

How you will be evaluated

Traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply to attorney positions. You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Your resume will be used to evaluate your experience, education, and/or training that address the competencies below.

Applicants who meet the qualifications will be referred on a certificate for further consideration. Knowledge of federal court and administrative litigation, including federal employment discrimination claims, federal tort claims, breach of contract claims, property, procurement, bid protest matters, and other federal laws affecting the Smithsonian.

Ability to simultaneously manage multiple matters and navigate a wide range of client interests and to apply sound legal judgment to complex issues as demonstrated by past professional experience.

Knowledge of federal court and administrative litigation, including federal employment discrimination, federal tort, breach of contract, property, procurement, bid protest, and other federal law claims affecting the Smithsonian.

Ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of personnel, including Smithsonian executive and program officers, officials from other federal and state agencies and legal organizations and businesses, as demonstrated by past professional experience.

Knowledge to gather and conduct research using legal and non-legal sources, formulate alternatives and to clearly communicate recommendations based on findings, as demonstrated by past professional experience.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Important Note: Attorney positions at the Smithsonian Institution fall under the Excepted Service, which does not use a formal numerical rating system for veteran's preference. Instead, we value your service and consider veteran's preference eligibility as a positive factor in our attorney hiring process.

If you are eligible, please highlight this in your cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation, such as your DD Form 214 or other substantiating document to your application. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system will not be considered for this position.

Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed. Candidates selected for an interview will be required to submit a previously authored legal document or memorandum as a writing sample. You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Documents you must provide

• Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder.
• Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), and hours worked per week, for each employment period.
• It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted.
• Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position.
• For assistance with creating a resume, please click USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
• Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify.
• If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
• Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.
• There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the Excepted Service.

Benefits

The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options. Please see Benefits at *** for a complete description.

Flexible Spending Accounts - *** Health Insurance - *** Leave - *** Life Insurance - *** Long Term Care Insurance - *** Retirement Program - ***

What to expect next

At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt.

The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process.

You may also check your application status by logging into *** and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing ***; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed. Additional Information: Tips on applying for Smithsonian jobs are available at ***

The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses but recruitment incentives may be authorized. The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer. Additional information can be found on our website at (***).

Additional information

This position is not included in the bargaining unit. Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position. However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability.

If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Selections may be made for vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution (SI).

By applying to this position, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more SI hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement.