COUNSEL, STRATEGIC SYSTEMS PROGRAMS

About the role

The Department of the Navy (DON) Office of the General Counsel (OGC) seeks an exceptional leader to serve as the Counsel, Strategic Systems Program (SSP). The Counsel SSP is the principal legal advisor and responsible for all legal matters at SSP. This is a Tier 2 position in the Senior Executive Service (SES).

What you will do

• You will serve as the Counsel and principal legal advisor on matters of business and commercial law at SSP.
• You will be responsible for overseeing a legal program providing advice and assistance throughout the SSP organization including its field offices.
• You will supervise a staff of attorneys and oversee the quality of legal advice.
• You will liaise with other senior government professionals on matters pertaining to the SSP mission.
• You will represent SSP in a variety of forums and participate in the formulation of relevant SSP policy.

Education

To qualify for the Counsel SSP position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Education: Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.

Applicants' resumes must reflect the name of the institution from which the J.D. was conferred/awarded and include the month and year in which the degree was obtained. -AND- Licensure: Applicants must currently be admitted to, eligible to practice in, and an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia.

Applicants' resumes must reflect the state(s)/jurisdiction(s) where they are barred and the date(s) of admission. -AND- Experience: Post J.D. Experience: Applicants must possess at least 6 years of post J.D. experience. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least 4 or more years of specialized experience.

"Specialized experience" for this position is defined as follows: Senior level experience in a legal capacity with responsibility for providing oversight and leadership which clearly demonstrates the ability to manage people and resources.

How you will be evaluated

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted. If you meet minimum qualifications, your Application Package will be further reviewed to determine if you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Technical Qualifications (TQ) listed above.

ECQs and TQs must be thoroughly addressed within your two (2) page resume. Separate narratives will not be accepted or reviewed. Highly Qualified applicants may undergo one or more interviews and may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.

Upon selection, if not already a member of the SES serving under a career appointment, the individual selected must have his/her executive qualifications certified by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB) before appointment to this position.

The selected individual's application will be forwarded to the OPM for review and certification by the QRB, unless the selectee provides evidence of their noncompetitive status (i.e., a current SES, OPM QRB certified SESCDP graduate, or SES reinstatement eligible). Upon QRB certification, the selected individual will be required to serve a one-year probationary period.

For more information regarding the SES, go to *** If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. The technical panel will review results and make recommendations on final selections to the approving authorities.

This recruitment will utilize the following technical assessment tools: Structured Resume Review and Structured Interview. All qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Documents you must provide

• A complete application includes items described below.
• Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
• Please carefully review the following list to determine what documentation you need to submit.
• Some documents may not apply to all applicants.
• RESUME: All applicants are required to submit a resume limited to two (2) pages showing all relevant experience.
• Applicants seeking initial career appointment to the Senior Executive Service (SES) must include evidence of the ECQs and TQs.
• PLEASE DO NOT USE USAJOBS RESUME BUILDER.
• VACANCY QUESTION/ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES: Responses are automatically submitted through USA Jobs when you apply to this vacancy.
• ADDITIONAL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Applicants are required to submit the following supporting documentation if applicable: CURRENT OR FORMER SES MEMBERS: Must provide your SES appointment SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), and an SF-50 showing current career SES status or career SES reinstatement eligibility.
• SES CANDIDATE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM GRADUATES: Verification of successful completion of an OPM-approved SESCDP and OPM SES QRB certification.
• CURRENT FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEE: Must provide a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form reflecting you are a current Federal Civil Service employee.
• TRANSCRIPTS: You must also submit a copy of your law school transcript(s) for all legal degrees held, showing award of the degree, final GPA, and final class rank where available.
• You are required to provide documentation that supports the eligibility and qualification claims made in your resume and assessment questionnaire.
• You must submit the applicable documents listed here and those listed with the eligibilities you select in the announcement questionnaire with your application package.
• Applicants who do not provide supporting documentation that fully support their claims will not be referred to the hiring manager.
• Is there a basic education requirement for this position?
• Check the Education section above to see what is allowed and what is required.
• Any claims you make in your resume or assessment questionnaire regarding education or degrees MUST be supported by submitting with your application official or unofficial transcripts or a list of courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned issued from your school.
• While unofficial transcripts are acceptable for initial application, an official transcript will ultimately be required if you are selected for the position.
• You may submit a copy your degree(s) if specific coursework does not have to be verified.
• Are you an active duty service member?
• Active Duty Service Members are required to submit a statement of service printed on command letterhead and signed by the command.
• The statement of service must provide the branch of service, rate/rank, all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service (Honorable, General, etc.).
• Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office.
• Some supplemental documents contain personal information such as SSN and DOB and some documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you.
• You may sanitize these documents to remove said personal information before you submit your application.
• You must provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected.

What to expect next

When the application process is complete, your complete application (resume, assessment questionnaire, and all supporting documents) will be reviewed to determine if you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements for which you requested consideration.

You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and responses to the questionnaire, along with your supporting documentation to determine your level of knowledge, skill, and ability related to the job requirements.

To verify the status of your application, sign in to your USAJOBS account (***), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: ***

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.

Additional information

This position is in the Senior Executive Service, a small elite group of top government leaders. SES members possess a diverse portfolio of experiences including strong skills to lead across organizations. As an executive, you will influence the direction of innovation and transformation of the federal government and lead the next generation of public servants.

Veteran's preference does not apply to the Senior Executive Service. This position is not covered by the Department of War Priority Placement Program. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: ***

OPM must authorize any employment offers made to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Noncareer SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations.

Please read and retain these documents: Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights, for those who undergo an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history record check for personnel vetting, which includes Rap Back, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI (this is the same statement used when your fingerprints are submitted as part of your background investigation), and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov), (applicable to those who hold a sensitive position or have eligibility for access to classified information) The Department/Agency structures its SES positions into categories (i.e. tiers) to determine the pay range for each position.

The categories are based on the position scope, breadth, functions, and placement within the structure of organizational levels across the Department/Agency. Organizational and geographical mobility is essential in developing and managing SES leaders.

Individuals selected for SES positions members may be subject to reassignment across geographical, organizational, and functional lines, and may be required to sign a Reassignment Rights and Obligation Agreement.

Employment Information Resources - Resource Center: *** Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy Statement: ***