Job Description
The Office of General Counsel of the Justice Management Division (JMD) is primarily responsible for providing legal advice and guidance to the Assistant Attorney General for Administration, JMD staffs, and Department leadership on a diverse range of legal and policy questions relating to the organization, management and administration of the Department.
This job is open to
The public
Federal employees - Competitive service
Federal employees - Excepted service
Senior executives
Clarification from the agency
All U.S. Citizens, Senior Executive Service, and those Federal Employees in an Excepted or Competitive Service Status.
Duties
As General Counsel, the incumbent is responsible for the overall management and supervision of the Office of General Counsel (OGC). OGC is primarily responsible for providing legal advice and guidance to the Justice Management Division (JMD) and to the Offices, Boards and Divisions (OBDs) to which JMD provides direct services. OGC also represents JMD and OBD's in administrative litigation. This position also provides legal advice to the Assistant Attorney General for Administration (AAG/A) and staff, as well as to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and other Senior Leadership Offices.
In this role, the incumbent:
- Provides overall guidance and direction to a staff of 16 attorneys. Determines program emphasis and priorities, develops operating guidelines and communicates agency policies and priorities. Plans internal organization, plans for and develops budget justification, determines training needs of personnel, and manages work processes and procedures.
- Provides advice and counsel to the AAG/A on all legal matters, including review of actions proposed or taken by JMD staffs in all practice areas.
- Provides legal advice and guidance to JMD staffs and supervises legal review of all directives issued through the agency's directives management process in every functional area of JMD, as well as draft directives in multiple areas.
- Supervise administrative litigation on behalf of internal clients at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, Government Accountability Office, and in the federal courts (in conjunction with U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Civil Division) in employment discrimination complaints, adverse action and whistleblower appeals, and bid protests and contract disputes.
- Serves as JMD authority on Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act requests.
- Serves as JMD Senior Component Officer for Privacy and as Secretary to the Department's Data Integrity Board.
- Provides legal advice regarding general management and administrative matters to the Department's leadership and to other components as requested.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
Conditions of Employment:
- You must be a United States Citizen or National.
- Veterans' preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service.
- Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st, 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
- You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check for the security level designated for this position.
- You will be required to undergo a drug screening and obtain favorable results prior to being appointed.
- You may be subject to a one-year probationary period effective from the date in which you are appointed.
- This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) upon entry, and annually thereafter in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
- You must meet all minimum qualifications to be deemed eligible. Only experience obtained by closing date of this announcement will be considered.
Qualifications
The application process used to recruit for this position is RESUME-ONLY. Applicants must show clear evidence of their demonstrated leadership ability by addressing the the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) embedded within their resume. The resume-based application should not to exceed 2 pages (1-sheet double-sided or 2 sheets one-sided)
**Note: Applicants who have completed the SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and have had their ECQs certified by OPM must provide a copy of their certificate as part of their application. Candidates must still satisfy the MTQs of the position. Well qualified applicants should have 5-10 years after obtaining their Juris Doctor of high-level legal experience within a large organization.
We recommend that your resume emphasize your level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of the programs managed, and your program accomplishments, including the results of your actions. You will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required of the position and on the extent your application demonstrates that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of the General Counsel. Please be sure to give concrete examples of your experience and demonstrate the complexity of the knowledge you possess.
ECQ1 - COMMITMENT TO THE RULE OF LAW AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDING. Demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the Rule of Law, and commitment to serve the American people.
ECQ2 - DRIVING EFFICIENCY. Demonstrated ability to strategically and sufficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.
ECQ3 - MERIT AND COMPETENCE. Demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.
ECQ4 - LEADING PEOPLE. Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals; To drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture.
ECQ5 - ACHIEVING RESULTS. Demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to state goals from superiors.
For this position, the following Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) have been established and should be addressed within the resume application.
MTQ 1: Demonstrated knowledge of law and regulations applicable to the administration of a large federal agency, including in the areas of access to information (Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts), administration, appropriations, audit, budget, facilities, fiscal, intellectual property, information technology, legislation, personnel, procurement, records, regulatory, and security matters;
MTQ 2: Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively across a large and dispersed organization, including with general counsels of other components of the DOJ, to improve agency management;
MTQ 3: Demonstrated ability to work effectively with high-level officials within and outside the agency
Education
**For attorney positions only : Applicants must possess a J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, have at least 5 years of relevant post-J.D. experience, and be an active member of the bar in good standing a state, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. IMPORTANT: Applicants are responsible for citing J.D. and bar membership information (institution name, state(s) for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes.
Additional information
EEO Policy Statement: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factor. The complete DOJ EEO Statement/Policy is found at: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1394116/download.
Reasonable Accommodation
Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. The U.S. Department of Justice fosters an inclusive and diverse workforce, find our EEO statement online at: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/reasonable-accommodation#policy.
Legal and Regulatory Guidance
- Social Security Number - Your Social Security Number may be requested under the authority of Executive Order 9397 to uniquely identify your records from those of other applicants who may have the same name. As allowed by law or Presidential directive, your Social Security Number is used to seek information about you from employers, schools, banks, and others who may know you.
- Privacy Act - Privacy Act Notice (PL 93-579): The information requested here is used to determine qualifications for employment and is authorized under Title 5 U.S.C. 3302 and 3361.
- Signature - Before you are hired, you will be required to sign and certify the accuracy of the information in your application.
- False Statements - If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or you may be subject to fine, imprisonment, or other disciplinary action.
- Selective Service - If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Only experience obtained by the 11:59pm EST on the closing date (09/15/2025) of this announcement will be considered.
Once this announcement closes the following will occur:
- A review of your resume, Clear evidence of the 5 ECQs and MTQs, and supporting documentation will be conducted by the HR Specialist.
- Applicants deemed minimally qualified will be referred to an Executive Resources Board (ERB) to further evaluate applications.
- The ERB will further evaluate applications to determine the best qualified applicants for referral to the hiring official.
- Best qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring official and may be invited to participate in a structured interview. Interviews may be in a virtual setting or in person at DOJ offices.
- The selectee will receive a tentative offer from the agency however before an agency can appoint a new Senior Executive Service member, The selected individual will be subject further evaluation through a Structured Interview by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Review Board (QRB) as required by law. OPM must review the executive qualifications of each new career appointee to the Senior Executive Service (SES) prior to appointment.
- Are currently serving under a career SES appointment;
- Are eligible for reinstatement into the SES; or
- Have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program and been certified by Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Required Documents
- Complete Resume that addresses the MTQs and ECQs. Your resume must not exceed 2 pages.
- For Attorney Positions (0905): Proof of active bar membership
- Recent SF-50 that shows Official Title, Salary, Grade Level, Status and (for current or former federal employees)
- Recent Performance Appraisal (for current or former federal employees)
- Provide certification of OPM QRB approval (for graduates of SES Candidate Development Programs)
- Other supporting documentation as required.
How to Apply
To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
Failure to submit a complete application (resume and all supporting documents) by 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 09/15/2025 may result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. Please follow all instructions carefully as missing application information will not be requested. It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
If more than one resume is received, only the last resume submitted will be reviewed.
Note: To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login select Application Status, and click on the more information link under the application status for this position.
The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Do not email or send hard copy resumes/applications to the Contact Information or Agency Information listed in this vacancy announcement. All resumes/applications received at the addresses listed in the Contact Information or Agency Information will be destroyed and will not be considered for this vacancy announcement.
Agency contact information
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530
US
Next steps
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your ranking. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the outcome.
Overview
Qualification
Juris Doctor (JD)
Practice Areas & Specialty
Administrative, Litigation