Closing Date: 20th November, 2026
Description:
Summary:The position is located at the Department of State, Office of the Legal Advisor, Office of Buildings and Acquisitions (L/BA). L/BA provides legal advice and representation in the solicitation, award, and administration of Federal acquisition contracts; the negotiation and litigation of contract disputes; the management of Government property domestically and abroad; the drafting and interpretation of Federal acquisition laws, regulations, and policies.
Duties:
- Provides legal policy guidance, counsel, and assistance to the Office of Acquisitions, Diplomatic Technology (DT), Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO),and other Departmental programs.
- Reviews solicitation, award, and transactional documents for procurements and acquisitions, including of real property, and makes independent and final determinations regarding their compliance with all laws and regulations.
- Provides comments on issues arising from the FOIA and the Privacy Act or assist in the development of guidelines, informational materials, and written opinions related to employee compliance with Federal Government ethics and financial disclosures.
- Reviews policy issue memoranda addressed to Department principals and recommends clearance.
- Participates in conferences and meetings with representatives of programs operating industry, private organizations, and/or other government agencies
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
- U.S. Citizenship is required.
- Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/
- Copy of license to practice law.
- Statement of Employment & Financial Interest required prior to appointment.
Qualifications:
Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below 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.M.
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: Applicants must have at least four years of specialized experience with at least one year 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 Contract Disputes Act (CDA) litigation in front of the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA), Court of Federal Claims (CoFC) or a similar tribunal.
- Experience with legal issues associated with the solicitation, award, administration, and termination if U.S. foreign assistance-funded acquisition contracts, grants, and other federal assistance instruments.
- Experience providing high-level legal advice related to federal contract administration and the negotiation and/or litigation of disputes related thereto.
Education:
See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.
Additional Information:
- For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at OAA@state.gov.
- If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.
- Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.
Additional Information:
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. Learn more about federal benefits. (https://usajobshelp.opm.gov/hc/en-us/articles/52684371945747-Benefits)
Review our benefits (https://careers.state.gov/work/benefits/cs/)
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.
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:
Your resume limited to two pages 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 should 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. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.
Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement. Your application package must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying.
You may preview questions (https://jobs.applygovt.net/dos/vacancy/previewVacancyQuestions.hms?orgId=6&jnum=119561) for this vacancy.
Required Documents:
All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to "LegalJobs1@state.gov" by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Resume – your two-page 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. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.
Transcripts – you must submit a copy of your college transcript(s) from an accredited law school with your application. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be req
Review our benefits (https://careers.state.gov/work/benefits/cs/)
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.
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:
- Ability to maintain harmonious relationships with tenant organizations to resolve problems.
- Ability to analyze and evaluate information derived from a variety of sources.
- Knowledge of communication techniques to encourage, persuade, and exchange information.
- Ability to negotiate settlement agreements with parties holding widely divergent objectives and points of view.
- Knowledge of administrative concepts, principles and practices.
- Ability to negotiate complex issues in a variety of settings.
Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement. Your application package must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying.
You may preview questions (https://jobs.applygovt.net/dos/vacancy/previewVacancyQuestions.hms?orgId=6&jnum=119561) for this vacancy.
Required Documents:
All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to "LegalJobs1@state.gov" by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Resume – your two-page 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. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.
Transcripts – you must submit a copy of your college transcript(s) from an accredited law school with your application. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be req
