Attorney-Advisor (Employee & Labor Relations)

• Proactively ensures that all agency personnel programs, policies, and practices comply with applicable laws, rules, and regulations, including merit system principles and prohibited personnel practices set forth in 5 U.S.C., sections 2301-2302.
• Provides legal advice and counsel to agency management and human resource staff regarding the full range of employment matters, including, but not limited to, hiring, personnel policies, and disciplinary and other adverse personnel actions.
• Represents agency managers in administrative proceedings in connection with EEO complaints prior to the adversarial stage, including advising on preparation of declarations, statements or affidavits, and responses to information requests.
• Maintains contact with the OCHCO Division Directors, officials at the Office of Personnel Management's Employee and Labor Relations Network, and other federal agencies.
• Performs special projects in the areas of performance improvement and labor and employee relations, which may require leading ad- hoc project teams and analyzing and evaluating critical and sensitive problem areas.
• Works proactively with managers and employees to informally resolve employment-related disputes.
• Attends staff meetings, ad-hoc or special committee meetings, etc. in order to ascertain and/or keep abreast of program needs and requirements, particularly in the area of performance improvement and employee conduct.
• Serves as the agency's representative in litigation and other administrative proceedings before arbitrators, mediators, and the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA).
• Defends the agency in: unfair labor practice claims; negotiability petitions; grievance/arbitration cases, which may be followed by exceptions proceedings; and bargaining disputes.
• Advises internal agency clients, including senior agency officials, on a wide range of labor issues, such as bargaining obligations, contract interpretation and application, representation law, and other labor relation topics.
• Conducts personnel misconduct investigations and prepares findings, reports, and recommendations for management action.

Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• Must have an Active BAR Membership in Good Standing. If selected, must maintain active bar membership in good standing while employed as an attorney with EEOC
• This position is in the Excepted Service

Qualifications:
For the GS-14: You must have earned a professional law degree (J.D. or LL.B.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, be an active member of the BAR, and have three (3) years of professional legal experience with at least one year being equivalent to the GS-13 level providing legal advice and counsel to agency management and human resources staff regarding the full range of employment matters, including, but not limited to disciplinary and other adverse personnel actions, performance-based actions formal and informal EEO complaints, hearings and appeals, and grievances and works proactively with managers and employees to informally resolve employment-related disputes.

Professional legal education above the first professional law degree may be substituted for experience required as follows:(a) The second professional law degree (LL.M) may be substituted for one year of experience (b) The third law degree (J.S.D) may be substituted for one year of experience beyond the LL.M.

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements (e.g., time-in-grade and qualification requirements) within 30 days of the closing date specified in the vacancy announcement.

Attorneys appointed in the excepted service are required to maintain active membership in a bar within U.S. jurisdiction for the duration of their employment. Attorneys must provide documentation supporting active membership and good standing status (or equivalent) on at least an annual basis.

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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education:
This position has a basic education requirement listed under the Qualifications section of this announcement.

Additional Information:
Relocation expenses will not be paid.

You will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across the EEOC.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, please refer to the agency contact information.

Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the EEOC 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 application submission documentation.

Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see: https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration)

All employees of the Federal government are subject to the conflict of interest statutes and regulations including the Standards of Ethical Conduct that govern activities with outside organizations and reporting financial holdings. This position may require the incumbent to complete a confidential financial disclosure report within 30 days of appointment.

This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with the EEOC. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow the EEOC to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments (http://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information?_gl=1*a3v7lw*_ga*NjQ0MjQ5MzQ5LjE3MjU1OTI5OTA.*_ga_CLZB1LJ1VZ*czE3ODY1MDM5NTYkbzgkZzEkdDE3ODY1MDU0NTkkajYwJGwwJGgw). TTY users may contact us via the Federal Relay Service, 1-800-877-8339.

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 bene

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