Deputy General Counsel

Closing Date: 14th April, 2023

Description:

Please Note: Employees will be required to report to their assigned office location at least 2 days per week for non-supervisory positions and 3 days per week for supervisory/managerial positions unless the position advertised is designated as a remote-only position.

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to Executive Order 14043, that requirement does not currently apply.

This position is an excepted service position and is located in the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM). The Deputy General Counsel of EXIM, under the direction of the General Counsel, shares with the General Counsel the full range of her/his responsibilities when s/he is present and acts totally on her/his behalf when s/he is absent.

At the full performance level, duties include, but are not limited to:

• Supervising all Assistant General Counsels as well as the management of all attorneys and support staffing for the Office of General Counsel;
• Advising Bank management and the Board of Directors on difficult institutional legal problems, which affect the Bank as a whole, including development of Bank strategy and policies;
• Advising Bank management on substantial legal issues arising in loans, loan guarantees, and credit Insurance for international financial transactions considered by the Bank;
• Ensuring the timeliness and legal propriety of all documents and agreements associated with the wide variety of International loans, guarantees, insurance and all other legal matters entered into by the Bank;
• Providing counsel to Bank management and the Board of Directors on a broad range of legal issues related to international trade and trade finance, the internal governance of the Bank, litigation by and against the Bank, the Bank's status as a government agency and compliance with Federal law;
• Overseeing legal supervision of the implementation of studies, reports, policies and procedures arising from legislation, executive orders and judicial proceedings;
• Serving as the chief administrative officer of the Office of General Counsel, responsible for implementing the policies and strategies of the Bank within the Office of the General Counsel;
• Personnel planning and work projections, including the hiring process, setting performance goals, issuing performance reviews, and approving all requests for travel, leave and training;
• Advising on the most difficult, complex and unusual transactions such as large asset-based financing for aircraft or other capital equipment, recoveries involving many creditors with different priorities of rights, private placements or capital market transactions, revolving facilities, major project financing, and transactions involving special Institutional legal issues which may set a precedent or policy for the Bank;
• Undertaking special assignments of importance to the Bank involving formulating policy options, legal interpretations, or precedent-setting resolutions relating to the Bank's financing programs, providing consultative and advisory services to management and staff, and participating in program planning and evaluation;
• Handling confidential and secret information from other U.S. Government agencies; and
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:

• U.S. Citizenship
• Background and Security/Suitability Investigation. Minimum Secret clearance required with the ability to obtain Top Secret.
• You may be required to serve a one-year trial period.
• Must submit the required documents including the ECQs and MTQs.
• Possess a J.D. or LL.B degree from an accredited law school.
• Member in good standing of the Bar of a state or territory - US, PR, DC.

Qualifications:
Qualifications Requirements: Applicants will be assessed against the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs).

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, in addition to a J.D., applicants must demonstrate in their resume, cover letter and/or narrative statements possession of the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) listed below.

When addressing your ECQs and MTQs in your resume or cover letter as opposed to a separate narrative, please use this example:
From 2012 - 2017, I served as Senior Attorney in charge of international project financing of renewable power generation facilities owned by sovereign governments or subdivisions on five continents. I supervised four in-house lawyers and seven outside law firms. [MTQ-1; MTQ-3; ECQ-5]

Additional information on the ECQs is available at www.opm.gov/ses/recruitment/ecq.asp.

Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): The ECQs describe the leadership skills needed to succeed in Senior Level (SL) positions and are in addition to the Mandatory Technical Qualifications listed below. It is required that your resume, cover letter or separate statement describe levels of responsibility, scope and complexity of programs managed, and program accomplishments, and results for each ECQ listed below.

ECQ 1 - Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.

ECQ 2 - Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.

ECQ 3 - Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.

ECQ 4 - Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.

ECQ 5 - Building Coalitions: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.

Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs): All applicants must demonstrate that theiraccomplishments satisfy the technical qualifications. You must address each technical qualification separately in your resume, cover letter or separate written statement. If you fail to do so, you will be rated as 'ineligible.' Similarly, failure to meet any one of the technical qualifications requirements automatically disqualifies an applicant.

MTQ 1 - Legal Advisor Experience: Demonstrated experience serving as a supervisory legal expert on international financing transactions, legislative analysis, litigation, and/or policy development.

MTQ 2 - Relationship Expertise: Ability to represent and defend positions pertaining to agency policy, statutes and regulations to a variety of stakeholders both inside and outside of government, in negotiation, litigation, briefings, public presentations, and/or other settings.

MTQ 3 - Negotiation and Documentation Experience: Demonstrated experience as a lead attorney in the negotiation and documentation of complex international financing transactions such as loans, loan guarantees and credit insurance, and trade financing.

MTQ 4 - Statutes and Regulation Experience: Demonstrated experience in interpretation of statutes and regulations (including administrative law) and international and intergovernmental agreements.

MTQ 5 - Communication: Ability to communicate advice on novel or complex legal issues to executive level decision-makers and other stakeholders, on interpreting and applying fact, law and policy. Decision-maker and stakeholders include groups such as members of Congress and their staff; high-level officials within Federal agencies and foreign officials; various technical and professional organizations.

For qualification determinations, your resume must contain the following for each work experience listed:

• Organization/Agency's Name
• Title
• Start and end dates (including the month and year)
• Relevant experience that supports your response to the Executive Core Qualifications that is stated in the job announcement

Education:
Basic Requirements:

• A. Successful completion of a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association leading to a professional law degree - LLB or JD, and a member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
• To receive full consideration you MUST provide proof of bar membership. Applications submitted without proof of bar membership will not receive consideration.
• And
• B. At least 15 years of substantive legal experience. Such experience should include working on matters concerning federal agency operations and major financial transactions. Your resume must reflect evidence of experience in leadership, organizational management, analytics, writing, and interpersonal skills that is indicative of senior level management capability; and that are directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the MTQs.

Additional Information:
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.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Ethical Standards/Financial Disclosure:
EXIM is committed to the highest ethical standards. As an employee, you will be covered by the criminal conflict of interest statutes and the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. You will be required to complete new employee ethics training within 3 months of your appointment.

This position is subject to public financial disclosure requirements. You will be required to complete a public financial disclosure report within 30 days of your appointment.

• You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the job opportunity announcement closes, a careful evaluation of your resume and ECQs/MTQs will be made to determine if you meet the job qualifications; and to the extent to which your application shows that you possess the competencies associated with this position. If, after evaluating your resume and ECQs/MTQs, a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, your category may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your skills and abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Required Documents:
Your application package should include the following documents:

• Your Resume (applicants are required to submit a resume with job title, series/grade (if federal employee), duties and accomplishments, employer's name, starting and ending dates of employment, number of hours worked per week, and annual salary). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you will not receive consideration for this position.
• Responses to the MTQs/ECQs (Note: Current career SES members, former career SES members with reinstatement eligibility and OPM certified graduates of a SES CDP, who meet the professional/technical qualifications requirements will be considered for this position on a noncompetitive basis. Applicants for noncompetitive consideration are NOT REQUIRED to submit a supplemental statement addressing their ECQs. However, they must submit a Standard Form 50, Notification of Personnel Action, to establish proof of eligibility for noncompetitive appointment and submit their most recent performance appraisal, resume, address the professional/technical qualifications and complete the online questionnaire.)
• Copy of your most recent SF-50 (if current or former federal employee) which shows your position title, series, grade, step, salary, position occupied, and tenure to verify Time-in-Grade/competitive status. If you have previously held a higher grade and are applying based on that grade you must provide a copy of the SF-50 showing you held the higher grade and/or have promotion potential to the grade being advertised. Do NOT submit award SF-50s.
• A recent Performance Evaluation (optional)
• Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD-214 (Member 4 Copy) if you are requesting a special appointment authority, such as VRA or VEOA, if applicable. If the DD-214 (Member 4 copy) is not available, other documentation listing the beginning and ending dates of active service and the type of discharge must be submitted to verify eligibility.
• Proof of severe disability if you are requesting special placement consideration, if applicable.
• Proof of eligibility for a military spouse appointment, such as a permanent change station military order, if applicable.
• Proof of eligibility for any other special appointing authority not specifically mentioned here, if applicable.
• Unofficial 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.
• Special Priority Selection rights under CTAP or ICTAP:
• Copy of your agency notice (RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc);
• Copy of your most recent performance appraisal (with at least a satisfactory rating),
• Most current SF-50 showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, position title, grade level, and duty location.
• Submission of any required documents listed in vacancy announcement, if applicable.

How to Apply:
Applications will only be accepted online; however if you are unable to apply online, please contact the Agency Contact Person listed below.

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section.

The following is a link to preview the occupational questionnaire:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11882102

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 04/14/2023 to receive consideration.

To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

• Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
• It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
• To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account here, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link 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.

Kindly refer to the following link for a detailed description of the job - https://www.usajobs.gov/job/713278100

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