Attorney-Advisor (General)

This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Technology Programs Law Division (TPLD).

The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a legal advisor on a broad range of legal practice areas arising from DHS research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) programs with an emphasis on legal issues related to emerging technologies.

Non-BU: This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Applicants must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. You must submit a copy of both your law school and college transcript with your application. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. Official transcripts will be required if you are selected for the position.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications; applicant’s resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization’s interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. As an Attorney-Advisor (General), GS-0905-14/15, your typical work assignments may include:

• Providing well-researched and sound oral and written legal advice on novel legal issues related to emerging technologies (such as artificial intelligence, facial recognition, predictive analytics, and/or synthetic biology) in support of homeland security innovation, including but not limited to providing a legal framework within which the Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate and the Department shape policy related to emerging technologies, including the ability to identify second and third order effects of legal issues related to such technologies.
• Remaining abreast of developments in the emerging technologies area in consultation with DHS subject matter experts and analyzing the impacts on S&T funded RDT&E from a legal perspective while developing creative solutions to legal issues that advance the goals of the homeland security mission. Remain current and brief high level decision makers on legal and policy developments and nascent regulatory frameworks in the emergent technology space.
• Collaborating with DHS attorneys supporting other program offices when those program offices have operational equities in S&T RDT&E projects, i.e., operational implementation considerations from a legal perspective for present or future deployments.
• Providing legal advice related to policy considerations and general law and administrative law matters in support of S&T’s various RDT&E programs, including representing the Office of the General Counsel at conferences and meetings and performing other tasks as necessary to carry out the mission of the Office of the General Counsel.

View common definitions of terms found in this announcement: Common Definitions. Basic Requirements:

GS-14 or GS-15:

1. The first professional law degree (LL.B. or JD) or the second professional law degree (LL.M.); AND
2. Specialized professional legal experience in excess of three (3) years that is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. The quality of the individual’s background may be evidenced by the relatedness of his or her specialization.

Specialized Experience:
The skills and experience listed below are of particular importance to this position, and applicants should provide specific detailed information in these areas, where applicable, as part of their application.

You qualify for the GS-14 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal government. You qualify for the GS-15 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal government.

Specialized experience is experience providing legal advice on a broad range of legal practice areas issues, some of which are matters of first impression and national significance, arising from federally funded research, development, test, and evaluation programs that focus on technologies in the early phases of development or application.

OGC TPLD’s principal client is the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) which is DHS’s primary research, development, test, and evaluation organization supporting DHS Components and the broader Homeland Security Enterprise.

Ideal candidates should be well versed in First and Fourth Amendment, regulatory, privacy, data rights, data management, civil rights/civil liberties, information disclosure, administrative, legislative, environmental, ethics, and electronic surveillance laws and policy issues to advise on legal and policy considerations that are inherent in the research, development, testing, evaluation, use, and regulation of a wide range of technologies including but not limited to artificial intelligence, biometric technology, and the nonintrusive inspection of objects. Many matters will be of first impression and of national significance. Ideal candidates have experience providing legal advice to policy makers and technologists in emergent technology areas that cross multiple scientific domains, as well as drafting guidance documents which clearly articulate and distinguish between legal issues and policy positions/options.

An undergraduate or graduate degree in Science or Engineering is preferred, but not required. Applicants should have at least 5 or more years of relevant post-JD experience.

Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level.

All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

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.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.