Attorney Advisor (International)

Duties

CLDP Attorney-Advisors are the primary implementers for the Office of General Counsel's international development programs. In this position, you will consult with other agencies of the U.S. government and foreign government officials, and representatives of the private sector, assess development needs, and design and implement assistance programs. The applicant's role as an Attorney-Advisor will include designing, implementing, and evaluating technical assistance and capacity-building programs that promote U.S. policy goals and meet the host countries' economic development needs. The primary geographical focus of the programming will be Europe & Eurasia, specifically the Western Balkans and South Caucasus.

The attorney's work will require travel to countries throughout Eastern and Southeast Europe & Eurasia Incumbent usually works as part of a team addressing a broad range of legal issues. Typically, the incumbent would assess the political, economic and legal environment in the countries to which CLDP intends to provide assistance by conducting legal research, determining what facts or legal issues are relevant, and determining, in conjunction with their supervisor, legal conclusions based upon the facts and the relevant legal authorities. Performs a variety of legal duties such as assessing the political, economic and legal environment in the work with US and host country government officials and legal communities to identify assistance requirements and interests; to negotiate funding agreements with organizations from which CLDP is receiving funds, as well as persons and organizations to which it is providing funds; to establish and monitor compliance with budgets; to plan and carry out assistance activities that are cost effective, appropriate to the need of our hosts, and lead to the accomplishment of our programmatic objectives; and to evaluate and prepare financial and programmatic reports with respect to individual events, the status of CLDP programs and objectives and the utilization of funds provided to and by CLDP.

The attorney in this position may also be required to perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Provide proof of an active bar membership in good standing of the bar of a state, a territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that applicant is in "active" status.
• Successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use of possession of drugs.
• Required to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE Form 450
• Complete a 2-year trial/probationary period- Registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
  

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify at the GS-13, applicants must have acquired the amounts of skills and experience indicated below:

• Fluency in Albanian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bosnian-Serbo-Croatian (BSC), Georgian, or Russian preferred but not required.
• Prior experience and familiarity with the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia, particularly the Western Balkans and South Caucasus, is preferred.
• Prior experience working in government, international development, civil society organizations, law firms or with foreign governments or international organizations is desirable.
• Familiarity with commercial law topics such as trade, capital markets and finance, customs, intellectual property, telecommunications, economic competition, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, public procurement, regulatory development, legislation, transparency, ethics and anti-corruption, corporate governance, privatization, etc. also strongly preferred.
  

Education

Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or equivalent from an accredited law school. Official or unofficial transcripts must be submitted with your application package.

Additional Information

This position does not confer non-competitive conversion to the competitive service. Acceptance of an excepted service appointment from applicants in the competitive service will require a written statement of understanding when voluntarily leaving the competitive service.