Attorney
Bogota
Colombia
16-CRM-OPD-031

About the Office:

This assignment is for a term of 14 months, with the possibility of an extension, contingent on funding. Appointment to this position will be effected through a term or reimbursable detail appointment.

The mission of the Criminal Division's Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) is to establish and administer technical and developmental assistance designed to enhance the capabilities of foreign justice sector institutions and their judicial, prosecutorial and law enforcement personnel. This assistance is administered to enable those institutions and their personnel to more effectively combat terrorism, organized crime, corruption, financial crimes and other types of crime in a manner consistent with the rule of law. The assistance is also administered to enable those institutions and their personnel to more effectively cooperate regionally and with the United States in combating such crime. http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/opdat.
Job Description:

The Resident Legal Advisor (RLA) will be assigned to the U.S. Embassy Bogota representing the Department through its Justice Sector Reform Program, a major U.S. law enforcement program to assist the Government of Colombia strengthen its criminal justice system. The RLA will focus on trial advocacy, the transition toward a more accusatory system, improving the implementation of the most recent criminal procedure code, advancing the transitional justice process, establishment of judicial and prosecutorial standards, and the establishment of effective institutional and case management models. The RLA will work closely with Colombia government officials, particularly Colombian prosecutors and judges to design and implement technical assistance and development projects. These projects include technical advice to the Colombian Prosecutor General’s Office and judiciary on the development of and implementation of standards based on best practices. The RLA will manage assistance projects, including developing curricula, selecting experts, evaluating results, and reporting. When appropriate, the RLA will personally provide assistance in these areas. The RLA will interact with other U.S. law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, Customs, ATF, Secret Service, IRS and U.S. Marshals Service. The assistance and development projects managed by the RLA are closely coordinated with those of ICITAP, the police assistance entity of the Criminal Division and the USMS program at Post. The RLA will also have financial and management responsibilities in addition to programmatic responsibilities. Depending on funding, the Senior RLA will supervise a 2nd RLA and the USMS Program Manager at Post. This posting will seek to fill both RLA positions.
Qualifications:

Required: To qualify for this position, applicants must possess ALL of the requirements below:

A J.D. degree, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing.

Specific grade level requirements - GS-15: At least four (4) years of post J.D. legal experience, to include four (4) years of prosecutorial experience at the federal or state level.

The applicant must be a fluent Spanish speaker, as well as proficient in reading and writing Spanish

Preferred: Applicants should have a thorough understanding and practical knowledge of DOJ and other U.S. Government approaches and policies involving transnational crimes and security and justice sector development issues, including training and institution-building. Experience living, working, and/or training in an overseas environment is desirable.

The successful applicant should also have:

Ability to function effectively in an embassy or international, multi-cultural environment;

Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing;

Extensive prosecution experience;

Experience in bar activities, teaching, designing course curricula, and/or work with international development projects;

Experience in developing and litigating federal criminal cases involving international extradition and mutual legal assistance; and

Experience with judicial standards and judicial training.


Salary:
Under detail assignment, there is no change to the selectee’s base pay. Under a term appointment, the salary range for this position is $102,646 – $133,444 per annum, which does not include locality pay.
Travel:
Travel to/from Colombia and within the country will be required.
Application Process:

The Application Package must be received by 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, on the closing date of this announcement.

Please submit your application through USAJOBS. The list of required documents can be found in the USAJobs announcement.

If you do not already have an account, please create a USAjobs account before applying Create an Account. You will be able to upload your resume and supporting documents and complete your profile prior to applying.

Once you have an account, apply to the USAjobs vacancy: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/430360000

Relocation Expenses:
Relocation expenses are authorized.
Number of Positions:
1
Updated February 24, 2016

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Department Policies

Equal Employment Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of color, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, on the basis of personal favoritism, or any other non-merit factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice.

Reasonable Accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with targeted/severe disabilities are encouraged to register for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Shared List of People with Disabilities (the Bender Disability Employment Registry) by submitting their resume to resume@benderconsult.com
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and referencing "Federal Career Opportunities" in the subject line. Additional information about the Bender Registry is available at www.benderconsult.com [external link]. Individuals with disabilities may also contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC). See list of DPOCs.

Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the United States Attorneys' Offices. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, non-U.S. Citizens may apply for employment with other organizations, but should be advised that appointments of non-U.S. Citizens are extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice 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 submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).