Summary About the Position: This position is located at Headquarters, U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM), Office of the Commander, Legal Counsel, International Law, Stuttgart, Germany. If you are currently serving in a permanent, competitive service appointment in the Federal service, and are selected for this position, the appointment will remove you from the competitive service while you occupy this position. Responsibilities Serves as the principal International Law advisor and a recognized expert with respect to AFRICOM's legal relationship with host nation governments in both Europe and Africa. Assigns work, holds employees accountable, and provides constructive feedback regarding sufficiency and quality of the work product. Consults with the Joint Staff International Law section on matters involving the establishment of precedent and for compliance with AFRICOM and other applicable policies. Drafts, negotiates, interprets, and reviews international agreements and other forms of internal (e.g., inter-service, inter-agency, etc.) agreements. Identifies and assists in implementing legal means to provide or obtain logistic support to or from other nations, consistent with U.S. legislative and regulatory requirements. Provides legal advice, resolves problems, and accomplishes tasks regarding the negotiation of international agreements, status-of-forces issues, host-nation and mutual logistic support, acquisition law and ACSAs. Principal AFRICOM negotiator or legal advisor to negotiating teams, for negotiations which generally present issues of unusual difficulty and military or national significance. Supervises the analysis and evaluation by component Judge Advocate offices of foreign tax legislation, tax relief agreements, and extent of U.S. tax relief entitlement. Negotiates agreements, or oversees negotiation of agreements by component commands, concerning applicability of taxes to U.S. forces and personnel. Provides advice and opinions on behalf of the USAFRICOM Legal Counsel relating to a variety of international legal matters. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Who May Apply: US Citizens Applicants will be evaluated to determine if they meet the minimum qualification requirements and on the extent to which their application shows possession of the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the position. KSA's: Ability to express, orally and in writing, complex legal issues in clear and succinct language so that the concepts are understood by both lawyers and non-lawyers. Knowledge and experience in international law at an overseas combatant command. Skill in providing legal and policy advice on command strategy documents such as posture statements, theater strategy, campaign plans, or engagement plans. Ability to provide technical supervision, plan work requirements, and lead personnel, both military and civilian. Qualification Requirements: The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration: Education Requirements: Position requires the possession of the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) AND a member in good standing with highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. Applicants for initial appointment into attorney positions within the Department of Army must be graduates of law schools accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of the applicant's graduation. As indicated below, a law school transcript must be submitted with your application materials. Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be a member in good standing (as defined by the pertinent bar) of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. As noted below, proof of such membership and good standing must be submitted with your application materials. Experience: In addition to the requirements above, applicants for the GS-15 or equivalent Attorney positions must also possess 3 years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. Graduation from an ABA-Accredited Law School in the top 25% of the class or an advanced law degree such as an LLM may substitute for one year of the required professional legal experience. Time in Grade: The Qualifying Authorities (QA's) will make a determination as to the applicability of time in grade based on the requirements of the position. If you are currently employed as an attorney by the Federal government you must have completed one year at the next lower grade level within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement, or previously served at the same or higher grade level as the position being filled. NOTICE OF VETERAN'S PREFERENCE: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty") to their submissions. Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference", and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. The SF 15 will identify the supporting documentation required along with the list of the types of 10-point preference. The SF 15 is available from the OPM at https://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/sf/. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration. If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information. Education Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute education for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education websites at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications and http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. Additional Information PLEASE NOTE THAT REQUIREMENTS FOR EDUCATION, TIME IN GRADE, AND EXPERIENCE MAY BE WAIVED BY THE APPLICABLE AUTHORITY AND THE REQUIREMENTS SHOULD NOT DETER ANY INDIVIDUAL FROM APPLYING FOR THE POSITION. You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. Direct Deposit of Pay is required. This is a Professional Services Career Field position to the Army Legal Functional Community. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances may be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that a PCS move is in the Government Interest.Recruitment and relocation incentives may be authorized. Student loan repayment may be authorized. Salary negotiations, including an advanced in hire, for candidates new to Federal service or who would otherwise qualified, may be authorized. Credit for prior non-Federal experience and certain military service for leave accrual rates may be authorized. Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees. Applicants must comply with the Exceptional Family Member Program requirements as outlined in DoD Instruction 1315.19. U.S. citizens overseas under ordinarily resident status are not eligible for appointment under the Status of Forces Agreement. Locality pay does not apply in the overseas area. On this overseas accompanied tour, medical and DoDDS special education services may not be available in the immediate location of this position. Movement overseas may require you to initiate a change in your health benefits plan to ensure coverage. Employees (and family members) who require medical or dental care in the overseas location will be responsible for obtaining and paying for such care. Access for civilian employees and their families to military medical and dental treatment facilities is on a space-available and reimbursable basis only. Pay retention may be offered to selected applicants for positions at overseas locations. Pay retention will not be offered as an incentive for employees moving between overseas positions. Selectees may receive certain foreign area benefits such as: Living Quarters Allowance (LQA) or government quarters, home leave, etc. Selectees will have their eligibility for foreign area benefits determined at the time of hire in accordance with Department of State Standardized Regulation (DSSR) and DoDI 1400.25 volume 1250. http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/1400.25-V1250.pdf For positions in a foreign country, that country's laws or international agreements may have a direct impact on the ability of an employee's same sex domestic partner or spouse to accompany the employee and receive certain benefits. If you believe you may be affected by these laws and agreements, you should familiarize yourself with relevant information and direct questions concerning a specific country (Foreign Duty Location) to the appropriate Army Human Resources point of contact prior to the acceptance of employment and your entrance on duty. Defense National Relocation Program will not be authorized. "This in an Excepted service position and is not eligible for Statutory or Administrative return rights IAW DODI 1400.25 and AR 690-300, Chapter 18, Return Rights. Contact your organizations Human Resources Specialist if you have any questions."