This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/786628200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Do you desire to be a part of the vibrant United States immigrant admission process, to protect American interests and to secure our nation while building a meaningful and rewarding career? If so, United States Citizenship and Immigration (USCIS), and its Office of the Chief Counsel are calling!
The Office of the Chief Counsel (OCC), is seeking an attorney for a General Attorney position to handle immigration issues with the Transformation Law Division.
04/15/2024 to 04/22/2024
$117,962 - $191,900 per year
The actual salary will be set based on the grade, step, and your location, see the "How To Apply" section of the announcement for details.
GS 13 - 15
1 vacancy in the following location:
Yes
Not applicable, this is a remote position.
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent -
Full-time -
Excepted
15
No
Yes
COU-CIS-2024-0073-TLD
786628200
Current or former competitive service federal employees.
Current excepted service federal employees.
Current federal employees of this agency.
United States Citizens
Coordination and Collaboration - The attorney will be required to coordinate with other teams within the Office of Chief Counsel (OCC) on issues that are cross-cutting and affect various subject matter areas, such as family- and employment-based immigration; refugee, asylum and parole processes; immigration regulations, policy and benefit request form revisions. This ongoing coordination and collaboration supports technical development as USCIS develops and deploys modern electronic functionality, enhancements, or modifications to agency systems, databases and electronic repositories. The attorney will coordinate appropriate action where the issues in the matter are novel, unique, controversial, or have national implications.
The attorney must also work with USCIS stakeholders, other DHS components such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and partner agencies such as the Department of State, Department of Labor, and the Department of Justice and its component divisions, including the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), on immigrations issues that arise from working in any USCIS electronic environment and which may be of interest to the Department, Office of Management and Budget, or Congress.
Knowledge and Expertise/Skills - The Associate Counsel should be detail-oriented, an effective communicator with strong analytical skills and preferably have an immigration adjudications or immigration law background with knowledge of USCIS benefit types, including family-based and employment-based visa petitions; issues related to change of status, extension of stay, and adjustment of status; adoptions; humanitarian relief, naturalization and citizenship; parole; employment authorization; and alien registration. Immigration litigation experience is also helpful.
Attorneys familiar with how the DHS immigration components work together, from an operational and policy perspective, are encouraged to apply.
Responsibilities - The Associate Counsel must also attend multiple system development and web design meetings and advise on proposed system functionality, operational processes, and copy content for specific product lines. The attorney also will be required to review benefit request forms with accompanying instructions in both paper and electronic format, agency policy memoranda and policy updates, training materials, and standard operating procedures, as well as outreach materials. The Associate Counsel will provide legal advice on changes that are needed to accommodate processing in an electronic environment and whether such changes are consistent with the laws governing the specific benefit type and electronic system. The attorney must be able to advise the OCC teams and operational clients on when proposed technical design changes or technical innovation measures may have a negative impact, may be inconsistent with current law or regulations, or may result in a significant procedural change to existing agency operations and processes, including case management systems and electronic repositories used by DHS. The Associate Counsel will be required to participate in working groups addressing changes to regulations, agency policy, and agency procedures, as well as revisions to benefit request forms.
The attorney will be responsible for any litigation that may arise from the USCIS's modernization projects and initiatives and will coordinate with the Strategic Litigation Division on e-discovery issues, as needed.
U.S. Citizenship: Candidate must be a United States Citizen and present proof of citizenship, if selected.
Qualifications by Closing date: You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Please note that qualification claims will be subject to verification.
Background Security Investigation: A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
A Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (SF-450) will be required for certain positions. You may be asked to complete the necessary Financial Disclosure Report to meet that requirement.
Drug Testing: If position has been identified as a Testing-Designated position under DHS's Drug-Free Workplace Plan, any individual tentatively selected will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
Selective Service Registration: Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, will be required to certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.
Residency Requirement: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The residency requirement states that candidates must have, for three of the last five years immediately prior to applying for this position(s);
You will need to successfully complete a background security investigation before you can be appointed into this position. The candidate selected will be required to obtain a "Secret" clearance and continued employment is contingent on being able to maintain at least a "Secret" clearance.
Probationary Period: The candidate selected is required to serve a probationary trial period of two (2) years.
Promotional Potential: This position starts at the 13/14/15, depending on such factors as the selectee's experience and current salary, and has promotion potential to the GS-15/10. When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.
Telework: USCIS provides voluntary telework opportunities for eligible employees serving in positions conducive to working at an alternate work site in accordance with agency policy. Please Note: You may be required to telework from your personal residence or another location due to the needs of an office or an emergency situation such as severe weather, natural or manmade disasters or for public health, safety or emergency preparedness measures.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated based upon your resume, citing qualifications and work experience, your writing sample, and, if selected for interview, your responses provided during a structured interview. In responding to structured interview questions you should be sure to cite specific examples of experience, explain exactly what you did, and the outcome.
All information you provide may be verified by a review of the work experience and/or education as shown on your application forms, by checking references and through means, such as the interview process. The verification could occur at any stage of the application process. An exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempts to conceal information may be grounds for rating you ineligible, not hiring you, or firing you after you begin work.
In addition to completing an online questionnaire, the following supporting documents must be received by the closing date of this announcement:
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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Your application must be received by 11:59PM EST on 04/22/2024. To begin, click the Apply Online button and follow the prompts to register or sign into USAJOBS, take the online questionnaire, and submit the required documents. See Required Documents section.
Applications will NOT be accepted by mail, email or fax.
Relocation expenses will NOT be reimbursed for this position.
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications. If you are among the candidates found minimally qualified, your application will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/786628200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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