Assistant Section Chief - Environmental Enforcement Section

Summary The Environmental Enforcement Section seeks an experienced attorney to serve as an Assistant Section Chief who will supervise one of five litigating groups. Each litigating group consists of a team of attorneys and professional staff charged with pursuing a wide variety of district court cases: pollution control, cost recovery, and natural resource damage claims chief among them. Learn more about this agency Duties Assistant Section Chiefs have direct supervisory responsibility for all aspects of work in their respective groups. This supervision involves, among other things: Ensuring appropriate staffing on each matter (including appropriate professional staff to handle administrative matters and case matters). Building team effectiveness and morale. Providing strategy and other guidance as needed. Ensuring compliance with all relevant DOJ guidance and policies. Reviewing briefs, memoranda, and other written work product for substantive accuracy and for consistency with positions in other litigation. Coordinating with counterparts at client agencies and with other DOJ and ENRD components; briefing agency and DOJ leadership as necessary. Developing and recommending settlement positions to decisionmakers. Preparing attorneys for trial. The ideal candidate will have: Significant federal litigation experience. Demonstrated interest and successful experiences in: leading people, building coalitions, and solving a wide range of problems. Experience and proven competence in courtroom advocacy, ideally including evidence-heavy work. Demonstrated potential to inspire those supervised, both to deliver the best possible work and to find satisfaction in their work life and career development. Effective handling of projects (cases or other work) that involved the contributions of multiple people and that were defined in part by challenging goals or circumstances. Successful experience in case development, settlement, pretrial practice (including ESI), and both oral and written presentation, including effective editing of the work of others. Working familiarity with the main environmental statutes under which the section operates, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act as well as with those federal rules pertinent to the practice of the section. Requirements Conditions of employment You must be a U.S. citizen or national. You must complete a background investigation to include pre-employment drug testing. Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable. You must maintain a bank account for direct deposit of salary. J.D. degree required, must be an active member of the bar, any jurisdiction. Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines. Qualifications Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and be a U.S. citizen or national. Applicants must have a minimum of 8 years post-J.D. or post clerkship litigation experience that includes significant federal litigation experience or substantive familiarity with the Administrative Procedure Act and natural resource statutes within the Section's jurisdiction. The ideal candidate will have familiarity with the main environmental statutes under which the Section operates, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding legal writing skills; excellent judgment; the ability to mentor and manage attorneys and administrative staff to produce high quality work under tight time frames; the ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously and to adjust to meet new priorities; the ability to work cooperatively and effectively with client agencies and other ENRD and Department of Justice components; and a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards. YOUR RESUME MUST provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. Education All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional information Veterans Preference: If you are entitled to or claim veteran preference (VP), you should indicate the type of veteran preference (5 or 10 points) you are claiming on your resume. In order to determine your eligibility, you can find additional information at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide/. To verify your veteran preference entitlement, submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions. 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. EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline. DOJ Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. The DOJ Reasonable Accommodation policy can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/reasonable-accommodation#policy Selective Service: If you were born male, on or after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov. Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs:Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement. Please Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available in the Division within 90 days after HR office issues the certificate of eligibles. Expand Hide  additional information Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.