Senior Foreign Attorney Jobs in Silver Spring, MD

Summary
The Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce, is seeking an individual with exceptional analytical, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills to join our team of international technical assistance Attorney-Advisors to partner with countries and counterparts to advance shared prosperity, diversify energy critical minerals supply chains, and advance energy and mineral governance partnerships.
Learn more about this agency
Duties
Help
The CLDP team consists of highly skilled lawyers, trade experts, and international program specialists with deep knowledge of commercial law, international trade and business, and economic development. With fluency in over 35 languages, CLDP staff work directly with foreign governments to advance U.S. interests abroad while helping host countries achieve their economic development objectives. CLDP partners with various offices within the U.S. Department of Commerce, other federal agencies, the U.S. judiciary, and international organizations to help countries draft laws and regulations, strengthen legal institutions, and train officials to ensure fair and predictable environments for business. CLDP's Energy and Minerals Team provides legal technical support in partnership with host governments developing their minerals and energy resources.
Specifically, this Attorney-Advisor will:

• Consult with senior foreign government officials;
• Assess development needs and barriers to investment;
• Design, implement legal reform technical assistance programs that meet the host countries' economic development needs and are in line with U.S. foreign policy goals in energy and minerals.

To implement the technical assistance programs, the Attorney Advisor will:

• Organize and deliver expert legal advice on the policies, laws, regulations, contracts, and standards for host countries to increase energy and/or mineral production, including those in critical minerals and materials supply chains.
• Collaborate across U.S. government agencies in the power, energy, and minerals spaces, work with outside experts in mining, minerals, and energy/power law, and support the global efforts of the U.S. State Department.

This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Attorney Advisor (International) (Public Notice Flyer) GS-0905-13/14 FPL-GS-14 positions within the Office of the Secretary in the same geographical location with the same qualifications and specialized experience.
Requirements
Help
Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must 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.
• Must be able to obtain a Secret level security clearance.
• A trial period may be required.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://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.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Drug Test Required: Yes
• License required: Yes, Active Good Standing Bar Membership
• Bargaining Unit Position: No
• Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): Yes
• Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: Will Not be paid.

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/
EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Must be a law school graduate with a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
AND
Must be able to verify ACTIVE BAR MEMBERSHIP in good standing in one of the 50 United States, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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 for GS-13, applicants must possess a JD, active bar membership, and a minimum of 3 years of specialized and relevant professional experience as listed below.
To qualify for a GS-14, applicants must possess a JD, active bar membership, and a minimum of 6 years of specialized and relevant professional experience as listed below.
For this position, the candidate should meet the following criteria:

• Prior legal experience in the energy and/or minerals sector, including mining, energy, and/or related infrastructure and supply chains, or other related industrial sectors. In this position, the Attorney-Advisor will be expected to be able to converse with a variety of stakeholders on the legal and regulatory frameworks governing the full life cycle of energy investments or the lifecycle of minerals, including investment and project finance, exploration, exploitation, mining operations, tailings management, mine closure, brownfield development, transportation, and processing.
• Prior legal experience in natural resource extraction relating to enforcement, permitting/licensing, insolvency, arbitration, project finance, and/or energy and minerals taxation.
• Prior legal experience with the administration, drafting, interpretation, and/or enforcement of legal, regulatory, and/or transactional documents in the energy and mining sector, such as: hydrocarbons laws, mining codes, oil / gas / mining regulations, energy and/or mining investment agreements and other government instruments, energy and/or mineral concessions and contracts, or energy and/or mining project finance documents.
• Prior experience and/or familiarity with working with foreign governments and/or development finance institutions is strongly preferred.

Education
Must be a law school graduate with a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
See Qualifications Above.
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.
Regular international travel will be required, averaging around 6-8 trips per year, to global and occasionally domestic destinations. CLDP Attorney-Advisors in this position carry out many of their programs in the host countries around the world, and also bring delegations to the U.S. for study tours. Knowledge of another language is not required but is preferred.
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
Help
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.
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.