Chief Counsel

John Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field • Brook Park, OH

3d

About The Position

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), John Glenn Research Center (GRC) is recruiting for the role of Chief Counsel, an executive leadership position reporting directly to the NASA General Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel (OGC). The Chief Counsel serves as the senior legal adviser to the GRC Center Director and staff on all matters of legal policy and law related to GRC activities, conducted in alignment with agency-wide legal standards.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service (SES) under a career appointment, you must clearly articulate and describe within your 2-page resume that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications MTQ related to this position.
• If your 2-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs and MTQ, you may be disqualified.
• Any additional pages over the 2-page limit will not be reviewed.
• Your resume should include evidence of progressively responsible supervisory, managerial, or professional experience which involved management of a program or organization of significant scope and complexity, normally obtained over several years by serving in positions at the GS-15 level or equivalent.
• If you are (1) currently serving under a career SES appointment, (2) eligible for reinstatement into the SES (this means you were previously employed as a Career SES employee and you successfully completed a one-year probationary period), OR (3) have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and certified by OPM, you do not need to address the ECQs in your resume. However, your resume must clearly state that you are a current career SES, eligible for SES reinstatement, or SES CDP certified and year of certification.
• Please DO NOT submit separate documents addressing the ECQs or MTQ. Only your 2-page resume will be accepted and considered. Any additional documents submitted will not be accepted.
• ECQ 1 - Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding: This core qualification requires a demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.
• ECQ 2 - Driving Efficiency: This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.
• ECQ 3 - Merit and Competence: This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.
• ECQ 4 - Leading People: This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable.
• ECQ 5 - Achieving Results - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.
• MTQ: Demonstrated expertise and experience leading legal teams responsible for providing guidance on complex legal issues and litigation at a local and enterprise level, communicating legal guidance with a varied workforce, in three or more of the following legal areas: procurement, intellectual property, commercial partnership and interagency transactions, international & space, appropriations, employment, administrative, real property, environmental, security and safety, and ethics.
• Your application package must be in your own words. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement, or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.
• You must possess a J.D. or LL.M from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and be an member in good standing of a bar in a state/territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Nice To Haves

• 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.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the Chief Counsel and senior legal adviser to John Glenn Research Center (GRC) Center Director and staff on all matters of legal policy and law in connection with activities at GRC.
• The Chief Counsel reports directly to the NASA General Counsel on the provision of legal services NASA-wide and develops local procedures and policy consistent with and in coordination with the Agency General Counsel.
• Directly responsible for the oversight and supervision of staff members of the center's legal office and other staff members from the NASA Legal Enterprise as may be assigned.
• Develops and executes Center's legal staffing plan, legal office procurement budget, and overall legal operations in close coordination with the NASA Legal Enterprise and as part of the Enterprise's annual Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) cycle.
• Directly responsible for coordination with the NASA Office of General Counsel (OGC), as well as other OGC counsel and management officials, and other NASA officials either directly or in conjunction with the Center Director in the areas of policy, program objectives, funding, and other pertinent activities.
• Represents NASA interests in litigation in which the Center is a party and provides advice and assistance to the Department of Justice.
• Accepts process or pleadings in legal proceedings on behalf of the Center Director and takes all necessary further actions to protect NASA's interests in real or personal property and adjudicates claims presented to the Center for personal injury or damage to or loss of real or personal property.
• Ensures legal representation in matters involving other Federal, state, and local Government agencies when the Center's interests are involved and as required in formal regulatory proceedings where the Center's interests require representation and in appropriate courts and administrative agencies.
• Exercises responsibilities delegated to Center Chief Counsel in NASA agency directives, is responsible to the Designated Agency Ethics Official and Alternate Designated Agency Ethics Official for all ethics activities at the Center, and is responsible for the administration of the Center's patent program.

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.
• Learn more about federal benefits.
• Review our benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive