U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CRIMINAL DIVISION OFFICE OF OVERSEAS PROSECUTORIAL DEVELOPMENT, ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING EXPERIENCED ATTORNEY / GS-14 to GS-15 VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 09-CRM-OPDAT-024

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
CRIMINAL DIVISION
OFFICE OF OVERSEAS PROSECUTORIAL DEVELOPMENT, ASSISTANCE AND
TRAINING
EXPERIENCED ATTORNEY / GS-14 to GS-15
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 09-CRM-OPDAT-024

The Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT), Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, seeks an experienced DOJ attorney or Assistant United States Attorney to serve as a Headquarter’s Program Manager for the Department’s implementation of the Merida initiative. This assignment is for a term of two years, contingent on the availability of funds. (This is a reimbursable detail.)

About the Office: The mission of the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) is to develop and administer technical and developmental assistance designed to enhance the capabilities of foreign justice sector institutions and their law enforcement personnel, so those institutions and their personnel can more effectively combat terrorism, organized crime, corruption, financial crimes, trafficking in persons and other types of crime, in a manner consistent with the rule of law, and can more effectively cooperate regionally and with the United States in combating such crime.

Responsibilities and Opportunities Offered: The Program Manager and staff will carry out foreign justice sector development and technical assistance programs and will work closely with OPDAT’s Legal Advisor(s) in Mexico and Central America. Duties also include the responsibility to develop and manage resources within detailed program budgets and cost estimates, and to employ systems of internal control in order to monitor the results, impacts and financial soundness of programs. Working with the OPDAT headquarter’s staff, including the Acting Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Program Manager also coordinates with officials within the Department of Justice, and with program policy officials in the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and operational law enforcement agencies, as well as with in-country U.S. and foreign authorities, to assure that assistance programs in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region meet the needs of the host countries, and support Departmental and U.S. policy objectives.

Required and preferred Qualifications: Applicants must be current U.S. Government employees, possess a J.D. degree, and be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of a State, territory, or the District of Columbia. Applicants must have at least four or five years of post J.D. experience to be qualified at the GS-14 or GS-15 grade level. Applicants must have excellent interpersonal, writing and speaking, organizational and management skills; be a self-starter; and have extensive prosecutorial experience. Comparative law or other experience gained working within a Latin American context is desired. Term appointees receive full benefits. Occasional travel, both within and outside the District, may be required. Current salary and years of experience will determine the appropriate grade and salary level.

Application Process: Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter to the attention of Ms. Kathleen O’Connor, Acting Region Director, Latin American and the Caribbean or Ms. Mirian Ramos, Program Analyst at the address below. Faxed or e-mailed submissions are also acceptable until the closing date of August 28, 2009. The fax number is (202) 616-6770. The e-mail addresses are kathleen.oconnor@usdoj.gov or Mirian.Ramos@usdoj.gov.

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training, Criminal Division
10th and Pennsylvania Aves, NW
Washington, DC 20530
ATTN: Ms. Kathleen O’Connor/Ms. Mirian Ramos

Salary Information: Current salary and years of litigation experience will determine the appropriate salary. The possible salary range is GS-14 ($102,721-130,118 per annum) to GS-15 ($120,830 - $153,053 per annum).

Internet Sites: Other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at: www.usdoj.gov/oarm/attvacancies.html

Department Policies: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination based on color, race, religion, national origin, politics, marital status, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, status as a parent, membership or nonmembership in an employee organization, or personal favoritism. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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.

There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans’ preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans’ preference are encouraged to include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214 or other substantiating documents) to their submissions.

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