U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
CRIMINAL DIVISION
OFFICE OF OVERSEAS PROSECUTORIAL DEVELOPMENT, ASSISTANCE AND
TRAINING
EXPERIENCED ATTORNEY / GS-14 to GS-15
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 Resident Legal Advisor (RLA) in Pristina, Kosovo. This assignment is for one year with the possibility of an extension, contingent on availability of funding. (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 RLA represents the Department of Justice and OPDAT at the United States Embassy at Pristina, the capital of the newly independent Kosovo, and will carry out OPDAT’s justice sector reform efforts in Kosovo. Important responsibilities will include providing advice on legislative reform; assisting in supervising a program to vet all judges and prosecutors in Kosovo as a condition of reappointment; developing and carrying out training programs for prosecutors (as well as judges, police and occasionally private attorneys) in procedural areas such as trial advocacy and plea bargaining and in substantive areas such as organized crime, war crimes, terrorism, trafficking in persons, money laundering and asset forfeiture; providing other types of advice regarding efforts to reorganize and reform the prosecution service; and providing other types of advice and assistance to the newly established Ministry of Justice, the Kosovo Judicial Council and soon to be established Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, and the Kosovo Special Prosecutor’s Office. The RLA will coordinate with another RLA and with other U.S. and international providers of technical assistance. The position requires frequent travel within Kosovo and occasional travel within the region.
Required and preferred Qualifications: The applicant must have the ability to function effectively in an international, multi-cultural environment; possess excellent interpersonal and management skills, be mature and self-sufficient, communicate effectively orally and in writing, and possess extensive prosecutorial experience.. Specific comparative experience with criminal justice systems in Central and Eastern Europe or general comparative experience with continental criminal legal systems is desired. Proficiency in Albanian or Serbian would be a plus, but it is not required. Previous RLA experience is highly desirable.
Application Process: Interested applicants should mail, e-mail or fax a resume and cover letter as soon as possible to the attention of Nicholas S. Acker, Regional Director, Central and Eastern Europe, United States Department of Justice, Criminal Division/OPDAT, 10th and Pennsylvania Avenues, NW, Washington, DC 20530. Mr. Acker’s fax number is (202) 616-6770, and his e-mail address is Nicholas.Acker@usdoj.gov. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
Salary Information: Current salary and years of litigation experience will determine the appropriate salary. The possible salary range is GS-14 ($102,721-133,543 per annum) to GS-15 ($120,830 - $153,200 per annum).
This and selected other legal position announcements can be found on the Internet at: www.usdoj.gov/oarm/attvacancies.html.
The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and the persons selected will therefore be required to pass a drug test to screen for illegal drug use prior to final approval. Employment is also contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background investigation adjudicated by the Department of Justice.
The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities and will reasonably accommodate the needs of those persons. 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.