Attorney-Adviser

NASA•District of Columbia, DC, US• Full Time

Posted 7 hours ago• Legal & Compliance• Mechanical

Compensation

$143,913–$197,200/year

Job Description

Summary

You will serve as an Attorney-Adviser (Employment and General Law) in the General Law Practice Group, within the NASA Office of the General Counsel (OGC) at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. You will focus on federal employment law, including providing counseling and advice to senior managers and defending judicial and administrative complaints of employment discrimination, with federal sector litigation in multiple venues. You will also perform other general law duties.

Open & closing dates

04/01/2026 to 04/20/2026

Salary $143,913 - $197,200 per year Pay scale & grade GS 14 - 15

Location

Duties

Duties described below are at the highest grade advertised. Duties assigned at lower grade levels will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee.
Provide expert employment law advice to all levels of management and organizations on agency programs, disciplinary and performance actions, compliance with anti-discrimination, labor laws, merit principles, accommodations, compensation, and leave.
Represent NASA in administrative and civil litigation proceedings, including Federal Courts, Merit Systems Protection Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Federal Labor Relations Authority, and state unemployment insurance cases.
Research, draft, and review legal documents, including briefs, legal opinions, or other documents regarding novel and complex legal issues related to civil rights, labor, employment law, and other general law matters.
Prepare and provide direct legal advice to management on interpretations of statutes, federal regulations, and agency policy directives. Advise on proposed legislation, executive orders, regulations, and Congressional testimony.
Serve as a liaison between NASA and the Department of Justice in litigation concerning NASA programs, while providing support on other litigation matters as directed by management.
Serve as a legal adviser to Agency personnel on novel general law matters, applying knowledge across general law areas including fiscal, ethics, environmental, information disclosure, tort claims, safety and security, and civil rights.
Provide leadership and guidance within OGC across multiple legal disciplines. Serves as an expert resource for the OGC Enterprise and as an advisor to NASA leadership.

Requirements

This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Position subject to pre-employment background investigation.
You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
If selected, you will be required to complete a financial disclosure statement.
This position may require a two-year trial period. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11. **See Additional Information section**

Basic Requirements for all grade levels:
You must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from a full course of study at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; be an active member in good standing of the bar of any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and have been admitted to practice law before a state or federal court.

To qualify for the GS-14: you must meet the basic requirement for all grade levels (as outlined above).
In addition, one of the following requirements must be satisfied:

One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level:

Offering oral and written legal guidance on federal personnel law, employment discrimination law, labor relations, or other legal issues to clients;
Providing guidance to managers, supervisors, and/or Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) officers on federal employment law, including addressing grievances and discrimination complaints informally;
Completing tasks and handling litigation in areas such as, federal employment law, labor law, EEO law, and general law areas with minimal oversight;
Supporting representation of clients in formal administrative and federal civil litigation.

OR

A graduate law degree (e.g., Master of Laws/LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the experience described above.

To qualify for the GS-15: you must meet the basic requirement for all grade levels (as outlined above).
In addition, one of the following requirements must be satisfied:

One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level:

Delivering expert oral and written legal counsel on complex federal personnel law, employment discrimination, labor relations, or other specialized legal matters to senior leadership;
Providing legal guidance to management, supervisors, and EEO officers on issues relating to federal personnel law, including the proactive informal resolution of employee grievances, disputes, and discrimination complaints;
Independently managing and executing tasks and litigation in areas such as federal personnel law, labor relations, EEO law, or other General Law practice areas;
Representing clients in formal administrative and federal civil litigation.

OR

A graduate law degree (e.g., Master of Laws/LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the experience described above.

Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. 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.

NASA prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tool in drafting application and assessment responses. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of AI tools during the application process.

Basic Requirements:

U.S. degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

Evaluation

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements listed in this vacancy announcement. To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the assessment questionnaire. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or assessment questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

These competencies will be assessed using technical assessments. They may also be evaluated during a structured interview:

General Law
Labor Law
Legal Application Practice
Personnel/EEO Law
Written Communication

NASA considers 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.

NASA will not ask you to disclose criminal history record information during the application process or before we make a conditional/tentative offer of employment. If you apply for this position and are selected, NASA will conduct a suitability/security background investigation after you accept a tentative job offer. If you feel you are asked to disclose your criminal history before you accept a tentative offer and wish to file a complaint within 30 days, please contact: [email protected].

Required Documents

All submitted resumes must not exceed two (2) pages in length. Resumes longer than two pages will be rejected by USAJOBS. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize including experience and relevant qualifications that directly align with the position advertised. All work experience and accomplishments must be associated with dates (month/year) to allow for accurate qualification assessment.

A complete application package includes a resume, required documents and completion of the vacancy announcement questionnaire. Please see this guidance: What to include in your resume. If you are using a Curriculum Vitae (CV) as a resume, it must meet all requirements listed above for a complete resume package. Your resume should describe your specialized experience and support your answers to the vacancy announcement questionnaire.

Please note: if any of the following types of information are included on your resume, your application package will be disqualified:

Classified or government sensitive information.
Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
Encrypted and digitally signed documents.
Social Security Number (SSN)
Photos of yourself

If your resume contains any of the above information, you must redact that information prior to the submission of your application.

The following documents are required:

Resume
Transcript

As listed in the Education section above, this position has a basic education requirement.

To be found qualified, you must provide a copy of your college transcript that fully demonstrates you meet the requirements listed in the Education section. You may provide either an unofficial transcript or a copy of an official transcript. Failure to provide a complete copy of your college transcript that shows you have completed a required degree program or coursework may result in you being found not qualified.

There may be other supporting documents (licenses, certification, veterans preference, etc.), depending on your answers to the questionnaire and job announcement description, that you may have to submit, please verify your application. Do not submit an OF-306 with your application.

Official documents are required at the time of appointment for verification of eligibility and qualifications.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.