Job Description

DON OGC PERSONNEL NOTICE 2025-007

The Department of the Navy (DON) Office of the General Counsel (OGC) invites qualified attorneys to apply for the position of Assistant/Associate Counsel, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS). The position is located at PNS in Kittery, Maine.

PNS is one of four public shipyards operated by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Its mission is the overhaul, repair, and modernization of Los Angeles and Virginia class submarines. PNS employs a civilian workforce of approximately 6,700 tradespeople, engineers, and administrative support staff. The PNS Office of Counsel is comprised of six attorneys and one paralegal. The office provides legal advice and representation to the Shipyard Commander and the PNS management team. The office has a varied workload covering most of DON OGC's practice areas, with emphasis on civilian personnel and labor law, fiscal law, acquisition law, government ethics, FOIA and Privacy Act matters, and related litigation.

The successful candidate will practice primarily in civilian personnel law (CPL), including representing the Navy before the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; advising management and HR partners on discipline and performance matters; reviewing adverse actions and performance improvement plans for legal sufficiency; reviewing management investigations for legal sufficiency; advising on reasonable accommodation requests; and providing CPL training to management and HR partners. The successful candidate will also provide legal services in the other practice areas covered by the PNS Office of Counsel, especially government ethics, FOIA and Privacy Act matters, and fiscal law.

POSITION OVERVIEW

- This position will be filled at the General Schedule (GS) GS-12, GS-13, GS-14, and GS-15.
- A relocation incentive may be available but is not guaranteed.
- Permanent Change of Station (PCS) funding may be available to eligible applicants but is not guaranteed.
- This Personnel Notice will close on July 28, 2025 at 11:59:59 PM Eastern Time. Complete application packages must be received by this closing date and time to be considered.

QUALIFICATIONS
At the time of application, you must:

- Have a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
- Be admitted to, eligible to practice in, and an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia.
- Be a U.S. citizen able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.

GS-12 Qualifications

- At least two years of recent professional legal experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 level; or
- The second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus one year of recent and relevant professional legal experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 level.

GS-13 Qualifications

- More than two years of recent and relevant professional legal experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

GS-14 Qualifications

- At least three-and-one-half years of recent and relevant professional legal experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

GS-15 Qualifications

- At least five-and-one-half years of recent and relevant professional legal experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

EVALUATION CRITERIA
You will be evaluated on:

1. The depth, breadth, and quality of your experience in Civilian Personnel and Litigation;
2. Your research, analytical, and communication skills (both oral and written);
3. Your interpersonal skills, including your ability to establish effective attorney-client and professional relationships; and
4. Your experience advising clients.

APPLICATION PACKAGE
You must submit:

1. A cover letter that explains why you are interested in and qualified for the position.

- If applicable, you must include any requests for a relocation incentive or PCS funding in your cover letter.

2. A current resume that shows relevant experience, including:

- Job titles (with GS level(s), if applicable);
- Dates of employment (month/year); and
- Bar membership, stating jurisdiction(s).

3. Two brief legal writing samples (no more than 10 years old and no more than 10 pages each) that demonstrate analytical and advocacy abilities (excerpts of lengthier written work products are acceptable);

4. Your two most recent performance evaluations (if unavailable, please explain); and

5. The names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of at least three references, including a supervisor, who may be contacted.

6. Current and former Federal employees must also provide a copy of their most recent Standard Form-50 (SF-50) showing title, series, grade, and current salary information (if unavailable, please explain). Do not submit SF-50s for performance awards.

7. If you are not currently a member of DON OGC, you must also submit a copy of your law school transcript(s) for all legal degrees held, showing award of the degree, final GPA, and final class rank where available. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted, but official transcripts will be required before the applicant is selected.

Social security numbers and dates of birth should be redacted from all documentation submitted.

Send your application package electronically to usn.ncr.comnavseasyscomdc.mbx.NAVSEA-OGC-Vacancies@us.navy.mil. Include your surname and this Personnel Notice Number (2025-007) in the subject line of your transmittal e-mail and in the file names of any attachments. Hard copy applications will not be considered.

Interested attorneys should contact Mr. Matt Schmid at (207) 438-6229 or Matthew.L.Schmid2.civ@us.navy.mil for more information.

Interested attorneys who are not currently members of DON OGC should review the posting at for additional information.

The Department of Defense is currently under a hiring freeze, and exemption approval through the Secretary of the Navy may be required in order to finalize an appointment to this position.

NOTICE OF VETERANS' PREFERENCE
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must specifically claim such eligibility in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., Department of Defense (DD) Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty" or other supporting documentation) to their submissions.

Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website at

Not all veterans are preference eligible. For a summary of time periods, campaigns, and conditions that entitle an applicant to preference eligibility, please visit OPM's Feds Hire Vets webpage, USAJOBS' Dedicated Veterans Website, and the Department of Labor's Veterans' Preference Advisor.

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Naval Sea Systems Command

Job Tags

Permanent employment, Work at office, Relocation package, Currently hiring,

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