Duties

• The incumbent serves as Assistant General Counsel in the Marketing, Regulatory and Food Safety Programs Division (MRFSPD), Office of the General Counsel (OGC), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
• Provides legal advice and overall legal support to the Under Secretaries, agency administrators, and other senior officials who are responsible for the programs and activities of the Department.
• Manages the development and application of legal policies, and supervises a staff of attorneys who draft, review, and approve, for legal sufficiency regulations, legislation, cooperative agreements, memoranda of understanding, and other agreements.
• Prepares legal memoranda and opinions on questions of law; prepares litigation reports, pleadings, statements of fact, declarations, briefs, and other documents in connection with lawsuits filed by or against the United States.
• Works with the Department of Justice in the trial of cases in the Federal courts; and prepare and present cases before Administrative Law Judges, the Judicial Officer, and other hearing officers appointed for particular proceedings.
• Participates, as counsel for the Department, in conferences and meetings with leading representatives of industry, business, and agriculture, and interested and affected members of the public.
• Responsible for developing and recommending procedures for handling the work of the division; overseeing the training and development of the legal and support staff; assigning work and evaluating the performance of the legal and support staff.

Conditions of Employment

• Veterans Preference is not applicable in the Senior Executive Service.
• Initial appointments are required to serve a 1-year probationary period
• Narrative Statements for the ECQs must not exceed 10 pages
• Background Investigation required.
• Must maintain an active bar license of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

About Office of General Counsel-DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

The Senior Executive Service (SES) is comprised of the men and women charged with leading the continuing transformation of the government. These leaders possess well-honed executive skills and share a broad perspective of government and a public service commitment which is grounded in the Constitution. If you would like to work for a premier agency focused on enhancing the quality of life for the American people by supporting production of agriculture; ensuring safe, affordable, nutritious and accessible food supply; forest and range lands; supporting sound development of rural communities; providing economic opportunities for farm and rural residents; expanding global markets for agricultural and forest products and services; and working to reduce hunger in America and throughout the world, then the USDA is for you. To learn more about our agency, our exciting mission, vision and guiding principles, please visit http://www.usda.gov.

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