Legal Careers
Departmental Ethics Office Attorney
The incumbent serves in the Departmental Ethics Office (DEO) in the Justice Management Division (JMD). DEO administers the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ethics program for the Assistant Attorney General for Administration, who serves as the Department's Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO). Among other responsibilities, DEO staff members provide advice and guidance to Department leadership, career employees, and managers on the interpretation and application of the ethics rules and Standards of Conduct governing Federal employees. DEO also provides oversight of the ethics, financial disclosure, and Standards of Conduct training programs at DOJ's components, including the FBI, Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
This position reports to the Deputy Director of the Departmental Ethics Office. DEO provides ethics advice and support to the various DOJ offices including the Office of the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, Solicitor General, and the Justice Management Division. The incumbent serves as an ethics attorney and must have in-depth knowledge of Federal ethics laws and regulations. The selected attorney’s work will include assisting Deputy DAEOs in the Department's components on matters relating to the Federal ethics program. The work of the attorney also includes communicating with ethics officials in the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE), U.S. Office of Special Counsel, and other Executive Branch departments and agencies to address issues related to the Department’s ethics program.
Applicants must be United States citizens, have a J.D. degree from an accredited law school, be an active member in good standing of the bar of any state (or the District of Columbia) and must have four (4) or more years of post-J.D. experience in a Federal executive branch ethics office responsible for an agency or component ethics program, at least three (3) of which were equivalent to the GS-14 grade level or higher. While job duties need not have been exclusively related to ethics, at least 50% of work time must have been dedicated applicable Federal executive branch ethics experience.
Applicable Federal executive branch ethics experience includes: independently performing legal analysis and composing memoranda or other documents on Federal ethics issues; providing legal advice to senior officials, managers, and employees on Federal ethics statutes and regulations; experience in administering Federal financial disclosure requirements, including the use of Integrity or FDOnline; experience in reviewing PAS nominee financial disclosure reports, advising nominees, and preparing nominee ethics agreements in coordination with the office of Government ethics; training Federal employees on the Standards of Conduct, ethics requirements, or related issues; experience in preparing waivers under 18 USC § 208 and authorizations under 5 CFR § 2635.502; experience in advising on issues relating to the Hatch Act and the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act; experience in advising on DOJ supplemental regulations including 5 C.F.R. § 3801 and 28 C.F.R. § 45; experience in advising on E.O. 13989 or prior ethics pledges; experience in responding to OGE-201 requests or request under the FOIA for ethics related documents; and, experience in advising current and former employees on matters relating to 18 USC § 207; and experience in advising on issues relating to 18 USC § 203 and §205.
DEO is looking for candidates with experience in as many of the areas listed in the preceding paragraph as possible. DEO is also interested in candidates with demonstrated ability to efficiently and thoroughly research and incisively analyze a wide variety of complex issues; to express themselves clearly and persuasively in oral and written presentations; to exercise sound judgment; to manage a workload consisting of a number of varied projects, without specific guidelines and often with short deadlines; and to contribute to and work in a supportive and collaborative environment.
To apply, interested individuals must submit an application packet including a cover letter (highlighting the applicant's interest in the position and detailing how the applicant meets the qualifications), resume, list of references, a brief writing sample or part of a longer writing sample (not exceeding 5 pages) which is exclusively or primarily the applicant's work and includes legal analysis, the applicants most recent performance appraisal, and the applicant's contact information. All application materials must be in a single PDF document and should be emailed to Gena Bernhardt, Deputy Director, Departmental Ethics Office, Justice Management Division, U.S. Department of Justice at:gena.bernhardt2@usdoj.gov. Subject line should read “Application for Ethics Attorney Vacancy with Departmental Ethics Office - 2024.” Please no applications by U.S. mail and no phone calls. Subject line should read “Application for Ethics Attorney Vacancy with Departmental Ethics Office - 2024.”
Salary range for the position is $163,964-$191,900 (GS-15).
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Department Policies
Equal Employment Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor. 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. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.
Reasonable Accommodations: 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.
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
Suitability and Citizenship: 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. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is 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. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.
Veterans: 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 must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
USAO Residency Requirement: Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
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