- Career Center Home
- Search Jobs
- Assistant/Associate Counsel (Personnel Notice Number 2026-136)
Description
OAGC (RD&A) is responsible for providing legal advice to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (RD&A) and his Deputy Assistant Secretaries of the Navy, who collectively are responsible for implementing an annual budget in excess of $100 billion for research, development, and acquisition of Navy/Marine Corps platforms, warfare systems and defense business systems. OAGC (RDA) is at the forefront of the most significant and complex acquisition issues facing the DON. The AGC (RD&A) is also the senior acquisition attorney within DON OGC and is responsible for advising the DON General Counsel on all significant acquisition issues.
OAGC (RD&A) attorneys provide legal advice on acquisition law matters to include compliance with the DODI 5000, milestone decisions for major defense systems and other acquisition programs at higher thresholds, major command acquisition problems, statutory and regulatory compliance, acquisition strategy and planning, matters of congressional or secretariat interest and legislation. The selected applicant will manage an extensive and challenging portfolio of acquisition programs and issues and counsel senior clients. The selected applicant will also be expected to address issues that involve other areas of DON OGC practice such as ethics, fiscal law and acquisition integrity.
POSITION OVERVIEW
- This position will be filled at the General Schedule (GS) GS-13, GS-14, and GS-15 level or equivalent pay band (NH-III/NH-IV) under the Department of Defense (DoD) AcqDemo (Acquisition Demonstration) personnel system.
- 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 September 21, 2026 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-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:
- The depth, breadth, and quality of your experience in Acquisition Law;
- Your research, analytical, and communication skills (both oral and written);
- Your interpersonal skills, including your ability to establish effective attorney-client and professional relationships; and
- Your experience advising clients.
APPLICATION PACKAGE
You must submit:
- 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.
- A current resume, no more than two (2) pages in length, that shows relevant experience, including:
- Job titles (with GS level(s), if applicable);
- Dates of employment (month/year); and
- Bar membership, stating jurisdiction(s).
- Two brief legal writing samples (no more than ten (10) years old and no more than ten (10) pages each) that demonstrate analytical and advocacy abilities (excerpts of lengthier written work products are acceptable).
- Your two most recent performance evaluations, including performance ratings and rater comments. (Mid-year assessments are not acceptable.) If performance evaluations or ratings and rater comments are unavailable, please explain.
- The names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of at least three references, including a supervisor, who may be contacted.
- 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.
- 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 nicole.r.best3.civ@us.navy.mil. Include your surname and this Personnel Notice Number 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 Nicole Best at 703-697-1642 or nicole.r.best3.civ@us.navy.mil for more information.
Interested attorneys who are not currently members of DON OGC should review the posting at https://www.secnav.navy.mil/OGC/Pages/Careers.aspx for additional information.
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 www.opm.gov.)
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.
Fair & Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.