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Attorney-Advisor

Smithsonian Institution

Position Link

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement # More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

The essential requirements as an Attorney Advisor (Tax) position require a high degree of legal expertise, experience, and good judgment. The Smithsonian is a trust instrumentality of the United States and a 501(c)(3) organization. Its unique nature differs from Executive Branch departments or agencies and enhances the complexity of the work of the Office of the General Counsel, requiring careful analysis, originality, and excellent judgment in developing and supporting the Institution’s legal positions and arguments.

In this position, duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Drafting agreements, many of which are complex, that protect the Smithsonian’s legal status and interests while mitigating significant levels of risk given the nature, complexity and scope of the Smithsonian’s domestic and international activities. Consistent with the Smithsonian’s status as both a federal entity and a section 501(c)(3) non-profit institution, the incumbent ensures that gift agreements, contracts and other activities, such as those undertaken by the Smithsonian’s business revenue division, Smithsonian Enterprises, and its Office of Advancement are consistent with current tax law and Smithsonian policy.
  • Drafting or reviewing tax filings and audit documents.

  • Evaluating proposed activities and policies with particular focus on tax implications. The Attorney Advisor (Tax) evaluates facts, determines questions of law, and either recommends adoption of a decision prepared by another attorney or drafts an independent decision for consideration and adoption by the General Counsel and, as appropriate, senior management who exercise final authority in such matters.

  • Advising on laws, regulations, Smithsonian policy, opinions of the Internal Revenue Service, and opinions of the Comptroller General regarding use of Smithsonian federal funds.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
  • May need to complete a Probationary Period
  • Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
  • Submission of a Cover Letter
  • Submission of a Writing Sample
  • Submission of your Bar Membership showing that you are in Good Standing

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

Qualifications

ATTENTION: Due to the large number of qualified applicants for positions of this type, this job announcement will close at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on either: (A) The closing date listed above or (B) The date that 200 applications are received; whichever occurs first.  If the announcement closes on the date that 200 applications are received, all applications submitted by 11:59pm that day will be given consideration, including those in excess of 200.

There is no OPM qualification standard established for positions in the Attorney-Advisor, 0905 series, and agencies may establish their own standards for these Excepted Service positions. The following minimum qualification requirements will be used to determine if applicants are eligible for further consideration:

Education: An applicant must have professional law degree (J.D., LL.B., or LL.M) from an accredited law school, college, or university. (Submit either a copy of your Official or Unofficial Transcripts)

Bar Membership: An applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the Bar of the highest court of any state, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory or the District of Columbia. (Submit a copy of your membership)

Experience: Applicant must have four years of specialized legal experience relevant to the duties of the position or education beyond the first professional degree which included courses directly related to the duties of the position and which has enabled the applicant to step into complex legal work and to operate with a substantial degree of independence and responsibility at the grade 14 level. For this position, specialized experience is defined as extensive knowledge of non-profit tax and contract law and their application to a wide array of binding and non-binding arrangements with donors and domestic and foreign governmental, non-profit, and for-profit entities.

Experience refers to 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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Education

N/A

Additional information

This position is not included in the bargaining unit.