Job Description

Personnel Notice Number 2025-011

The Department of the Navy (DON) Office of the General Counsel (OGC) invites qualified attorneys to apply for the position of Assistant/Associate Counsel, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Patuxent. The position is located in Patuxent River, Maryland.

NAWCAD is an Echelon III command and field activity of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). The NAWCAD Office of Counsel provides legal services and representation in practice areas such as acquisition, contracts and agreements; civilian personnel law (CPL), equal employment opportunity (EEO) issues and labor law; litigation; standards of conduct and ethics; Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA); fiscal and environmental matters; and intellectual property (IP). Locality pay at Patuxent River falls within the Washington-Baltimore area. For more information about NAVAIR and NAWCAD, see and For information about St. Mary's County, MD, see

There is a vacancy for a general attorney to serve as an Assistant/Associate Counsel within the Office of General Counsel, primarily focusing on CPL and ethics/standards of conduct. The successful applicant will provide legal support across all areas of CPL and labor law, including litigation involving the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), union grievance arbitrations, and federal district court. The selected applicant will also provide pre-litigation advice and services on matters involving EEO programs, such as reasonable accommodation, in addition to matters pertaining to employee performance and discipline as well as ethics/standards of conduct.

POSITION OVERVIEW
-This position will be filled at the General Schedule (GS) GS-11, GS-12, GS-13, GS-14, and GS-15 or equivalent pay band. NAWCAD compensation falls under the Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratory (STRL) personnel demonstration system, which is a pay for performance system using pay bands (DA-03, DA-04, DA-05, or DA-06) with salary ranges.
-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 August 25, 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-11 Qualifications

-At least one year of recent professional legal experience; or
-The second professional law degree (Master of Laws (LL.M.)), provided it required one full academic year of graduate study.
-If you are a recent law school graduate and/or have less than one year of professional legal experience, you must have superior law school credentials as demonstrated by: academic standing in the top third of your law school's graduating class, work or achievement of significance as a member of an official law review or journal, a special high-level honor for academic excellence, e.g., membership in the Order of the Coif, winning a moot court competition, membership on the law school's official moot court team, or other evidence of clearly superior accomplishment or achievement.

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

Send your application package electronically to susan.b.mahoney.civ@us.navy.mil, and tanya.m.bashioum.civ@us.navy.mil. Include your surname and this Personnel Notice Number (2025-011) 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 Gina Gascoigne at 240-309-7696 or gina.m.gascoigne.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 Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Patuxent

Job Tags

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

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