[blindlaw] U.S. DOJ Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section, Chief, Disability Rights Section, ES-905-00, Announcement Number: 12-SES-CRD-002R

[Nightingale, Noel]

Link:
http://www.justice.gov/careers/legal/jobs/12-ses-crd-002r.htm

Text:

United States Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section
Chief, Disability Rights Section, ES-905-00

Announcement Number: 12-SES-CRD-002R

________________________________

About the Office: The Civil Rights Division (Division) (http://www.justice.gov/crt/index.php) is seeking a managing attorney to lead the Disability Rights Section (Section) (http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/drs/) in its protection of the rights of persons with disabilities under Titles I, II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in over seven million places of public accommodation, including all hotels, restaurants, retail stores, theaters, health care facilities, convention centers, parks, and places of recreation (Title III), in all activities of over 80,000 state and local governments (Title II), and in employment practices of state and local government employers with 15 or more employees (Title I).  The ADA also establishes architectural accessibility requirements for new construction and alterations of buildings and facilities covered under Title II and Title III, which generally include all nonresidential buildings and facilities.  Title III of the ADA also requires the Department to determine that a State law or local building code that has been submitted to the Department establishes accessibility requirements that meet or exceed the ADA's minimum requirements.  This position also serves as the Attorney General's liaison to the U.S. Access Board.  In addition, this position is also responsible for implementing the Department's responsibilities under sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the disability provisions of Executive Order 12250, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.

Division offices are near the Metro transportation system or other public transportation, and are conveniently accessible to restaurants, museums and other Washington, D.C. area attractions. Most jobs in the Division offer alternative work schedules and other family friendly opportunities. Most employees who commute by public transportation are eligible for a transit subsidy benefit.

Who May Apply: Applications are being accepted from all qualified candidates.

Number of Opportunities: 1

Application Period: Applications are being accepted from November 27, 2012 through 11:59 PM, EST December 28, 2012.

Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: As Chief, the successful candidate will: Supervise, evaluate, deploy, coordinate, and manage, directly and through subordinate supervisors, approximately 45 attorneys and 50 non-attorney professionals and support employees conducting a wide variety of activities related to disability rights enforcement, investigations, technical assistance, mediation, and rulemaking. Manage the development of the Section's enforcement strategy and implementation plan, including appropriate allocation of staff resources, oversight of personnel, and handling of administrative matters. Plan, direct, and carry out a nationwide program to enforce the applicable statutory provisions (Titles I, II and III of the ADA, Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, and Executive Order 12250). Initiate, direct and review investigations that arise from complaints and compliance reviews regarding violations of the applicable federal statutes. Direct, supervise, plan, and participate in an active docket of litigation, including drafting and filing of complaints, pre-trial discovery, motions practice, and trials. Intervene in significant cases brought by private litigants. Supervise and prepare amicus briefs and statements of interest. Review and evaluate the work of experts, consultants and court-imposed monitors. Consult and advise the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and other Department of Justice officials regarding Section matters and policy matters affecting the applicable statutory provisions. Play a critical role in a range of policy, regulatory, and outreach issues including engaging in public speaking, as appropriate, to educate the public on the Section's work. Coordinate with other components throughout the Division, the Department, and the federal government to ensure comprehensive and collaborative effort to enforce the applicable statutory provisions. Confer with U.S. Attorneys and oversee the handling of U.S. Attorney cases related to the applicable statutory provisions. Resolve cases through settlement agreements, consent decrees, or litigation. Prepare recommendations for or against appeal, including appeals to the Supreme Court, and review briefs or assist in the preparation of argument for cases being appealed. Develop and maintain regulations implementing Titles II and III of the ADA. Respond to requests from State and local governments to certify that their accessibility codes are equivalent to the ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Provide technical assistance to private sector organizations that develop model access codes and standards. Provide legal and policy guidance or disability rights training to other Federal agencies. Serve as the Department's liaison to the U.S. Access Board and participate in the development of minimum accessibility guidelines and other regulations developed by the Board. Provide technical assistance to the general public, to State and local governments, to private entities covered by Title III, and to persons with disabilities. Develop sub-regulatory guidance explaining the requirements of the ADA. Oversee the operations of the ADA Information Line and the ADA Mediation Program. Maintain and expand the ADA website and outreach activities, providing current information on how to comply with the ADA.

Required Qualifications: You must be a graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and be a member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar.

How You Will Be Evaluated: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is required by law to review the executive qualifications of each new career appointee to the Senior Executive Service (SES) prior to appointment.  To be considered for this position, you must submit a written statement addressing the five (5) Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) listed below.  Failure to address both the mandatory technical/professional qualifications and the ECQs will adversely affect your chances for selection.

You must submit a separate narrative statement that addresses each of the Technical Qualifications (TQs) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) related to this position; limit your responses to no more than one page for each TQ/MTQ. Unless you are a current Senior Executive Service (SES) career appointee, a former SES member having reinstatement eligibility, or an OPM-certified graduate of an approved SES Candidate Development Program, you must also submit a separate narrative statement (10-page limit) addressing each of the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) related to all positions in the SES. You must address how you have demonstrated progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level managerial capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined in this job announcement. Qualified candidates typically gain experience of this nature at or above the GS-15 grade level in the Federal service or its equivalent with state or local government, the private sector, or nongovernmental organizations. For examples and guidance on writing effective ECQ narrative statements, you are strongly encouraged to review the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Guide to Senior Executive Service Qualifications: http://www.opm.gov/ses/references/GuidetoSESQuals_2010.pdf.

You must use the Challenge- Context- Action- Result (CCAR) model when describing your accomplishments.

 1.  Technical Qualifications

a) A proven record of accomplishment of managing a complex organization and tackling challenging organizational issues.

b) Ability to manage a diverse workforce that includes lawyers, non-lawyer professionals, including architects, investigators, technical assistance specialists, and support staff, and federal contractors.

c) Ability to establish an organizational vision, develop a strategic plan and implement strategic change, develop and advance policy initiatives, and build coalitions, both within the organization and outside the organization, to effectively enforce the applicable statutory provisions.

d) Ability to communicate effectively on complex legal and technical issues, both orally and in writing, including the ability to advocate successfully with diverse stakeholders, external partners and individuals or groups having differing and often conflicting interests, on matters related to the successful execution of a large-scale organization's mission, programs, and projects.

e) Demonstrated experience supervising, developing, litigating or resolving issues, and negotiating agreements through effective oral and written communication.

f) Demonstrated ability to identify, supervise, plan, and represent employer in complex and significant litigation.

Mandatory Technical Qualifications
In addition to the specialized education and licensing requirements described above, you must have experience working with one or more of the applicable civil rights statutes.

 1.  Executive Core Qualifications

a) Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment. Leadership Competencies for ECQ-1: creativity and innovation, external awareness, flexibility, resilience, strategic thinking, vision.

b) Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. Leadership Competencies for ECQ-2: conflict management, leveraging diversity, developing others, team building.

c) Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. Leadership Competencies for ECQ-3: accountability, customer service, decisiveness, entrepreneurship, problem solving, technical credibility.

d) Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. Leadership Competencies for ECQ-4: financial management, human capital management, technology management.

e) Building Coalitions: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. Leadership Competencies for ECQ-5: partnering, political savvy, influencing/negotiating.

The following fundamental competencies underlie the five ECQs, which should be incorporated into your responses to the ECQs and not as separate statements:

a) Interpersonal Skills: Treats others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect. Considers and responds appropriately to the needs and feelings of different people in different situations.

b) Oral Communication: Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed.

c) Integrity/Honesty: Behaves in an honest, fair, and ethical manner. Shows consistency in words and actions. Models high standards of ethics.

d) Written Communication: Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

e) Continual Learning: Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses; pursues self-development.

f) Public Service Motivation: Shows a commitment to serve the public. Ensures that actions meet public needs; aligns organizational objectives and practices with public interests.

Salary Information: $119,554 - $179,700/Per Year

Location: Washington, D.C.

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses are not authorized.

Travel: The position requires extended hours and a significant amount of travel.

Submission Process and Deadline Date: You must submit the following information by 11:59 pm EST on the closing date of the job announcement: (1) a resume, (2) your narrative statement addressing each of the TQs and MTQs (limit to one page per TQ/MTQ), (3) your narrative statement addressing each of the ECQs (10-page limit), and (4) a current performance appraisal (if none exists, a statement to that effect). In addition, current career SES members and former SES members who have reinstatement eligibility to the career SES should submit an SF-50 showing career SES status; OPM-certified SES Candidate Development Program graduates should submit a copy of their Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certificate.

Completed applications must be submitted by fax (202-514-6603) or e-mail (crd.attyvacancies at usdoj.gov<mailto:crd.attyvacancies at usdoj.gov>). Please do not mail applications for employment. You must include the job announcement number in the subject line of your email or on the cover page of your fax.

Questions may be directed to Delicia Taylor at 202-514-3934 or Delicia.Taylor at usdoj.gov<mailto:Delicia.Taylor at usdoj.gov>.

Other Information:
An initial SES career appointee is subject to a one-year SES probationary period.

If the Division does not receive the requested application materials, applicants will be evaluated solely on the information available and may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. The application materials will not be returned.

The Civil Rights Division participates in the E-Verify Program.
BENEFITS:

The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, telework, life insurance, health benefits, and, participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.  This link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to eligible federal employees: http://www.usajobs.gov/ResourceCenter/Index/Interactive/Benefits#icc.

Internet Sites: This and other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at http://www.justice.gov/careers/legal/attvacancies.html.

For more information about the Civil Rights Division, visit the Civil Rights Division's<http://www.justice.gov/crt/index.php> web page.

Department Policies: 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 color, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, on the basis of personal favoritism, or any non-merit 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. 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.

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. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the United States Attorneys' Offices. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, non-U.S. citizens may apply for employment with other organizations, but should be advised that appointments of non-U.S. citizens are 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.

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The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination are not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.