What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Standards of Conduct Office position at Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy?
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Duties
The Director, Standards of Conduct Office (SOCO) position is located in the Defense Legal Services Agency (DLSA). The General Counsel of the Department of Defense is the Chief Legal Officer of the Department, with responsibility for all of the Department's legal services. The General Counsel is dual-hatted as the Director, DLSA. DLSA provides legal advice and services to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Activities, Defense Agencies, and DoD Field Activities, and performs other such related functions as are within the authority of the General Counsel of the Department of Defense. The Department of Defense SOCO is part of DLSA.
The Director, SOCO is responsible, on behalf of the General Counsel, for administration of the Standards of Conduct Program on three distinct planes in the Department. As such, the incumbent is a principal assistant to the General Counsel, the Principal Deputy General Counsel, and the Deputy General Counsel (Personnel and Health Policy), with functional responsibility to provide legal advice and assistance for all matters concerning or relating to the DoD Standards of Conduct Program and other ethics-related matters.
Major Duties Include
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), the Mandatory Technical Qualifications, and other qualifications, if applicable, listed below.
EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS: All applicants must submit written statements (narrative format) describing accomplishments that would satisfy the ECQs. You must address each ECQ separately, not to exceed 10 pages. You are required to respond to all ECQs. If you fail to do so will result in a rating of 'ineligible.' When responding to the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), you must clearly show that you possess the experience, knowledge, skills and ability to perform the duties of this position by submitting narrative responses in which you detail your experience in each of the ECQs. Your examples should be clear and emphasize your level of responsibilities, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments with results of your actions, policy initiatives and level of contacts. You should limit your narrative to two pages per ECQ, and address each ECQ separately. OPM's Guide to Senior Executive Service Qualifications can assist you in writing an effective SES application. In particular, please note the Challenge-Context-Action-Result Model that is recommended and very helpful when drafting ECQ narrative responses. The Guide is available on OPM's Website at:
http://www.opm.gov/ses/references/guidetoSESQuals_2012.pdf
Applicants must utilize the Challenge-Context-Action-Result (CCAR) Model when writing Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ). Use two examples of relevant experience for each ECQ being sure your experience matches the ECQ criteria.
Challenge - Describe a specific problem or goal.
Context - Describe the individuals and groups you worked with, and/or the environment in which you worked, to address a particular challenge (e.g., clients, co-workers, members of Congress, shrinking budget, low morale).
Action - Discuss the specific actions you took to address a challenge.
Result - Give specific examples of measures/outcomes that had some impact on the organization. These accomplishments demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of your leadership skills.
Each accomplishment should be clear, concise, and emphasize your level of responsibilities; the scope and complexity of the programs, activities, or services you managed; program accomplishments; policy initiatives undertaken; level of contacts; the sensitivity and criticality of the issues you addressed; and the results of your actions. You should use action oriented leadership words to describe your experience and accomplishments (e.g., Led the development and implementation of....) and quantify your experience wherever possible to demonstrate your accomplishments (e.g., number of employees supervised; size of budget managed; amount of money saved, etc.).
ECQ 1 - 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.
ECQ 2 - 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.
ECQ 3 - 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.
ECQ 4 - Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.
ECQ 5 - 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.
Applicants that are either Career SES members, or graduates of the Office of Personnel Management Certified Development Program are not required to address the ECQs.
MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS: All applicants must submit written statements (narrative format) of accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications. You must address each technical qualification separately. You are required to respond to all of the technical qualifications. If you fail to do so, you will be rated as ineligible. Please limit your written statements to no more than two pages per technical qualification.
Education
Candidates must meet the following education requirement for career series 0905:
Must be a graduate of law school. You must have a current license to practice law from at least one state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. commonwealth or U.S. territory, and be able to demonstrate that in a least one state or jurisdiction in which you are licensed you are permitted to engage in the active practice of law. Active status must be maintained in at least one state or jurisdiction during the course of employment in the Office of the General Counsel and DLSA. Applicants are not required to provide an official certificate demonstrating this active status, but must provide such a certificate to the selecting official if selected.
A copy of a law school transcript is required as proof that you meet the educational requirement for this position (unofficial transcripts are acceptable). Failure to provide a copy of your transcript for this announcement will result in a rating of "ineligible."
Additional information
Veterans preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service.
Applications MUST be submitted through USAJobs.
Submit resume and all other required documents online by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on 03/03/2025
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education. Your application will be evaluated by a rating and ranking panel. Highly qualified candidates may undergo an interview and a reference check. The Office of the Secretary of Defense Executive Resources Board will review results and make recommendations on final selections to the appointing authority. Unless you have already been certified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Review Board (QRB), your ECQs must be certified by the OPM QRB before your appointment can occur.
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Required Documents 2. Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs): A narrative statement specifically addressing each mandatory technical qualification. Statements should not exceed two pages per MTQ.
DO NOT SUBMIT ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Extraneous materials such as award certificates will not be considered.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Duties
The Director, Standards of Conduct Office (SOCO) position is located in the Defense Legal Services Agency (DLSA). The General Counsel of the Department of Defense is the Chief Legal Officer of the Department, with responsibility for all of the Department's legal services. The General Counsel is dual-hatted as the Director, DLSA. DLSA provides legal advice and services to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Activities, Defense Agencies, and DoD Field Activities, and performs other such related functions as are within the authority of the General Counsel of the Department of Defense. The Department of Defense SOCO is part of DLSA.
The Director, SOCO is responsible, on behalf of the General Counsel, for administration of the Standards of Conduct Program on three distinct planes in the Department. As such, the incumbent is a principal assistant to the General Counsel, the Principal Deputy General Counsel, and the Deputy General Counsel (Personnel and Health Policy), with functional responsibility to provide legal advice and assistance for all matters concerning or relating to the DoD Standards of Conduct Program and other ethics-related matters.
Major Duties Include
- Assists the General Counsel in promulgating and updating the Standards of Conduct and related ethics regulations and policies for the Department, overseeing their uniform application, resolving disparate application among DoD Components, and serving as a single point of contact between the Department and other Federal agencies, Congress, and the White House.
- Assists the General Counsel in the oversight of 24 Deputy Designated Agency Ethics Officials.
- Provides legal advice and assistance on matters that include conflicts of interest, endorsements, financial disclosure, misuse of position, and gifts of travel. The incumbent also advises on political activities of civilian employees and serves as the Executive Secretary of the DoD OGC/DLSA Professional Conduct Board.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen to qualify for this position.
- All newly appointed Career SES leaders must sign the Reassignment Rights Obligations Agreement as a condition of appointment into the SES.
- You must submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test before you can be appointed into this position. Designated and/or Random Drug Testing required.
- In order to qualify for this position, you must be able to obtain a Top Secret security clearance and access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI).
- Submit resume and all other required documents online by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on 03/03/2025
- The individual selected will be required to file an 'Executive Branch Personnel Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-278) in accordance with the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
- You will serve a one-year probationary period unless you have previously completed the probationary period in the SES.
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration).
To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), the Mandatory Technical Qualifications, and other qualifications, if applicable, listed below.
EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS: All applicants must submit written statements (narrative format) describing accomplishments that would satisfy the ECQs. You must address each ECQ separately, not to exceed 10 pages. You are required to respond to all ECQs. If you fail to do so will result in a rating of 'ineligible.' When responding to the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), you must clearly show that you possess the experience, knowledge, skills and ability to perform the duties of this position by submitting narrative responses in which you detail your experience in each of the ECQs. Your examples should be clear and emphasize your level of responsibilities, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments with results of your actions, policy initiatives and level of contacts. You should limit your narrative to two pages per ECQ, and address each ECQ separately. OPM's Guide to Senior Executive Service Qualifications can assist you in writing an effective SES application. In particular, please note the Challenge-Context-Action-Result Model that is recommended and very helpful when drafting ECQ narrative responses. The Guide is available on OPM's Website at:
http://www.opm.gov/ses/references/guidetoSESQuals_2012.pdf
Applicants must utilize the Challenge-Context-Action-Result (CCAR) Model when writing Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ). Use two examples of relevant experience for each ECQ being sure your experience matches the ECQ criteria.
Challenge - Describe a specific problem or goal.
Context - Describe the individuals and groups you worked with, and/or the environment in which you worked, to address a particular challenge (e.g., clients, co-workers, members of Congress, shrinking budget, low morale).
Action - Discuss the specific actions you took to address a challenge.
Result - Give specific examples of measures/outcomes that had some impact on the organization. These accomplishments demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of your leadership skills.
Each accomplishment should be clear, concise, and emphasize your level of responsibilities; the scope and complexity of the programs, activities, or services you managed; program accomplishments; policy initiatives undertaken; level of contacts; the sensitivity and criticality of the issues you addressed; and the results of your actions. You should use action oriented leadership words to describe your experience and accomplishments (e.g., Led the development and implementation of....) and quantify your experience wherever possible to demonstrate your accomplishments (e.g., number of employees supervised; size of budget managed; amount of money saved, etc.).
ECQ 1 - 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.
ECQ 2 - 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.
ECQ 3 - 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.
ECQ 4 - Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.
ECQ 5 - 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.
Applicants that are either Career SES members, or graduates of the Office of Personnel Management Certified Development Program are not required to address the ECQs.
MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS: All applicants must submit written statements (narrative format) of accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications. You must address each technical qualification separately. You are required to respond to all of the technical qualifications. If you fail to do so, you will be rated as ineligible. Please limit your written statements to no more than two pages per technical qualification.
- Comprehensive knowledge of and demonstrated experience in applying statutes and regulations governing standards of conduct with a Federal Department of agency, to include the Ethics in Government Act; 18 USC 201-209; Executive Orders 12731 and 12674; Office of Government Ethics regulations; and the Procurement Integrity Act, as amended.
- Familiarity with the organization and mission of the Department of Defense and demonstrated ability to serve as a member of the Agency's executive leadership team and work effectively with a diverse, senior client base to ensure continued mission success.
- Demonstrated ability to identify and resolve novel and complex issues of law.
- Demonstrated ability to provide legal advice to senior officials in a Federal department or agency, and the ability to administer a Federal Department of private sector ethics program.
- Demostrated ability to manage a team of senior attorneys and support staff, ensuring effective administration of responsible programs.
Education
Candidates must meet the following education requirement for career series 0905:
Must be a graduate of law school. You must have a current license to practice law from at least one state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. commonwealth or U.S. territory, and be able to demonstrate that in a least one state or jurisdiction in which you are licensed you are permitted to engage in the active practice of law. Active status must be maintained in at least one state or jurisdiction during the course of employment in the Office of the General Counsel and DLSA. Applicants are not required to provide an official certificate demonstrating this active status, but must provide such a certificate to the selecting official if selected.
A copy of a law school transcript is required as proof that you meet the educational requirement for this position (unofficial transcripts are acceptable). Failure to provide a copy of your transcript for this announcement will result in a rating of "ineligible."
Additional information
Veterans preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service.
Applications MUST be submitted through USAJobs.
Submit resume and all other required documents online by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on 03/03/2025
Read more
- Help Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education. Your application will be evaluated by a rating and ranking panel. Highly qualified candidates may undergo an interview and a reference check. The Office of the Secretary of Defense Executive Resources Board will review results and make recommendations on final selections to the appointing authority. Unless you have already been certified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Review Board (QRB), your ECQs must be certified by the OPM QRB before your appointment can occur.
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Required Documents 2. Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs): A narrative statement specifically addressing each mandatory technical qualification. Statements should not exceed two pages per MTQ.
- Resume - In addition to your written statements addressing the Executive Core Qualifications, the Mandatory Technical Qualification(s), and other qualifications as applicable, submit a resume or any other written format you choose to describe your qualifications, not to exceed five pages. Applicants typically provide the following information:
- Vacancy Announcement number SES-12680173-25-AS
- Full name, email and mailing address, and day and evening telephone numbers
- Educational information including the name, city, and state of colleges or universities you attended, as well as the type of any degree received. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, you may refer to the following U.S. Department of Education website: http://http://www.edu.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html
- Information about your paid and nonpaid work experience related to this position including: job title, duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address, duration of employment, and salary
- Information about honors, awards, and special accomplishments
- Submit resume and all other required documents online by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on 03/03/2025~
- Mandatory ECQ Statement: A narrative statement specifically addressing each individual ECQ. In lieu of the narrative statement, current career SES members, reinstatement eligibles, and SES Candidate Development Program graduates must provide the documentation in item #4.
- Copy of the Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50): If you are a current or former Federal civilian employee, you must submit your last or most recent SF-50 showing grade and tenure. Current and former career SES members must provide an SF-50 showing their status or reinstatement eligibility. Candidates who have successfully completed an Office of Personnel Management approved SES Candidate Development Program must submit a copy of their ECQ certification.
- Demographics Information of Applicants: Click on the link to access the Demographics Information of Applicants
DO NOT SUBMIT ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Extraneous materials such as award certificates will not be considered.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
