The Office of General Counsel (OGC) is the exclusive NSA component responsible for providing legal services to all NSA elements. The Office of General Counsel protect NSA's interests concerning the legal and regulatory authorities, requirements, entitlements, obligations and oversight requirements under which the Agency operate.
The Office of General Counsel (OGC) is the exclusive NSA component responsible for providing legal services to all NSA elements. The Office of General Counsel protect NSA's interests concerning the legal and regulatory authorities, requirements, entitlements, obligations and oversight requirements under which the Agency operate.
NSA Office of General Counsel (OGC) is seeking highly motivated, accomplished attorneys from diverse backgrounds with experience in practice areas such as litigation, cybersecurity and national security law, government contracts, administrative law, human resources, equal employment opportunity, government ethics, privacy and civil liberties, compliance programs, and Congressional affairs, who are interested in joining its elite team of lawyers. At NSA OGC, you will analyze cutting-edge technical and intelligence issues and will frequently provide legal advice that relates to high-profile current events affecting our national security.
Attorneys working in NSA OGC apply their expertise, skills, and education to solve a variety of challenges not found in the private sector or at any other government agency. You will have the opportunity to make a global impact on a daily basis as you work with other top caliber professionals at the highest levels of the Agency and across the U.S. Government. This critical work ensures that Agency operations comply with the law while also protecting both our national security and our civil liberties.
Because the twin missions of NSA - signals intelligence and cybersecurity - encompass counterterrorism and cybersecurity, two of the most important and dynamic challenges our Government faces today, there is rarely a typical day for an NSA attorney. We are routinely presented with exciting and novel legal issues at the intersection of technology and law.
In tackling these challenges, our attorneys work directly with senior officials at various Intelligence Community and Executive Branch agencies, as well as with relevant committees of Congress.
NSA attorneys work in a highly classified setting and are entrusted with tremendous responsibility as they advise the Director and other senior leaders at the Agency on a diverse and complex spectrum of issues related to gathering the foreign intelligence information needed to fight international terrorism, espionage, transnational crime, and narcotics, to defeat foreign cyber adversaries trying to steal national secrets, and to provide intelligence support to critical military overseas tactical operations, all while protecting our civil liberties and ensuring strict compliance with the Constitution and our laws. Because the NSA is a Department of Defense agency, our attorneys have a unique opportunity to be directly involved in national security operations working alongside military and civilian colleagues, as well as to interact with the private sector in cybersecurity and other matters.
In short, many OGC attorneys say they can't imagine working in a more exciting and important position.
NSA OGC has several exciting and challenging career opportunities available in a range of legal practice groups that provide advice in the areas of: Intelligence Operations; Procurement; Research and Development; Information Security; Environmental Law, Patents, Telecommunications; Security matters; Litigation; Acquisition, Research & Technology Law; and Administrative Law & Ethics.
The responsibilities of an Attorney at the NSA can include:
- Advising the Agency on legal matters involving a particular subject matter (e.g., intelligence operations, procurement, research and development, information security, patents, security matters, legislation, employment/personnel issues, ethics, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Privacy Act (PA), or Federal Records Act (FRA) questions)
- Analyzing legislation, programs, policies, regulations, or plans to determine impact on the Agency
- Representing the Agency's official position in legal and legislative proceedings
- Representing the Agency in interactions with outside customers, DoD, Congressional representatives, foreign partners, or the general public
- Conferring with/educating clients, customers, or stakeholders on legal or policy issues
- Determining the legal sufficiency of documents
- Drafting legal briefs, pleadings, etc
- Making legal determinations in accordance with laws, regulations, professional standards, or Agency policies and procedures
Appointment to this position requires a minimum commitment of 2 year(s) in OGC before you can be eligible to apply for any other positions at the Agency.
AFTER SUBMITTING YOUR ELECTRONIC APPLICATION, you will receive an email with instructions on how to submit the following supplemental information:
- Cover letter
- Professional resume
- Legal writing sample (short, <15 pages)
- Unofficial law school transcript
- Past professional references (approximately three; include name, title, phone number, and email). Current employer references will only be required after a successful interview is completed.
This email will come from a member of the OGC Hiring Team from a uwe.nsa.gov account. If you do not receive this email within seven (7) business days of submitting your application, contact OGC_Applications@nsa.gov. Your application will not be considered if these supplemental documents are not received by the date noted in the email instructions.
The National Security Agency (NSA) is part of the DoD Intelligence Community Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). All positions in the NSA are in the Excepted Services under 10 United States Codes (USC) 1601 appointment authority. DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are a veteran claiming veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you may be asked to submit documents verifying your eligibility.
Apply soonest, as job postings can close earlier than stated end dates due to changes in requirements. It is important to review and note the minimum qualifications, as only those applicants who meet the required qualifications will be contacted to continue the employment process. Please populate the resume tool to showcase any relevant work experience and education related to the position and answer any applicable screening questions. Information collected will be used to determine eligibility, and failure to provide accurate information may result in disqualification for this position.
A confirmation email will be sent after submission of the first application and also after any future updates to submitted applications. **Due to time sensitive communications regarding applications, please ensure your spam filters are configured to accept email from noreply@intelligencecareers.gov. For job vacancies that include stated testing requirements, also include the following: @uwe.nsa.gov, @nsa.gov, and @pearson.com**
U.S. Citizenship is required for all applicants. NSA is an equal opportunity employer and abides by applicable employment laws and regulations. All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order 12564. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a security background investigation and polygraph. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to applicants with disabilities during the application and hiring process where appropriate. Please visit our Diversity link for more information https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/NSA/diversity-and-inclusion.
Pay: Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position and also take into account information provided by the hiring manager/organization regarding the work level for the position.
Salary Range: $117,962 - $191,900 (Senior, Expert Level)
Salary range varies by work level and relevant experience to the position.
On the job training, internal NSA courses, and external training will be made available based on the need and experience of the selectee.
Benefits: NSA offers excellent benefits to include relocation assistance, flexible work schedules, generous leave programs, paid personal fitness time, training and continuing education classes, health and life insurance, Federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), and a Federal retirement plan.
Work Schedule: This is a full-time position, Monday - Friday, with basic 8hr/day work requirement between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (flexible).Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position and also take into account information provided by the hiring manager/organization regarding the work level for the position. This position is hiring for Maryland.
Experience and knowledge of law in one or more of the following areas is required:
- intelligence operations
- procurement
- research and development
- information security
- environmental law
- patents
- telecommunications
- security matters
- legislation
- human resources
- equal employment opportunity
- ethics
- litigation
- cybersecurity
- compliance
- Congressional affairs
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
- Privacy Act (PA) and civil liberties
The ideal candidate is a highly-motivated and qualified attorney with excellent oral and written communication skills, a desire for continual learning, possesses problem-solving, analytic, and interpersonal skills, and is:
- detail-oriented
- customer and results oriented
- able to adjust to changing situational requirements
- able to build relationships across the Agency and with external stakeholders
- able to manage multiple tasks with competing timelines and deliverables
