Summary The primary purpose of this position is to provide members of the Secretariat, Air Staff, Assistant Secretary (Acquisition), PEOs and field level offices with actionable, candid, and independent legal advice and counsel, effective advocacy, and creative problem solving, on all matters pertaining to government procurement law (acquisition planning, source selection, and contract administration issues). Duties
- Responsible for carrying out matters pertaining primarily to trademark law, with a particular focus on trademark prosecution, licensing, and branding with skill at defending Air Force interests in these areas. Responsible for representing the Department of the Air Force before the United States Patent and Trademark Office concerning Trademark matters.
- Responsible for drafting and negotiating a wide variety of agreements including those relating to marketing, merchandising, and content licensing concerning the use of Air Force trademarks. Responsible for drafting and negotiating trademark license agreements between the Air Force and commercial vendors.
- Responsible for assessing, investigating, and developing strategies for cease and desist letters, domain name proceedings, online marketplace takedowns, opposition and cancellation proceedings (both offensive and defensive) before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), and other trademark enforcement activities. Acts as a trademark subject matter expert for pre-litigation enforcement matters for the Department of the Air Force.
- As assigned and without direct supervision, accomplishes specialized projects, which require an exceptionally high level of legal training and experience. Such projects may involve participation in Air Force or inter-Air Force working groups and may require field trips to military installations and other locations.
- Represents the office of the General Counsel and/or the Air Force in conferences with senior representatives of DoD and other defense agencies and military departments, other government agencies, and private industry on matters of interest to the Air Force. Prepares and presents speeches in various AF operating offices and legal educational seminars.
Qualifications
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
- You MUST have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD).
- In addition, at the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status with a bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status.
Specialized Experience: In addition to the basic requirement: you must have professional legal experience in excess of three (3) years that commensurate with the position's duties and responsibilities.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
- Knowledge of the role and duties of a senior government attorney.
- Superior knowledge of the Lanham Act (15 U.S.C. § 1051 et seq.) and other applicable substantive federal laws, regulations, and policies with specific focus on all matters pertaining to trademark law with a particular expertise in marketing, licensing, and branding of government owned Trademarks.
- Experience in preparing and prosecuting trademark applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office to obtain registrations and renewals of trademarks; familiarity with FAR and DFARS based government contracts and non-FAR based assistance agreements (e,g,, Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements) is beneficial but not necessary.
- Skilled in various research methodologies, including computer-assisted technologies; ability to gather, analyze, and coherently communicate data involving complex legal issues and theories.
- Knowledge of communication methodologies and staffing processes peculiar to the legal profession and the Air Force.
- Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; skilled at communicating, coordinating, and collaborating in order to foster effective working relationships
At the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status and in good standing with a bar of the highest court of a State, US commonwealth, US territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status and dated within four months of application.
PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.
VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.Education Must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, and be currently licensed as an attorney, in active (or equivalent) status and in good standing, with the bar of a U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth. The attorney must maintain such bar membership in at least one jurisdiction during the entire course of employment with the Air Force. How you will be evaluated Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.
The resume/documents you submit must support your responses to the online questionnaire. If your application contradicts or does not support your questionnaire responses, you will receive a rating of "not qualified" or "insufficient information" and you will not receive further consideration for this job.
Applications who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further. How to apply The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 11/18/2026
To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13108686
To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the application questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Application button at the end of the process.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- Your Resume. If you submit more than one resume, only the most recent will be reviewed. The "most recent" is considered the resume with the latest timestamp.
- Resumes may not exceed two pages. The two-page resume ensures the most relevant experience is reviewed and considered, which is a common practice in both the public and private sectors. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information on how to complete or update your resume may be located here.
- For qualification determination your resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Current Federal Civilian Employees may list any relevant performance related rating (given within the last three years) and/or incentive awards in your resume.
- Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy.
- Your name, first and last, MUST be included on your resume.
- A complete Application Questionnaire
- Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section). Ensure all submitted documents contain your full name.
- Help recruiters find you. Make your resume and profile searchable, which means recruiters may contact you about possible jobs. Additional information may be located here.
- Optional Documents: Performance Appraisals for Current Federal Civilian Employees - Most recent performance appraisals (dated within last 3 years) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable.
PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. You can access your USAJOBS account to do so by clicking here. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
Human Resources WILL NOT modify or change any answers submitted by an applicant. Other information This is an acquisition demonstration project position NH-04 equivalent to a GS-14 to GS-15.
Employed Annuitants (Reemployed Annuitants): Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. Click here for more information.
Writing Example: Prior to receiving an offer, you will be asked to provide a writing sample demonstrating your legal analytical skills.
120-Day Register: This announcement may result in a 120-day register that may be used to fill like vacancies for 120 days after the closing date. Applicants may be referred for consideration as vacancies occur.
Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit.
Incentives: Recruitment and/or retention incentives may or may not be used.
Disabled veteran leave is available to a Federal employee hired on/after 5 Nov 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more. For more information, click here.
If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here.