Federal Position Descriptions
Print

General Counsel

Navy General Counsel, Department of Defense
Responsibility
Management Scope

The Navy has an annual budget in excess of $170 billion and nearly 900,000 sailors, marines and civilians.

Primary Responsibilities

• Manages the Office of the General Counsel.
• Provides business and business-related legal advice and services to the Navy and Marine Corps, including the fleet and shore establishment and the operations of the Military Sealift Command.
• Provides solutions to legal issues in its principal areas of expertise, which include the following: acquisition law; business and commercial law; real and personal property law; civilian personnel and labor law; fiscal law; environmental law; alternate dispute resolution; intellectual property law; intelligence law; ethics and standards of conduct; Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act law; and litigation related to these areas.
• Maintains a close working relationship with the judge advocate general (JAG) of the Navy and the staff judge advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) on all matters of common interest.
• Assists in the oversight of the naval criminal investigative service.
• Ensures that the intelligence, intelligence-related and sensitive activities of the department are conducted in a legal manner.
• Oversees the Acquisition Integrity Office and the suspending and debarring official on acquisition matters.
• Manages the alternative dispute resolution program for the Department of the Navy.
• Provides legal review on all legislative proposals of interest to the Navy.
• Works with the other general counsel of the Department of Defense on issues of common concern.

Strategic Goals and Priorities
[Depends on the policy priorities of the administration.]
Requirements

• Distinguished legal career of at least a decade
• Extensive management experience
• Acquisition law experience or familiarity
• Previous DOD experience and/or military service a plus

Competencies

• Very strong people skills
• Ability to resolve differences in opinion with other legal experts in the department
• A willingness to understand the Navy more broadly as one of its senior officials and be an active participant in the business side of its management
• Skill in managing within a complex, matrixed structure

Past Appointments
  • Paul Sanz (2010 to 2017) – General Counsel, Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate; Deputy Chief Counsel for the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives; Clerk, Judge Jose Fuste, U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
  • Frank Jimenez (2006 to 2009) – Deputy General Counsel, Department of Defense; Chief of Staff, Department of Housing and Urban Development; Executive Office, Gov. Jeb Bush
  • Alberto Mora (2001 to 2006) – Member, Broadcasting Board of Governors; General Counsel, United States Information Agency; Foreign Service Officer
AGENCY

Department of Defense

Mission: The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.

COMPENSATION

Level IV $155,500 (5 U.S.C. § 5315)1

REPORTS TO

Secretary of the Navy

SENATE COMMITTEE

Armed Services

Appointee Tracker

Check out our Political Appointee Tracker

Go to the tracker
Footnote
  1. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-31, May 5, 2017), contains a provision that continues the freeze on the payable pay rates for certain senior political officials at 2013 levels during calendar year 2017.
More federal position descriptions