Archived listing. The details below describe a past opening.
Summary This position is a staff attorney in the General Law division of the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Office of Chief Counsel. The attorney will provide legal services supporting all functional areas assigned to the Office of Chief Counsel. The attorney will provide written and oral legal advice interpreting statutes, regulations, case law, departmental orders, agency policies, and grant and contract agreements. Duties The General Law Division is responsible for providing legal advice regarding internal administrative laws in subjects like ethics, FOIA, employment, and contracting. The Division also provides advice concerning FTA’s multibillion dollar infrastructure grant programs, including interpreting FTA’s authorizing statutes, the laws of federal financial assistance, administrative law, and domestic preference laws like Buy America. General Law attorneys work closely with their colleagues in other Chief Counsel divisions, and the successful applicant may be asked to take on duties relating to any matter within the Chief Counsel’s responsibilities.
As an Attorney Advisor, you will:
- Provide legal opinions and advice interpreting statutes, regulations, executive orders, case law, departmental orders, agency circulars, and grants and contracts, with particular emphasis on all subject matters or functions assigned to the General Law Division. The attorney may be called on to represent the agency in administrative proceedings.
- Assist other Chief Counsel divisions, which may include rulemaking or grant administration activities.
- Provide legal services related to FTA programs and internal administration at all levels of the organization.
- Provide legal advice and support on complex or high-profile legal and policy issues.
- Work in teams with other attorneys and non-attorney colleagues to advance agency objectives.
The ideal candidate has experience advising and representing a federal agency on administrative matters, preferably with experience administering federal grants or advising and defending contracting activity subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).
Qualifications
To qualify for consideration at each grade level, your experience and education should meet the following:
GRADE 11- Possess a law degree (LLB, or J.D.) and be a member in good standing of a bar. No professional legal experience is necessary.
GRADE 12- Possess a law degree, bar membership in good standing and at least one year of professional attorney experience, which may be in the form of a second professional law degree (LL.M) that requires one full year of graduate study.
GRADE 13 - Possess a law degree, bar membership in good standing, and at least two years of professional attorney experience. One year which maybe in the form of and a second professional law degree (LL.M) which requires one full year of graduate study.
GRADE 14 - Possess a law degree, bar membership in good standing, and at least three years of professional attorney experience. One year of which maybe in the form of a second professional law degree (LL.M.) that requires one full year of graduate study.
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:
- Legal, Government and Jurisprudence: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, Government regulations, Executive orders, agency rules, Government organization and functions, and the democratic political process.
- Grants Management Laws, Regulations, and Guidelines: Knowledge of principles, laws, regulations, policies, practices, and guidelines (for example, Executive Orders, Code of Federal Regulations, OMB circulars) of grant or agreement programs, including their order of precedence.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Education
MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
To qualify for this position, candidates must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have a professional law degree, and must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.
Requirements
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.
- TRIAL PERIOD: This is an Excepted Service position. This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service. Applicants selected for an excepted service position may be subject to a two-year trial period.
- ETHICS/CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT: All employees are subject to the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, part 2635, including restrictions on owning financial interests that may conflict with performance of their duties. Some employees, like those involved in contracting or regulating non-Federal entities, are subject to Executive Branch Financial Disclosure requirements set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, part 2634.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Applicants may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
- GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
How you will be evaluated DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. To receive full credit during evaluation, your assessment responses must explicitly point back to your resume, as HR cannot make assumptions about your experience. You must write your narrative answers in full paragraph format, beginning each response with the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full-time/part-time, average hours worked per week, and federal series/grade (if applicable) as listed on your resume. Within the paragraph, clearly describe your specific individual duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes to prove your level of expertise. HR will cross-check your narrative against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every detail and timeframe claimed in your written response, the claimed experience will be disallowed, which may result in an ineligible determination.
You will not be considered for the position if any part of the application or supporting documentation is incomplete. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or adverse action after hiring.
Applicants will not be rated or ranked.
All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.
You may preview questions for this vacancy. How to apply You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.
- To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting.
- Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
- You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at Transjobs@dot.gov.
Other information As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your 2-year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation
This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.