Summary
The mission of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is to promote the integrity, resilience, and vibrancy of the U.S. derivatives markets through sound regulation.
Clarification from the agency
This position is open to the public. Positions may be located at any of the CFTC locations: Washington, DC; New York, NY; Chicago, IL; and Kansas City, MO.
Duties
***This is an open continuous announcement to fill multiple positions as they become available. Applications will be reviewed on a continuous basis for the duration of this announcement***
Positions may be placed in any of the Commissions’ Operating Division/Offices, located at Headquarters in Washington, DC; Chicago, IL; New York, NY; and/or Kansas City, MO offices. Divisions may include but not limited to the following offices:
Division of Clearing Risk
Division of Enforcement
Division of Market Oversight
Market Participants Division
Office of General Counsel
For more information on the Operating Offices/Divisions, please visit: CFTC Organization | CFTC
The incumbent will perform as a Junior Attorney to gain experience working on complex legal matters and policy initiatives relating to commodity derivatives law. With supervisory support, and depending on the assigned division or office, duties may include:
- Providing written or oral legal advice on assigned projects with respect to the relevant provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act (“Act”), Commission regulations, and other pertinent statutes, regulations, judicial decisions, and legal opinions;
- Researching applicable legal standards, foreign and domestic, and investigating relevant facts. On the basis of the research or investigation, preparing necessary legal documents, advisory opinions, drafts or comments on proposed legislation or changes in regulations, or other disposition;
- Identifying and analyzing issues to be considered and developing proposals and recommendations for consideration and adoption by agency officials;
- Drafting new or amended regulations, orders, guidelines, and other regulatory approaches applicable for consideration and adoption by the Commission;
- Drafting staff letters and general memoranda pursuant to programs under the relevant Division’s direction;
- Assisting in the review, evaluation, and preparation of reports submitted to the Commission respect to applicable provisions of the Act and Commission regulations;
- Reviewing proposed legislation, changes in regulations, enforcement actions, questions of law, administrative policy, staff reports, and other Commission regulatory documents and developing independent, objective comments, critiques, and recommendations;
- Studying industry and trade practices, policies, procedures, and operations of other Government agencies or of the States or local bodies or business, technical, and professional publications and other authoritative sources of information required in the technical interpretation of factual issues; and
- Interviewing or engaging with individuals, such as the Commission staff, senior staff/executives, and principals of designated contract markets (DCMs), swap execution facilities (SEFs), swap data repositories (SDRs), self-regulatory organizations (SROs), and derivatives clearing organization (DCOs), and other entities, along with their counsel, accounting and financial professionals, and other experts who provide services to them.
Selections may be made at either grade level.
Conditions of Employment
- U.S. Citizenship
- Background/Security Investigation
- Males born after 12-31-1959 must be registered for Selective Service
- Required to serve a 2-year trial period
Bar Membership: Currently an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Applicants are responsible for citing minimum qualifications such as JD and/or LLB/LLM equivalent and Bar membership information (institution name, state for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will result in an incomplete application.
You must answer each qualification question for the grade or grades you wish to be considered for employment.
Qualifications
To qualify at each grade level, you must have the following:
CT-11: Candidates with a law degree (J.D. or LLB or equivalent) and bar membership and either Superior Academic Achievement or 1 year of relevant legal experience after completion of law school. The following educational activities may be substituted for the year of required experience at this level: top third or above of law school graduating class; significant achievement on law review; moot court participation; relevant law school course work; law clerk experience with a major law firm, federal judge, U.S. Attorney’s or Federal Public Defender’s Office, or Federal agency; or superior legal writing ability as evidenced by current legal publications or the equivalent.
Qualifying experience may include: demonstrating practical writing and communication skills; assisting in the investigation process; preparing documents for review; applying legal research skills; knowledge of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Federal Rules of Evidence; General knowledge of or demonstrated interest in commodities or related law and regulations, financial markets, corporate law, and general administrative law.
CT-12: You must have a J.D. and/or LLM equivalent Degree, bar membership and two years of relevant legal practice experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of a legal position. Relevant experience is defined as an attorney, law clerk, or other legal experience which was obtained subsequent to graduation from law school.
Qualifying experience may include: demonstrating excellent writing and critical thinking skills; interviewing witnesses; participating in investigations; preparing and reviewing proposals, preparing document requests; reviewing documents; researching and writing legal memoranda and litigation documents; knowledge of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Federal Rules of Evidence. Knowledge of or experience in commodities or related law and regulation; financial markets; corporate law, and general administrative law.”
Selections may be made at either grade level.
Education
Education: Successful completion of a full course of study (JD) and/or LLB/LLM, or equivalent, in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
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.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
Applicants who have completed part or all of their education outside of the U.S. must have their foreign education evaluated to ensure that the foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. This evaluation must be provided by midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of this vacancy announcement. We will only accept the completed foreign education evaluation.
Benefits
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.
We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, ten Federal holidays, life insurance, free dental, medical benefits, Life Cycle/Wellness Fund, telework, flexible work schedules and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. Explore the major benefits offered to CFTC employees at http://www.cftc.gov/About/Careers/EmployeeBenefits/index.htm.
Review our 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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
This job is being filled under a Schedule A hiring authority 5 C.F.R. § 213.3102 and is excepted from the competitive civil service. You will be evaluated and deemed either eligible or ineligible based on the relevance and quality of your experience and education, bar membership, and desired qualifications described above. These positions are not covered by the usual civil service hiring procedures. There is no numerical rating system through which to apply veterans' preference; however, CFTC considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference are encouraged to include that information in their cover letter or resume, and to attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD Form-214 or other substantiating documents) to their submissions. All eligible applicants will be further evaluated by subject-matter experts.
Your resume will be referred to the selecting official for the initial review of qualifications. This does not certify that you are qualified for the position. A qualification analysis will be conducted by the HR Specialist to ensure the selectee meets all requirements, including education and minimum qualifications listed on the vacancy announcement. A complete application package is required to be considered qualified and eligible for selection and prior to receiving a firm offer. A complete package must include a resume, bar membership details, law school transcripts and any other applicable documents relevant to the position or listed on the vacancy announcement. Please review the "Requirements" section of the vacancy announcement to understand the list of require documents for a complete application package. Additional information may be requested later in the recruitment process. You may preview questions for this vacancy.
- Resume citing relevant experience Required
- JD and/or LLB/LLM and Bar membership details Required
- College Transcript (Law School Transcripts) Required (The date degree was awarded must be included on transcripts)
- Letter of Good Standing
- Writing sample, illustrating relevant experience (optional)
- Cover Letter (optional)
- SF-50 (if applicable)
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.
YOU MUST APPLY ONLINE.
Your complete application, including required documents, must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. You must complete and submit an application by accessing the USAJOBS website at USAJOBS.GOV. To begin, click the Apply Online button within the vacancy announcement and follow the prompts to create an account using LOGIN.GOV, if you have not done so already. LOGIN.GOV will walk you through each step of the account set-up and will automatically link your USAJOBS profile to LOGIN.GOV. Once you have established an account using LOGIN.GOV, you will then go back to USAJOBS.GOV using your LOGIN.GOV user name and password to answer the questions, and submit all required documents. If you already have established an LOGIN.GOV account or want to return to your saved application go to USAJOBS.GOV using your LOGIN.GOV user name and password to apply or view your profile. If you have problems completing your on-line application, including problems submitting your supporting documents, please contact the Help Desk by e-mail at mgshelp@monster.com or phone at 1-866.656.6831. The help desk is available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Next steps
Your status will also be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. You can check your status, by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://usajobs.gov/ and clicking on "Track Your Online Application."
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