Attorney-Adviser (Policy Attorney) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 25-CFPB-14-X Department Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Salary $99,452.00 to $182,344.00 Grade 51 to 53
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/12/2024 Close Date 11/19/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is located at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity. As an Attorney-Adviser (Policy Attorney), you will provide substantive legal program and policy support related to fair lending and credit-access related supervision, enforcement, advocacy, education, engagement, coordination, research, and reporting activities.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from U.S. citizens or U.S. Nationals.

Duties

The following are the duties of this position at the CN-53, broadly equivalent to the GS-13. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position. Attorneys at CFPB may be eligible for promotions subject to the Bureau's Attorney Hiring & Promotion Policy.

  • Provide legal and subject matter expertise, policy and research expertise, project management, and legal services in complex and sensitive situations. Develop, review, provide input, and coordinate feedback on legislative proposals, research, regulatory activity, management and policy initiatives, guidance, compliance, communications, and other activity involving complex issues. Work closely with Bureau staff to provide input and/or coordinate the review, development, and advancement of policy proposals, as well as strategies for implementation. Provide input on supervisory and enforcement activity pertaining to fair lending and access to credit, as well as technology bias.
  • Coordinate and collaborate with fair lending, market, technology, and policy experts within the Bureau, other Tribal, Federal and State agencies, and provides expert legal advice, policy proposals, and recommendations on issues regarding laws, regulations and research, and their impact on stakeholders in complex situations. Reviews and comment on proposed and existing laws and regulations, research and access to credit. Formulate legal and policy recommendations to implement laws and regulations, and to advance research. Participate in the preparation of Congressional testimony, reports, speeches, and other communication tools.
  • Work with private industry, civil rights, consumer and community advocates, technologists, and others on the promotion of fair lending compliance, outreach and education. Represent the Bureau and Office before stakeholders. Provide legal and policy research, assistance, and support necessary for the implementation of an outreach, compliance and education strategic plan in consultation with Bureau staff, including Fair Lending Stakeholder and Outreach and Policy personnel, other regulators, private industry, technologists, and fair lending, civil rights, and consumer and community advocates.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Key Requirements:

  • Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National
  • A trial period may be required.
  • Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
  • This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements
  • Law Degree: Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B., J.D. or equivalent.
  • Bar Membership: Applicants must be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
*Each grade is at its Full Performance Level.*

Per the CFPB Attorney policy, you must also meet the following minimum qualifications for the CN-53 level:

  • Three (3) years of related legal experience. Such experience must include experience as a licensed attorney in order to be creditable, (Law Clerk experience may not be qualifying for the experience requirements) of which;
  • You must have twelve (12) months of specialized experience at the CN-52 level (equivalent to the GS-12 level) that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position.
    • Specialized Experience:
      • Experience conducting research and analysis related to public policy.; AND
      • Experience communicating with internal and external stakeholders, both orally and in writing.; AND
      • Experience in administrative law, Federal consumer financial protection, or regulatory law are highly desirable.

Per the CFPB Attorney policy, you must also meet the following minimum qualifications for the CN-52 level:

  • Two (2) years of related legal experience. Such experience must include experience as a licensed attorney in order to be creditable, (Law Clerk experience may not be qualifying for the experience requirements) of which;
  • You must have twelve (12) months of specialized experience at the CN-51 level (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position.
Specialized Experience:
  • Experience conducting research and analysis related to public policy.
  • Experience communicating with internal and external stakeholders, both orally and in writing.
  • Experience in administrative law, Federal consumer financial protection, or regulatory law are highly desirable.


Per the CFPB Attorney policy, you must also meet the following minimum qualifications for the CN-51 level:
  • One (1) years of related legal experience. Such experience must include experience as a licensed attorney in order to be creditable, (Law Clerk experience may not be qualifying for the experience requirements) OR;
  • You must have twelve (12) months of specialized experience at the CN-40 level (equivalent to the GS-09 level) that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position.
Specialized Experience:
  • Experience conducting legal research and analysis.
  • Experience communicating with internal or external stakeholders, both orally and in writing.
  • Experience in administrative law, Federal consumer financial protection, or regulatory law are desirable.



Experience may have been gained in either the public or private sector.


The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Education

Law Degree: Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B., J.D. or equivalent.

Additional information

OTHER INFORMATION:

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
  • All candidates will be considered without regard to any non-merit reasons such as race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, lawful political affiliation, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, protected genetic information, parental status, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.
  • This is a bargaining unit position. The Union that represents CFPB employees is the National Treasury Employees Union ("NTEU"), Local Chapter 335.
  • We offer opportunities for telework.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.

  • Bureau employees are subject to government-wide ethical standards of conduct, financial disclosure requirements, and post-employment prohibitions, which applicants may review at www.oge.gov. In addition, employees must comply with the Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (5 CFR 9401), which, among other things, prohibit an employee or the employee's spouse or minor child from owning or controlling a debt or equity interest in an entity supervised by the Bureau. Regulations also impose restrictions on the outside activities of certain Bureau employees, including examiners and attorneys. Applicants may review the Bureau ethics regulations and a summary of the regulations at www.consumerfinance.gov. Questions regarding these requirements and prohibitions should be directed to the Bureau Ethics Office at EthicsHelp@cfpb.gov.


CFPB uses an experience-based process to set pay for employees. Experience is evaluated and credited using the employee's résumé. To ensure that all of your prior work experience (e.g., internships, volunteer work, details, part-time, self-employment, secondary jobs, etc.) is considered and accounted for, please ensure that your résumé covers the following:

  • your entire work history with specific start and end dates (MM-DD-YYYY) provided for each listed position
  • hours worked per week for each position
  • degrees and the dates conferred (MM-YYYY)

Part-time experience will be credited pro-rata based on a 40-hour work week, while work of 32 hours or more will be rounded up to full-time experience. If you have multiple positions that have overlapping start and/or end dates, only 40 hours of experience will be credited for a given work week. Refer to Resume Tips for more information on how to submit a comprehensive résumé. See information on our base pay ranges and salary structure.

Our comprehensive benefits are among the most generous in the federal government. They include:- Challenging and rewarding work benefiting American consumers - Opportunities for development and advancement- Comprehensive Federal health, vision, dental, life, and long-term care insurance programs- Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/201706_cfpb_benefits.pdf

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.

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

We will evaluate your application by comparing your description of your work experience, level of responsibility, and accomplishments, with the requirements of the position to determine whether you meet all the qualification requirements. The assessment questions are for information gathering purposes only.

Veterans preference is not applied but considered a positive factor.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged non-compliance by contacting: Ana.GuzmanEvans@cfpb.gov

What are criminal history inquiries?

Required Documents

A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents.
Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible). Please ensure all required documents, including any required work samples, narratives, or other materials as stated in this announcement, are attached to your application package.

It is anticipated that there will be significant interest in the announcement. As a result, the announcement will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on the date of receipt of the 200TH application or at 11:59 p.m. ET on 11/19/2024; whichever occurs first. Any required documents should be submitted at the time that you apply as documents will not be accepted after the vacancy closes.

All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference as a positive factor, please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.

EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent if selected. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

See our tips on the application process and printable checklist to ensure each step of the application is completed.

RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTS:In addition, we recommend that you submit copies of the following:1. Proof of Active Bar Membership: Applicants must be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 2. Official or unofficial law school transcripts; 3. A cover letter; and 4. a recent legal writing sample

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.

How to Apply

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.

Please review the entire announcement before applying.

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.

You may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation as part of the job application process if you need one due to a disability, pregnancy; childbirth; or related medical conditions, or religion. Learn more about reasonable accommodations.

If you applied for a job at CFPB and think you may have been subjected to unlawful discrimination related to your application, you have rights. Learn more about raising an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) issue.

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
  • Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application:
-Log into your USAJOBS account (USAJOBS Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen
-Under "application status," click "Track this application" and you will be taken to the agency website where you can check your application status.

For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/ If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to your application. No updates can be made once the announcement has closed. Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.

To preview the assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12587224

Agency contact information

Applicant Call Center
Address
OFFICE OF FAIR LENDING AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Administrative Resource Center
Parkersburg, WV 26101
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once the online application is submitted, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your résumé and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct any required suitability and/or security background investigation.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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