Attorney Advisor Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. DE-12638162-25-TR Department Surface Transportation Board
Salary $117,962.00 to $191,900.00 Grade 13 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/11/2024 Close Date 1/8/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is an Attorney-Advisor located in the section of Public and Governmental Affairs in the Board's Office of Public Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and Compliance (OPAGAC). This section has primary responsibility for engaging with agency stakeholders, including from Congress, Federal, state and local governments, foreign governments, agency practitioners, members of the public, and the media.

Duties

As an Attorney Advisor in OPAGAC you will perform the following duties:

  • Coordinate and conduct information-gathering efforts for senior staff and officials from other Board offices, government agencies, public interest groups, transportation industry organizations, and other Board stakeholders.
  • Develop and administer comprehensive outreach programs to enhance the public understanding of the Board's regulatory activities and policies.
  • Represent OPAGAC in meetings with rail customers and users, carriers, shipper associations, Congress, other government agencies, and other Board stakeholders.
  • Respond to Congressional and other stakeholder inquiries with respect to Board procedures and substantive matters. Prepare technical assistance to draft bills and legislation.
  • Conduct legal research and prepare informational materials, including legal memoranda, regarding the development and interpretation of Board policies concerning all modes of transportation under the Board's jurisdiction.
  • Assist with preparing Board Members and the agency for Congressional and Board hearings.
  • Serve as mediator when needed in the Board's Mediation Program.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • All qualification requirements must be met by 01/08/2025. Your application package will not receive consideration if it lacks any of the required documents under the "Required Documents" tab.
  • Trial Period: Two-year trial period may be required.
  • Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/
  • Background Suitability Investigation: Continued employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background investigation and the granting of a Federal suitability or security clearance. If selected, you may be offered tentative employment until the background investigation has been fully adjudicated.
  • Must submit a complete resume, writing sample, cover letter and all required documents. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
  • E-Verify: If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form 1-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System. The STB is an E-Verify Participant.
  • Relocation expenses are not authorized.

Qualifications

The Office of Personnel Management has not issued qualification standards for attorney positions. However, successful candidates must possess the following minimum qualifications before the closing date of this posting:

  • A professional law degree (LL.B, J.D., LL.M.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA);
  • Current membership in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia. Proof of bar membership will be required before entering on duty.

All candidates being considered must demonstrate through their application documents: excellent research and writing skills, incisive legal analytical ability, strong oral advocacy and presentation skills.


A writing sample is to be submitted with application package.

GS-13
GS-13 candidates must have two years of professional legal experience: analyzing statutes, regulations, and decisional law; presenting those analyses and relevant legal or policy issues to decision makers; and resolving disputes.

GS-14
An ideal candidate at this level should possess a legal background in transportation, economics, administrative law, or government regulation.

GS-14 candidates must have three years of professional legal experience: analyzing statutes, regulations, and decisional law: presenting those analyses and relevant legal or policy issues to decision makers; and resolving disputes.

GS-15

An ideal candidate at this level should possess a legal background in transportation, economics, administrative law, or government regulations, and ideally also have experience providing advice on complex technical issues concerning rail transportation.

GS-15 candidates must have four years of professional legal experience: analyzing statutes, regulations, and decisional law; presenting those analyses and relevant legal or policy issues to decision makers; and resolving disputes, ideally in the field of rail transportation.

Education

You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

You must provide your transcripts to support your educational claims. Transcripts may be unofficial copies, but they must come from an accredited college or university, and they also must include the courses' names and number of credit hours. To search the database of accredited institutions visit: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx

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 U.S. accredited college or university. For further information visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Please Note: If selected Official Transcripts will need to be submitted directly to STB from the University (electronic transcripts are accepted).

Additional information

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. In addition, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) has work/life-balance flexibilities that may be right for you. We offer:

  • Flexible Work Schedules
  • Limited Telework opportunities upon supervisor approval in accordance with the Employee Work Schedule policy;
  • Fitness Center: STB employees, at no cost, have access to the fitness center conveniently located in the building; and
  • A monthly transit subsidy for a portion of your commuting costs to help defray the commuting costs of employees who use mass transportation, including commuter bus, Metrorail or Metrobus, or commuter rail systems.
This announcement may be used to fill 1 or more vacancies.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, a review of the resume and supporting documentation will be made to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation.

All candidates who meet the qualifications described above will be referred to the hiring official for consideration.

Preview the Assessment Questionnaire, https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12638162

Required Documents

Please be advised, the following documents are required even if you are already a current Federal or STB employee:

1. Resume and cover letter that includes the experience you wish to be considered for the review of your qualifications, including the dates of employment with month and year, and hours worked per week, if part-time. Resumes that do not contain all of the necessary information to determine qualifications may be marked as insufficient and applicants may not receive consideration for this position. Your latest resume submission is the one that will be used to determine your qualifications.

2. Responses to questionnaire.

3. Educational Transcripts (unofficial transcripts may be submitted with your application.)

4. Writing Sample: applicants must include an unedited or lightly edited writing sample that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of the position and illustrates your ability to conduct complex legal research and analysis. The writing sample should total no more than 5 pages. Selected excerpts of larger documents are acceptable. If appropriate, please attach an explanatory cover memo to your writing sample. Do not submit sensitive or classified documents or documents containing personally identifiable information.

5. Supporting documents verifying your eligibility or any preference eligibility along with your application package. These documents may include, but are not limited to:

  • Veteran's documentation: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the Excepted Service. However, if you are eligible for veteran's preference, you may attach supporting documents. If submitting DD214, a MEMBER 4 copy is required. If you are currently on active duty, you must submit an official statement of service from your command or other official documentation that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
  • Preference eligible documentation: If claiming a 10-point preference you must also submit an SF-15 and any other proof that you are eligible for a 10-point preference if a job offer is extended to you, a final VA letter including percentage (please do not include a letter from VA noting specific private medical information).

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted before the announcement closes on 01/08/2025. 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.

To begin your online application:

You must create a login.gov account, if you don't already have one. You must:
-Create a login.gov account - you only need to do this once.
-Enter an email address during the account set up - use the same email address you use for USAJOBS (your primary or secondary email address).
-Create a new password.
-Have a working phone number (mobile or landline) near you - login.gov will send you a security code.
-Finish setting up your login.gov account.

Once you've finished setting up your login.gov account, you'll go back to USAJOBS to finish the process. Double check your USAJOBS Profile to make sure all of your information is accurate. You must use your login.gov email address, password, and security code every time you want to sign into USAJOBS. Follow the prompts in USAJOBS to take the online questionnaire and submit the required documents. See Required Documents section for more details.

Note: We recommend you don't use a .gov, .mil or .edu email address. Instead, use a personal (non-government) email address when you create your login.gov account. Please do not use an email address you share with someone else

** For any issues signing into login.gov, go to https://login.gov/contact/

Agency contact information

Tara Rauch
Address
Surface Transportation Board
395 E Street SW
Washington, DC 20423
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

All candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview.


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


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