Summary

NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. This position description is for an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The OGC provides legal advice and assistance to the Chairman of the NEH and other officials on a variety of matters concerning the activities of the NEH.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Federal employees - Excepted service

Current federal employees whose agencies have their own hiring rules, pay scales and evaluation criteria.

Duties

Renders legal advice to key agency officials on a broad range of legal questions concerning the activities of the NEH.
Researches, interprets, and provides verbal and written analysis of NEH enabling legislation, federal ethics laws, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) matters, regulatory requirements, the law of government grants and contracts, appropriations law, and personnel regulations, among other areas of the law.
Reviews and analyzes contracts, interagency agreements, grant guidelines, administrative directives and other legal documents.
Drafts regulations, legal opinions and briefs, memoranda, directives, meeting minutes, and reports to other federal agencies.
Assists in the administration of NEH's ethics and Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) programs; coordinates agency's responses and obligations under FOIA.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

U.S. Citizen
Relevant Experience and/or Education
Favorable background investigation
Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service
Prior experience in a major law firm is preferred.

Qualifications

At the GS-12 level: Candidates must possess a J.D. and at least 2 years of experience as a practicing attorney.

Conducts complex legal research and analysis.
Reviews and drafts legal memoranda, briefs, correspondence, policy guidance documents, contracts, and regulations.
Provides legal advice to agency officials on Federal ethics laws, the Hatch Act, FOIA, the Privacy Act, appropriations law, grant management regulations, and other federal laws and regulations.
Conveys conclusions and strategic recommendations to agency officials verbally and in clear, concise written format using plain writing in line with the Federal Plain Writing Act of 2010.
Represents agencies and officials in administrative litigation, including cases before the Merit System Protection Board (MSPB) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Manages competing priorities under short deadlines.

Education

Applicants must possess a J.D. or equivalent degree and be a member in good standing of a recognized bar of a State, a Territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia.

Additional information

1. Veterans' preference rules does not apply to this position however, eligible veterans who meet MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS and the SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS will be considered as much as administratively feasible. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you are encouraged to attach a copy of your DD-214 (Member-4 copy) or other proof of eligibility. If you are a preference eligible 10-point (CP or CPS) veteran, you are also encouraged to attach an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form.

2. If you are the spouse of a member of the armed forces on active duty, the spouse of a 100 percent disabled member of the armed forces, or the spouse of a deceased member of the armed forces, you may apply for consideration through the Military Spouse Noncompetitive Appointing Authority. You must meet certain criteria for each of these eligibility categories. Learn more about hiring options available to military spouses . Your eligibility does not entitle you to a job within the federal government. You must still apply and meet qualification standards and additional requirements, such as a background investigation.

3. If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.

4. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review in our office, in other Federal agency personnel offices, and on OPM's web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.

5. This position may require completion of a 1-year trial period.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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 review your résumé and supporting documentation and determine if you meet the qualifications for this position. Applications will not be ranked.

Any exaggeration of an applicant's experience, false statements, or attempts to conceal information may be grounds for rating an applicant ineligible, not hiring the applicant, or for termination after he/she begins work. If a determination is made that in responding to the competency-based question an applicant has rated themselves higher than is evident in their resume, experience, and/or education, the applicant's score may be manually adjusted by a Human Resource Specialist.

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS will receive a rating of IFFM (ineligible due to missing forms). Requests for reconsideration will not be considered for applicants who fail to submit a complete application package. We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, fax transmissions, etc.

Only send documentation as requested/required by this announcement and that directly supports your qualifications for this position.

Required Documents

All applicants are required to submit the following supporting document type(s):

Proof of Bar Membership
Resume
Transcript

Your resume must thoroughly describe how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and it must support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. We cannot assume you have performed the necessary experience required for this position regardless of your employment history or academic career.

To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder . If you choose to use your own resume, you must ensure it contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position:

Job title
Name of employer
Start and end dates (including the month and year)
Hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. We will prorate part-time employment in crediting experience.
The level and amount of experience-for instance, whether you served as a project manager or a team member helps to illustrate your level of experience.
Examples of relevant experiences and accomplishments that prove you can perform the tasks at the level required for the job as stated in the job announcement. Your experience needs to address every required qualification.
Series and grade or equivalent (if a federal position)

If the position has an education requirement you must include relevant transcripts. If you are qualifying on the basis of education, you must list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume. Detailed information regarding resume formats can be found at USAJobs Help
Center.
.

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

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

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/08/2026 to receive consideration.

To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.

It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

NEH Human Resources

Phone: 2026068415
Email: humanresources@neh.gov

Address: National Endowment for the Humanities
400 7th Street SW
Washington, DC 20506
US

Next steps

Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. If you are selected for an interview you will be contacted by the selecting official.

Attorney Advisor Job in Washington, DC