Summary
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Chief Counsel is seeking dynamic individuals to serve in permanent positions as Attorney-Advisors at our headquarters in Washington, D.C. Our attorneys experience a broad range of assignments providing legal support to PHMSA's mission to protect people and the environment by advancing the safe transportation of energy and other hazardous materials that are essential to our daily lives.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen.
This position is in the Excepted Service. For information on the Excepted Service, please visit: Excepted Service Appointing Authorities @ https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/types-of-hires.
Duties
As a Pipeline Safety Law Attorney Advisor, you will:
- Work with other attorneys, program staff, subject matter experts, and agency leaders to: implement national policies on pipeline safety; pursue enforcement for violations of pipeline safety standards, including civil penalties and compliance orders; support emergency response following pipeline incidents, including issuance of emergency orders.
- Develop and adopt new regulations to further enhance and improve pipeline safety;
- Develop guidance and interpretations to assist the regulated community in maintaining compliance.
- Support litigation by or against the United States; and other legal support for PHMSA and its pipeline safety program.
As a Hazardous Materials Safety Law Attorney-Advisor, you will work with program clients, subject matter experts, and modal partners to:
- Set national policies on hazardous materials safety requirements for all modes of transportation.
- Pursue enforcement actions, including civil penalty cases, compliance orders, and emergency orders and recalls.
- Issue special permits, which allow for innovative safety approaches and new technologies.
- Develop guidance and interpretations, to assist the regulated community in maintaining compliance with federal hazardous materials transportation laws.
- Support U.S. efforts with respect to international rulemaking and harmonization of transportation safety requirements.
As a Regulatory Affairs Law Attorney Advisor, you will:
- Advise PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety and Hazardous Materials Safety programs on applicable laws, regulations, Executive Orders, and guidance governing rulemaking and regulatory matters.
- Support regulatory planning and analysis by reviewing and drafting rulemaking documents, Regulatory Impact Analyses, guidance, and related materials to ensure legal sufficiency, policy alignment, quality, and enforceability.
- Represent the Division in rulemaking-related meetings and coordinate with DOT Operating Administrations, the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to communicate PHMSA’s legal positions.
- Conduct legal research and draft recommendations to support regulatory decision-making and the development of rulemaking actions.
- Provide legal support for litigation involving the United States related to PHMSA rulemakings, guidance, and other regulatory actions.
As a General Law Attorney Advisor, you will:
- Prepare legal opinions and perform legal services involving issues concerning the negotiation, drafting, execution, and administration of Federal contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements regarding various agency programs.
- Prepare legal opinions and perform legal services related to the administration of the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act.
- Prepare legal opinions and perform legal services relating to ethics, conflict of interest laws and regulations, anti-lobbying, the Hatch Act, and procurement integrity.
- Prepare legal opinions and perform legal services in the areas of employment and personnel law, and labor relations. Represent the Agency in litigation before the EEOC, the MSPB, the FLRA, arbitrators, and other administrative forums.
The ideal candidate will have knowledge and experience with a range of legal practice areas associated with the transportation industry and the Department of Transportation such as, administrative enforcement, including charging documents, adjudications, hearings, and negotiations; regulatory development and drafting; administrative appeals and litigation; legislative drafting and analysis; and working collaboratively with other attorneys, engineers, policy leaders, and safety experts performing a wide variety of legal tasks in a government setting.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.
- Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
- This is an Excepted Service position.
- Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.
- BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
- 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.
- GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
- 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, section 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, section 263.
Qualifications
To qualify, your experience should include experience and education equal or equivalent to the following:
GRADE 11 - Possess a professional law degree (LLB, or J.D.) and bar membership in good standing.
- Experience in performing legal services involving compliance and regulatory issues; AND
- Experience preparing legal memoranda and opinions; AND
- Experience maintaining a relationship with customers to assure their understanding of legal positions.
GRADE 12 - A law degree, bar membership in good standing and at least 1 year of professional attorney experience.
- Experience in performing legal services involving compliance and regulatory issues; AND
- Experience preparing legal memoranda and opinions; AND
- Experience maintaining a relationship with customers to assure their understanding of legal positions.
GRADE 13 - A law degree, bar membership in good standing and either two years of professional attorney experience OR one year of professional attorney experience and a second professional law degree (LL.M) which requires one full year of graduate study.
- Experience in performing legal services involving compliance and regulatory issues; AND
- Experience preparing legal memoranda and opinions; AND
- Experience maintaining a relationship with customers to assure their understanding of legal positions.
GRADE 14 - A law degree, bar membership in good standing and at least 3 years of professional attorney experience.
- Experience in performing legal services involving compliance and regulatory issues; AND
- Experience preparing legal memoranda and opinions; AND
- Experience maintaining a relationship with customers to assure their understanding of legal positions.
GRADE 15 - A law degree, bar membership in good standing and at least 4 years of professional attorney experience.
- Experience in performing legal services involving compliance and regulatory issues; AND
- Experience preparing legal memoranda and opinions; AND
- Experience maintaining a relationship with customers to assure their understanding of legal positions.
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:
- Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
- Administrative Law: Knowledge of state and Federal administrative laws, including procedures, regulations, guidelines, and precedents related to case preparation and settlements.
- 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.
- Written Communication: Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
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:
In order 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.
Additional 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
CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL APPLICANTS: You must submit SF-50(s) that verify your highest competitive grade, full performance level, and federal applicant eligibility. To prove you meet the 52-week time-in-grade requirement for the highest grade level requested, you must submit SF-50 documentation showing a sequential 52-week period. Box 4 of the SF-50 must show an effective date at least 52 weeks prior to the job announcement closing date. Do not submit an award SF-50 or a current-year pay adjustment SF-50, as these generally do not verify grade, eligibility, or the full 52-week requirement. To ensure your application passes HR validation, you are highly encouraged to combine and upload the following required SF-50 documents into a single PDF:
- The Grade Entry Form: The SF-50 showing when you were originally appointed or promoted to your qualifying grade level (establishing the start of your 52-week timeline).
- The Checkpoint Form: A subsequent SF-50 (such as a Within-Grade Increase, promotion, or award) dated at least 52 weeks later.
- Most Recent Form: Your most recent SF-50 showing your current pay plan, series, grade, and step.
Warning on Incomplete Documentation: Submitting only an annual general pay adjustment SF-50 or an award SF-50 by itself is insufficient, as these individual documents do not track or prove your original entry date into that grade. If your documentation fails to conclusively prove a full 52-week history at the next lower grade, you will be rated Ineligible for that tier.
This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
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.
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.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level
For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements.
Applicants will not be rated or ranked.
All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.
The answers you select in the on-line process must be substantiated in your application package. If upon review, it is determined that your described work history, competencies, and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, you may not be referred to the selecting official. Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers.
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required Documents
- Include a cover letter to share skills and goals relevant to this application.
The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position. Please review each of the following sections to determine which documents you need to provide with your application.
RESUME: In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application. These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages.
Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time (e.g., Program Analyst, GS-343-11 | January 2009–Present | 40 Hours/Week) and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.
COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE.
PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP: 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.
TRANSCRIPTS - Transcripts are REQUIRED as there is a stated education requirement for the series. The transcripts need not be official but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - click here.
WRITING SAMPLE: If selected for an interview, a writing sample may be requested.
VETERANS: Department of Transportation attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Transportation considers veterans’ preference eligibility as a positive factor in the attorney hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans’ preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with supporting documentation, e.g., SF15, DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
SPECIAL ATTENTION: To be considered, you must submit all required resume details and applicable documents by the closing date. Late or incomplete applications will be disqualified. Note: Uploading documents to USAJobs does not automatically attach them to this application. You must review and verify that all files are successfully transferred to our system before final submission.
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
PLEASE NOTE:
Follow the instructions below in order to apply:
- Please submit a cover letter, resume, law school transcripts, proof of bar membership, and a writing sample via email to PHMSA.Attorney.Jobs@dot.gov.
- Please indicate whether you are applying to the Pipeline Safety Law Division, the Hazardous Materials Safety Law Division, Regulatory Affairs Law Division, General Law Division or all positions. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
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.
- Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at Transjobs@dot.gov.
Next steps
You may check your application status by logging into USAJobs.com (Select "My USAJobs" and click "Applications". Within two weeks of the closing date, a Human Resources Specialist will evaluate your application. Qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager. Appropriate veteran's preference will be applied. If you are selected for an interview, the hiring agency will contact you directly. Once the position is filled, we will notify all applicants of their final status.