Attorney Advisor (Attorney Advisor) Job in District of Columbia, DC

Vacancy No. ATTY-EB-2025-0003 Department Federal Communications Commission
Salary $117,962.00 to $181,216.00 Grade 13 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/13/2024 Close Date 11/29/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
District of Columbia, DC


Summary

This position is in the Enforcement Bureau (EB), Telecommunications Consumers Division (TCD), Federal Communications Commission (FCC) located in Washington, DC.

RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE PAID.  

THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT MAY BE USED TO FILL ADDITIONAL POSITIONS WITHIN 90 DAYS.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Open to the Public-All US Citizens

Duties

The incumbent serves as an Attorney Advisor working primarily on cases involving enforcement of Telecommunications Act provisions that protect consumers. This position is responsible for providing advice and guidance on legal issues pertaining to accessibility and the enforcement of sections of the Communications Act pertaining to ensuring privacy and access to telecommunications products and service by persons with disabilities.

The incumbent works on complex legal cases.  These cases typically involve complicated factual situations where clear precedents are not readily available or apparent.  These are often characterized by one or more of the following: (1) complex, difficult issues requiring a high order of legal endeavor with the incumbent often having to balance conflicting interests; (2) matters that can have an important impact on major industry parties whose economic position affects major private and public interests; (3) matters of intense public interest and impact.  The incumbent applies rigorous critical thinking and analysis skills to solve problems, make recommendations to supervisors, and executes tasks needed to complete investigations and issue legal actions.  Decisions about legal conclusions based upon the facts and the relevant legal authorities are made in conjunction with the supervisor, with the incumbent playing a critical role in (1) identifying, (2) researching, and (3) communicating accurate, timely, and appropriately detailed information to support well-reasoned legal conclusions and informed decision-making at all levels.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Bar Membership Documentation Required Upon Selection.
  • Education-Transcripts Required Upon Selection.
  • US Citizenship.
  • Suitable for employment as determined by a background investigation.
  • Serve a probationary period of one year, if applicable.
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
  • Financial disclosure statement may be required upon assuming the position.
  • Current FCC employees must provide SF-50 verifying grade & status
  • SF-50 Documenting One Year of Time in Grade Required

Please note your resume must thoroughly support your responses to the vacancy questions.  Your resume is an integral part of the process for determining if you meet the basic qualifications of the position and determining if you are to be among the best qualified.

SF-50 Required: ALL FCC EMPLOYEES AND CURRENT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MUST provide a legible Personnel Action, SF-50, that verifies your status and highest permanently held grade.  If an SF-50 is not submitted, the application will be rated as ineligible. To request a copy of your SF-50 please send an email to PersonnelRecordsRequest@fcc.gov

Qualifications

Applicants must meet eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Professional law experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

In order to be deemed as "BEST QUALIFIED" candidates must meet both the educational requirements AND the Specialized Experience.

A. Education

You must meet the minimum basic educational requirements for Attorney positions. Education requirements include:  a professional law degree JD, LL.B., and/or LL.M. 

NOTE-If you do not provide a transcript at the time of application, a transcript will be required to be provided at the time of selection.

AND

B. Specialized Experience

GS-13

Applicants must possess at least two years of professional law experience and at least one year must be equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal Service.  See specialized experience below.

  1. Experience conducting in-depth legal research;
  2. Experience preparing complex legal documents;
  3. Experience developing research strategies for legal issues;
  4. Experience making oral presentations to communicate research results; and
  5. Experience interacting with individuals at all levels of authority.

GS-14

Applicants must possess at least three years of professional law experience and at least one year must be equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal Service. See specialized experience below.

  1. Experience conducting legal research on federal statutes, rules and regulations relating to providers of communications and/or telecommunications services;
  2. Experience preparing complex and comprehensive legal documents;
  3. Experience analyzing, interpreting and presenting findings and recommendations on complex legal issues; and
  4. Experience interacting with individuals at all levels of authority.


PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE:  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.

Education

Refer to Educational requirements outlined within the "Qualifications" section.

Additional information

EEO Policy Statement

Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement

Veterans Information

Legal and Regulatory Guidance

Other:
-  Before hiring, an agency will ask you to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.  The agency will also ask you to sign and certify the accuracy of all the information in your application.  If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or you may be fined or jailed. If you are a male over age 18 who was born after December 31, 1959, you must have registered with the Selective Service System (or have an exemption) to be eligible for a Federal job.

-  If applicable, you will be required to serve a trial period of one year.

-  In order for you to be employed at the FCC, there are certain Commission and Federal laws governing the financial interests of you and members of your immediate family. If selected for the position, you must submit a financial disclosure statement upon assuming the position.

*NOTE-This position is in the bargaining unit.  The exclusive representative is NTEU Chapter 209.  

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.

The FCC offers a wide range of employee benefits, including:

Health Insurance
Life Insurance
Dental & Vision Insurance
Flexible Spending Accounts
Long-Term Care Insurance
Holidays and Leave
Retirement
Thrift Savings Plan
Transit Benefit
Alternative Work Schedule
Telecommuting

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.

All candidates will be considered without regard to political or religious affiliation, marital status, race, color, sex, national origin, non-disqualifying physical or mental handicap, age, or any other non-merit factor.  THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

All applicants will be rated on the extent and quality of experience and education relevant to the duties of the position.  Applicants who do not submit a supporting resume will be rated ineligible. 

There are several parts to the application process that affect the overall evaluation of your application including:

1.  the core questions
2.  supplemental documentation (e.g., SF-50, transcripts, bar membership); and
4.  your resume.

Applicants will be rated ineligible, if they do not respond to job specific questions provide supplemental documents and submit resume.  For more information, please click on Rating Process

You will be evaluated for this position on the following Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other characteristics (KSAOs):

  • Knowledge of legal and policy issues relating to providers of communications and/or telecommunications services.
  • Skill in analyzing and resolving legal and policy issues.
  • Ability to communicate in writing and to develop complex legal documents.
  • Ability to communicate orally to individuals of various levels involving significant or controversial legal and policy issues.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

Your application MUST be received by midnight U.S. Eastern Time of the closing date of the announcement. 

You must submit a resume at the time of application.  Your resume must clearly document how you meet the specialized experience in order to meet the minimum qualification requirements for the vacancy.  Current Federal employees must also submit a copy of an SF-50 documenting one year of time in grade.  If an SF-50 is not submitted to verify time in grade, the applicant will be rated as ineligible.

This position may require the submission of supplemental documents before selection.

  • Law academic transcripts (unofficial is acceptable).
  • Proof of current, active bar membership.
  • Writing sample demonstrating the ability to analyze complex legal and/or policy issues.
  • Professional references.

Once you apply to this vacancy you will be prompted by the system to upload supporting application documentation. If you are unable to upload the required documentation, contact the HR Specialist listed on the vacancy announcement prior to 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement. 

Supplemental Documents Required:

  • Current Federal employees should submit a copy of an SF-50 documenting one year of time in grade.  If an SF-50 is not submitted to verify time in grade, the application will be rated as ineligible.
  • Transcripts
  • Bar Membership

If transcripts and proof of bar membership are not provided at the time of application, this documentation must be provided at the time of selection.

Veterans must submit a legible Member 4 copy of the DD-214 which reflects the manner of discharge.  Please refer to OPM's VetGuide for further information about veterans' preference via the following link: VetGuide

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 to this announcement go to the website: https://fcc.usajobs.gov/

Your application, including resume, all supplemental documents, registration information and answers to job specific questions must be received no later than midnight U.S. Eastern time of the closing date. For more information on applying federal jobs, please check this webpage https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Main_Page.

If applying online poses a hardship, you may contact either the HR Specialist listed on the vacancy announcement or you may contact the Monster Government Solutions help desk (prior to the closing date of the vacancy announcement) via e-mail at mgshelp@monster.com or you may reach them directly at 866-656-6831. The Monster Help Desk is available Monday-Friday 7:00 am to 7:00 pm EST.

Qualified applicants may be further reviewed and rated by Subject Matter Experts.

To apply to this announcement go to the website: https://fcc.usajobs.gov

NOTE: To be considered for an announced vacancy in the area of consideration within which the employee is eligible to compete, the employee must apply online using the Commission’s automated recruitment system. Employees must submit all necessary application materials identified in the announcement by the specified closing date.

Agency contact information

Susan Jordan
Address
Federal Communications Commission
45 L Street NE
Washington, District of Columbia 20554
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications to determine your ranking.  The best-qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.  You will be notified of the outcome.


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


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