Attorney-Advisor (General) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 25-DO-12789516 Department Treasury, Departmental Offices
Salary $142,488.00 to $195,200.00 Grade 14 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 8/28/2025 Close Date 9/11/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

These positions are assigned to the Office of the Chief Counsel for the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is located within the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement and Intelligence (E&I).

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

U.S. citizens or U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.

Duties

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-15. 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.

  • Handle a wide range of complex and cutting-edge factual, legal, and policy matters of national significance arising from Treasury's efforts to counter existing and emerging threats to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. Perform legal research and provide legal conclusions and counsel through briefings, presentations, and legal decision memoranda. Prepare or review proposed legislation, regulations, executive orders, and policy documents impacting Treasury's national security and enforcement authorities. Coordinate with partners in other Treasury components, the interagency, and when appropriate, the private sector on national security and enforcement matters of mutual interest.
  • Provide legal advice and assistance in support of Treasury's critical and far-reaching mission to enhance national security by implementing economic sanctions against foreign threats to the U.S., identifying and targeting the financial support networks of national security threats, and improving the safeguards of our financial systems. Analyze, interpret, and apply a wide range of legal authorities related to Treasury's national security and enforcement missions, including but not limited to: the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA); Executive Orders 12333 and 12968; the Bank Secrecy Act; the USAPATRIOT Act; Federal criminal law and procedure, particularly in the context of investigating and prosecuting financial crimes involving money laundering and terrorist financing; intelligence law; national security law; the National Emergencies Act; the United Nations Participation Act; asset forfeiture law; the Defend Trade Secrets Act; banking and securities law and regulation; the Administrative Procedure Act and administrative law; the Freedom of Information Act; the Privacy Act; and separation-of-powers and other constitutional law doctrines.
  • Provide counsel to policymakers in the Office of Terrorism and Financial intelligence and to other officials on the broad range of issues that arise in marshalling Treasury's intelligence and enforcement functions to safeguard the financial system against illicit use and combat rogue nations, terrorist facilitators, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) proliferators, money launderers, drug kingpins, and other national security threats. Perform legal review of documents and briefing material for senior policymakers, and accurately identify potential issues for senior OGC leadership.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Key Requirements:

  • Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
  • A one or two year trial period may be required.
  • Must successfully complete a background investigation.
  • All new hires will be required to comply with federal ethics laws. A review of financial or other interests may be conducted to determine if they create any real or apparent conflict of interests with official Treasury duties.
  • 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.
  • File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
  • Undergo an income tax verification.
  • Please refer to the "Additional Information" section for additional Conditions of Employment.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

Specialized experience for the GS-15: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the federal service. The expectation for selection for grade GS-15 will be at least the following: 12 months of pertinent legal experience at the GS-14 (or equivalent). For this position, specialized experience is described as experience at the next lower grade (or equivalent) in the following areas of responsibility:providing legal advice to senior leadership on targeted U.S. economic sanctions, the sufficiency of evidence for sanctions blocking and enforcement actions, international law, the intersection between international and domestic law, national security law, criminal or civil litigation, administrative law, law related to economics or finance, or matters of similar scope and complexity.

Specialized experience for the GS-14: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the federal service. The expectation for selection for grade GS-14 will be at least the following: 12 months of pertinent legal experience at the GS-13 (or equivalent). For this position, specialized experience is described as experience at the next lower grade (or equivalent) in the following areas of responsibility: providing legal advice on targeted U.S. economic sanctions, the sufficiency of evidence for sanctions blocking and enforcement actions, international law, the intersection between international and domestic law, national security law, civil or criminal litigation, administrative law, law related to economics or finance, or matters of similar scope and complexity.

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 resumé.

Education

Applicants must
(1) be a graduate of an accredited law school with a LL.B., J.D. or equivalent;
(2) be an active member in good standing of the bar in a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia; and
(3) have at least one year of legal experience, which may include, for example, the private practice of law, practice in a government legal office, or a judicial clerkship.


The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 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.

Additional information

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • This is a non-bargaining unit position.
  • A recruitment incentive may be offered.
  • Relocation expenses will not be paid.
  • We offer opportunities for telework.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (CONTINUED):
  • 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. For more information about individual rights, Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights - FBI, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI, and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov).

Our comprehensive benefits are very generous. Our benefits package includes:

  • Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, competitive salaries, bonuses and incentive awards.
  • Eleven paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year.
  • Access to insurance programs that may be continued after you retire.
  • A wide choice of health insurance plans, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting periods. We pay a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums.
  • A retirement program which includes employer-matching contributions.
  • Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits

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.

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.

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: You will be rated on the extent and quality of experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. All candidates who meet the basic requirements listed above will be considered best qualified applicants and may be sent forward to the selecting official. All application materials and interviews, if conducted, will be used in the final evaluation and selection process.

Since this is an Excepted Service position, a non-rated method of evaluation will be used. 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. Competitive examining rules for rating and ranking do not apply.


Application of Veterans' Preference:There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service, but the Office of General Counsel considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing the dates of service and type of discharge.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration.

Required Documents

A complete application includes:
1. A resume: All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.)

  • Please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, your resume will still be accepted, however only the first 2 pages will be reviewed and considered for qualifications and eligibility determination in whether or not the minimum qualifications for the position have been met.
  • To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume.
  • It is suggested that you preview the online assessment questionnaire, to ensure that your resume thoroughly describes how your skills and experience align to the criteria defined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and support your responses to the online assessment questionnaire.
  • For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Resources Center.
2. Vacancy assessment question responses: All applicants are required to complete vacancy question responses by clicking the apply online button of this vacancy announcement.

3. Submission of any required documents identified below, if applicable: 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).
  • VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, 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.
  • CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.
  • EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION:
    • You are not required to submit transcripts for this initial phase of the application process. Candidates will be referred for consideration based on their self-certification. If you are selected for a position which has a positive education requirement (as described in the vacancy announcement) and/or you are qualifying solely on your education, you will be required to submit official transcripts verifying your qualifications prior to a job offer being issued.
    • 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.
  • RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTS: In addition, we recommend that you submit copies of the following:
    • If you have worked in the Federal government within the previous 52 weeks, submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade.

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

DO 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.

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.

Are you unsure how to write your federal resume? We are here to help. The Treasury Recruitment Service regularly offers Writing Your Federal Resume training sessions, and other career-related information sessions, to assist you in your career search journey. To register for a session, click here to go to our Career Information Sessions webpage.

The Bureau provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

  • 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 resumé 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). A list of announcements in which you have applied is at 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.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Treasury and its bureaus 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 Treasury by email at, FairChanceAct@treasury.gov.

To learn more, please visit our page at: Treasury.gov/fairchanceact.

To preview the assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12789516

Agency contact information

Applicant Call Center
Address
Office of the General Counsel
Administrative Resource Center
Parkersburg, WV 26101
US

Next steps

Once the online questionnaire is received, 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.