Attorney Advisor (Labor - Employment) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. CFTC-OGC-2025-0006 Department Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Salary $172,189.00 to $252,927.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/29/2024 Close Date 12/6/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The Office of the General Counsel (“OGC”) serves as legal advisor to the CFTC’s Commission, the Chair, the Executive Director, and the Agency as a whole. OGC's legal advice includes, but is not limited to, areas such as Agency litigation, statutory and regulatory interpretation, rulemaking, analyses of proposed legislation, and other legal issues arising in connection with the administration and enforcement of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) and the Commission’s implementing regulations.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Applications accepted from all US Citizens.

Duties

As an attorney in General Law with a focus on labor and employment issues, you will perform a number of duties, including, but not limited to:

  • Assisting and advising the Human Resources Branch (“HR”) with respect to labor management relations activities;
  • Serving as legal counsel for the Agency at all major bargaining sessions with the National Treasury Employee Union (“NTEU”);
  • Advising on employment matters including compliance with local/state/federal laws and regulations, advising on and monitoring compliance issues, disciplinary actions, wage and hour issues, investigations, and requests for reasonable accommodations;
  • Preparing or providing guidance for the analysis of labor management matters;
  • Advising Agency senior leadership concerning collective bargaining agreements and working conditions;
  • Preparing and presenting the Agency’s position in conjunction with the Senior HR advisor in related third-party proceedings before the Federal Labor Relations Authority (“FLRA”), the Federal Service Impasse Panel (“FSIP”), and on related matters such as the negotiability of proposals, bargaining ground rules, and the resolution of impasse bargaining topics;
  • Serving as lead attorney in drafting responses, position statements, and other correspondence in response to complaints filed with the FLRA, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Washington, D.C. Office of Human Rights, or other state and federal agencies; and
  • Performing other duties as assigned concerning legal practice areas within General Law.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship
  • Favorable Background/Security Investigation
  • Males born after 12-31-1959 must be registered for Selective Service
  • May be subject to a two-year trial period.
  • You must be an active member of the bar in good standing.

The General Law Branch (“General Law”) of OGC serves as the principal advisor to the General Counsel, Executive Director, the Commission, and the Chair on a broad array of legal issues relating to the administration and management of the Agency, areas which are governed by the CEA, the Commission’s implementing regulations, and various statutes and regulations of Government and agencywide applicability

As an attorney in General Law, you will be responsible for:

  • Researching and analyzing applicable statutes, regulations, case law, and administrative decisions involving complex and sometimes novel legal theories and advising the Commission and/or Chair’s Office of the same;
  • Providing comprehensive legal advice and counsel concerning novel and complex substantive and procedural legal questions, including, but not limited to, those related to the CEA and Commission’s implementing regulations, interpretation of statutes and regulations, case law, administrative decisions, executive orders, and legislative changes that impact CFTC's programs and operations;
  • Providing legal advice and counsel concerning issues involving federal labor and employment issues;
  • Reviewing agency regulations, policies, and procedures to ensure they are legally and administratively sound and effective in operation;
  • Drafting memoranda involving legal issues related to ongoing Agency actions in the federal courts and administrative fora;
  • Assisting with the analyzing of outside litigation to determine the advisability of the Commission’s participation as amicus curiae; and
  • Assisting with briefing related to federal district court and federal courts of appeal litigation in which the Commission is a party or amicus curiae.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT: All applicants must possess the following:

  • Juris Doctor (J.D.); and
  • Active membership of the bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (Note: proof of bar membership will be required before entry on duty)

                                                            AND

CT-14 Level: Candidates with a law degree (J.D. or equivalent) and bar membership and four years of relevant legal experience after completion of law school.

Relevant legal experience is defined as attorneys, law clerk, or other legal experience which was obtained after graduation from a law school. Legal and non- legal experience gained in the Federal government or private sector prior to completing a law degree cannot be used to satisfy the legal experience requirement. Work while in law school does not count.

Education

Successful completion of a full course of study (J.D.) in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association.

To be creditable, education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. You must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criterion, see www.ed.gov.

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

Additional information

Relocation: Relocation expenses will not be paid.

Trial Period: You may be subject to a two-year trial period, if applicable.

This position is not in the Bargaining Unit.

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions. 

The law prohibits public officials from appointing, promoting, or recommending their relatives. The law prohibits requesting, making, transmitting, accepting, or considering political recommendations for employment or other personnel actions for non-political positions. This includes recommendations from Members of Congress, Congressional employees, elected state or local officials, and political party officials and any recommendation based on party affiliation.

Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must indicate their preference in response to the appropriate question in their assessment questionnaire (it is also recommended that information is included in their cover letter or resume) and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of non-service-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

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.

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.

This job is being filled under a Schedule A hiring authority 5 C.F.R. § 213.3102 and is excepted from the competitive civil service. You will be evaluated and deemed either eligible or ineligible based on the relevance and quality of your experience and education, bar membership, and desired qualifications described above. These positions are not covered by the usual civil service hiring procedures. There is no numerical rating system through which to apply veterans' preference; however, CFTC considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference are encouraged to include that information in their cover letter or resume, and to attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD Form-214 or other substantiating documents) to their submissions. All eligible applicants will be further evaluated by subject-matter experts.

Your resume will be referred to the selecting official if you have submitted a complete application package to include resume, bar membership details, and any applicable transcripts. This does not mean you are considered qualified for the position. A qualification analysis will be conducted by the HR Specialist to ensure the selectee meets all requirements, including education and minimum qualifications listed on the vacancy announcement. A complete application package is required to be considered qualified and eligible for selection. Please review the "Requirements" section of the vacancy announcement to understand the list of require documents for a complete application package. Additional information may be requested later in the recruitment process.


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Required Documents

  • Resume showing all relevant and related experience (cover letter optional). If selected, your resume will be used to determine your initial pay setting decision;
  • JD/Transcripts (unofficial copy is accepted for application package, but an official copy with date degree was awarded is required prior to firm offer letter being extended);
  • Bar membership details;
  • Writing sample demonstrating analysis of complex legal issues (optional)

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

YOU MUST APPLY ONLINE:  Your complete application, including required documents, must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. You must complete and submit an application by accessing the USAJOBS website at USAJOBS.GOV.  To begin, click the Apply Online button within the vacancy announcement and follow the prompts to create an account using LOGIN.GOV, if you have not done so already. LOGIN.GOV will walk you through each step of the account set-up and will automatically link your USAJOBS profile to LOGIN.GOV.  Once you have established an account using LOGIN.GOV, you will then go back to USAJOBS.GOV using your LOGIN.GOV username and password to answer the questions and submit all required documents. If you already have established an LOGIN.GOV account or want to return to your saved application, go to USAJOBS.GOV using your LOGIN.GOV username and password to apply or view your profile. If you have problems completing your on-line application, including problems submitting your supporting documents, please contact the Help Desk by e-mail at mgshelp@monster.com or phone at 1-866.656.6831. The help desk is available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

Steven Inneh
Phone
202-418-5347
Fax
202-418-5521
Email
sinneh@cftc.gov
Address
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
CFTC
Three Lafayette Centre
1155 21 Street, NW
Washington, District of Columbia 200581
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

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.


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


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