Summary

Make a difference as the Clerk of the Appellate Boards serving as the public-facing officer for the three Boards at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), ensuring timely, efficient, fair and impartial adjudication of appeals of workers' claims. The position supports DOL's three Appellate Adjudicatory Boards: the Benefits Review Board (BRB), the Administrative Review Board (ARB), and the Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB). This position reports to the BRB's Chair/Chief Judge.

This job is open to

The public

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

Clarification from the agency

Duties

This position is outside the bargaining unit.

Appellate Reviews
Oversees all activities and procedures involving appeals and associated legal filings submitted to the Boards. Ensures case records meet legal and procedural requirements before submission to the legal staff for further review and consideration. Liaises with other DOL agencies to settle questions of jurisdiction and acquire additional legal documents essential for processing and deciding appeals.

Oversees the drafting of orders in response to motions, petitions, and drafting legal memoranda summarizing motions and petitions, and recommending suitable actions. Exercises signatory authority to certify the Boards' official documents and records.

Boards' Docket and Case Management

Oversees and manages the Boards' docket, ensuring all case filings, orders, motions, and proceedings are accurately processed, updated, recorded, and accessible for adjudication. Provides leadership and direction for case coordination with appropriate Judges, staff, and other legal professionals that facilitates the smooth progression of cases in accordance with legal procedural timelines and court orders. Ensures all docket entries and case management activities comply with applicable federal rules, court procedures, and statutory and regulatory requirements. Maintains the integrity of the Boards' dockets through regular audits and quality assurance. Generates and analyzes specialized reports on docket activities and case status for management and judicial review, supporting strategic decision-making and efficient appellate operations.

Collaborates with the Boards' external stakeholders, which includes parties and their attorneys, IT Manager, and the Office of the Chief Information Officer, along with other relevant agencies, manages the Boards' electronic case management and electronic filing/service systems. Develops new or revised methods and procedures to protect, control, maintain, and retrieve case records and related legal documents the Boards receive.

Ensures the continuity of OCAB operations during a government shutdown or other emergency situation.

Strategic Planning/Policy Development

Participates with the Boards' Chief Judges, Judges, and leadership teams and staff to develop short- and long-term vision, mission, and strategic goals to achieve organizational efficiencies. Conducts legal research and assesses emerging legal trends to inform strategic decisions and policy development. Collaborates with the Boards' leadership, members of the Bar, the public, and other key stakeholders to gather input, build consensus, and ensure that the strategic plan reflects the Boards' priorities and enables OCAB to efficiently deliver its services. Establishes or amends quality standards and production goals for the Boards.

Reviews amendments to controlling law and regulations, consolidates cases with identical issues, and applies higher courts' decisions that depart from past practice or reasoning. Leads the communication of strategic initiatives and policy changes to senior leadership and relevant staff.

Supervisory/Managerial

Directs and coordinates a major legal organization with significant resources and impact at the multimillion-dollar level. Supervises professional and legal administrative staff performing legal work related to processing appeals, case reviews, legal research, and disposition. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following: manages and monitors day-to-day operations and work to ensure that OCAB's objectives are being met; plans the work, schedules projects and activities, establishes priorities, and discusses goals and objectives with the Boards' leadership and staff; assigns work to OCAB staff; interviews and participates in the selection of personnel within the Office and the BRB; assesses OCAB staff's quality of work; conducts performance evaluations and maintains a record of performance of individual staff; makes recommendations for promotions; resolves employee grievances within the office environment or formally filed with the local union; inspires, motivates, and guides staff towards goal accomplishments; addresses staff development needs and training program requirements.

Customer-Facing Responsibilities

The Clerk of the Appellate Boards serves as the public-facing officer for the Boards and is the primary point of contact between the Boards and external stakeholders, which includes parties and their attorneys. The incumbent responds, in writing, by phone or email, to inquiries on case status, procedural requirements, and case schedules. Ensures compliance with the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts and other applicable laws and regulations.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Must be at least 16 years old.
Must be a U.S. Citizen.
Requires a trial period if the requirement has not been met.
Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
You will be required to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450.
You will be required to serve a one-year supervisory probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
You will be required to submit to Suitability/Fitness for the Trust Determination Process.

Qualifications

To qualify for an attorney position, applicants must possess a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.); be a member in good standing of the bar of a court of general jurisdiction of a state, territory or possession of the U.S.; and have acquired the amount of experience indicated for the grade level below.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. POSITION TITLES ALONE CANNOT BE USED TO DETERMINE IF YOU ARE QUALIFIED. PLEASE LIST DATES IN MM/DD/YYYY FORMAT. THIS IS IMPERATIVE IN DETERMINING WHETHER YOU HAVE AT LEAST ONE YEAR OF CREDITABLE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE. DATES WILL NOT BE ASSUMED.

GS-15: Applicants must have four (4) years of post-law school legal experience of a professional nature which demonstrates the ability to perform the work at this level. At least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying experience must be specialized experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position at a level close to the work of this job that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the job.

Specialized experience is described as the ability to lead subordinate staff; to provide strategic leadership and effectively manage both operational challenges and personnel issues to maintain organizational excellence; and to foster impactful inter-organizational relationships and guide and mentor others. Specialized experience also includes demonstrated knowledge of court procedures and operations; experience utilizing current and emerging case process management technologies like those used by the federal courts and similar federal agencies; proficiency in applying analytical, research, and writing skills; familiarity in evaluating and reviewing case records, filings, and motions; and experience in advising and making recommendations to judges, attorneys, or the equivalent.

NOTE: An LL.M. may be substituted for a maximum of one year of experience.

Applicants also must supply the following documents below.

Bar Certificate: You must submit documentation verifying that you are a member of the Bar in good standing of any State, territory, or possession of the U.S.

Transcripts: You must provide a copy of your law school transcript to be considered for this position. Verification of your academic degree(s) is necessary to determine your qualifications or eligibility for this position; therefore, you will be required to submit an official transcript before you are hired. However, you may submit unofficial transcripts during the application phase of the process. Please note that your J.D. or LL.B degree must be conferred before you can begin working.

Writing Sample: You must also provide a legal writing sample that is no more than ten (10) pages in length. This work must be your own, not edited by someone else.

Education

A LL.B or J.D. is a requirement for this position. If you do not submit sufficient academic documentation necessary to demonstrate that you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements described in this announcement, your application will be deemed incomplete and you will be ineligible for further consideration for this vacancy.

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the Required Documents section for additional requirements.

Supervisory Financial Disclosure - This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). Therefore, if selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest(s) and your prospective position with DOL. This information will be required annually.

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

Click for Telework Eligibility Information

Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.

All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

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.

This is an Excepted Service position and is open as well to Non-Citizens as allowed by law. This position will be filled through an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive civil service.

Applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements for this position will be further evaluated against the following evaluation factors. Current and/or past supervisors may be contacted unless specified otherwise. A panel and/or the selecting official or his/her designee may interview applicants.
Evaluation Factors:

Demonstrated skill in researching and preparing well-written, organized, and persuasive legal documents.
Ability to make effective oral presentations in a clear and concise manner.
Ability to establish and maintain effective liaison with supervisors, as well as other Departmental and Boards staff.
Ability to multi-task in a complex inter-disciplinary legal environment by timely reviewing facts, identifying and resolving issues, enumerating options, and formulating recommendations.
Skill in leading subordinate staff, developing performance standards, evaluating work, and determining training needs.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to supply sufficient information to provide a basis for rating each of the evaluation factors listed above.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, volunteer, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.). The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings.

When Office of the Secretary of Labor completes its hiring, the remaining list of qualified candidates may be shared with additional federal agencies. You will have the opportunity to opt-in if you would like your name, application materials, and assessment results shared to be considered for employment with additional agencies. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job opportunity announcements.

Required Documents

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. You are not required to submit a document if it does not apply to you.

Resumes: Required and applicants must provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions, and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.
Bar Certification: Should you be selected for this position, you will be required to submit documentation verifying that you are an active member of the Bar in Good Standing of any State, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any Territorial Court under the U.S. Constitution. This letter and/or certificate should be dated within the last six months of the closing date of this job announcement.
Transcript(s): Should you be selected for this position; you will be required to submit documentation verifying that you have completed your first professional law degree. Applicants who claim substitution of education for experience with an LL.M. must submit a copy of their transcripts for verification.
Writing Sample (If Applicable): Applicants must submit a writing sample. Some examples of documents demonstrating writing skills are briefs, legal memoranda, and opinion letters. These examples should total no more than 10 pages in length. Extracts of selected sections of larger documents are acceptable. This work must be your own, not edited by someone else.
Veterans Documents (if applicable): Attorney appointments within the Department of Labor are positions in the excepted service, not the competitive service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference in attorney appointments; however, the Department of Labor considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. In order to receive positive consideration, you must indicate your eligibility, in response to the appropriate item on the vacancy questionnaire. Additionally, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD214 showing the type of discharge and dates of active duty and, if applicable, a VA letter certifying the present existence of the service-connected disability which indicates the percentage of your disability. (For active-duty service members expecting to be honorably discharged or released within 120 days, click Active Duty) Without this documentation, you will not receive the veteran's consideration. Additional information is available at Feds Hire Vets - Veterans Preference

You may also find more information on positive considerations for attorney hiring.

Displaced Employee Placement Documents: These documents are only required if you are requesting priority consideration under ICTAP/CTAP Eligibility. Applicants with disabilities (SCHEDULE A) applying under the area of consideration must submit proof of certification by counselors, State vocational rehabilitation agencies, or the Veterans Administration.

Cover Letter(s) are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted.

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, or non-citizenship as allowable in Excepted Service hiring through P.L. 112-10, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1 Year probationary 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 probationary your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.

To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section.

Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration.

Paper applications and supplemental documents submitted in any other manner without prior approval from the vacancy contact will not be considered. Click here for information on Reasonable Accommodations.

Important - Save your information before the 30 minute system timeout! For help, go to USAJOBS Help Center.

STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents. Your resume must provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the self-assessment vacancy questions. If not, HR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the competency indicated by resume content. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete.

NOTE: In alignment with the Presidential Memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, applicants may only submit a resume limited to two (2) pages. Only the résumé uploaded under the 'Resume" document type in USAJOBS will be reviewed. If the resume submitted exceeds two (2) pages, the application will be deemed ineligible for further consideration.

STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS). Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button.

STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL). On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions. The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy.

STEP 4 - On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct. In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed. If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button.

STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm Eastern Time of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, thenUpdate Application.

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

For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor, How to Apply website.

Agency contact information

William Berenato

Phone: 215-861-5031
Email: berenato.william.h@dol.gov

Address: Office of the Secretary of Labor
200 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20210
US

Next steps

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and refer candidates for selection consideration. Candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. You will be notified of the outcome. A selection is expected to be made within 30 calendar days from the issuance date of the certificate.

For instructions on how to check the status of your application, go to USAJOBS Help Guide.

USAJOBS will no longer send status alert email notifications. You can check your application status in the TAS by logging into USAJOBS and in the Applicant Dashboard, click the hiring agency Talent Acquisition System (TAS). If the TAS does not provide application tracking information, contact the agency's point of contact on the job announcement.

Clerk of the Appellate Boards (Supervisory Attorney-Adviser) Job in Washington, DC