Counsel (Administrative and Internal Law), NB-905-VI Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. EXT-CA-26-5401-12665449 Department Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Salary $134,207.00 to $249,384.00 Grade 6 to 6
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/16/2025 Close Date 10/29/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

As an Attorney-Advisor, you will serve as a full performance level attorney who reports to the Unit's Assistant Director. Incumbent performs complex work which influences internal operations so the OCC can ensure safety and soundness of national banks. Acquires detailed knowledge of specific, relevant areas and related law.

Chief Counsel's Office
Administrative & Internal Law
Washington, DC

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens and U.S. Nationals. No prior Federal service is required.

Duties

As a Counsel, you will:

  • Research, analyze, and interpret administrative law issues pertaining to assigned areas.
  • Develop new legal theories, legal precedents, and legal and supervisory policies, where appropriate.
  • Conduct legal research and prepare legal memoranda, opinions, and other legal documents involving a variety of subject areas.
  • Counsel OCC senior management, supervision, licensing and administrative personnel on complex legal matters pertaining to assigned areas.
  • Represent the legal practice and policy of the Comptroller in meetings with third parties concerning complex administrative legal matters.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

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.

There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations. Please read and retain these documents:

  1. Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights, for those who undergo an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history record check for personnel vetting, which includes Rap Back,
  2. FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI (this is the same statement used when your fingerprints are submitted as part of your background investigation), and
  3. SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov), (applicable to those who hold a sensitive position or have eligibility for access to classified information).
  • Complete a one-year trial period (unless already completed).
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • 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.
  • Travel overnight or locally on an occasional basis.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • File an OCC Financial Disclosure Form.
  • Complete a financial disclosure review and resolve any ethics issues.
  • Click here for important information about OCC ethics standards, such as the requirement that new hires divest their bank securities.
  • Successfully complete a background investigation that includes criminal history, financial history (including a credit check) and other information.

Qualifications

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

You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the NB-V band level or GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience for this position include:

  • Experience providing legal advice to management officials regarding government ethics, information law (FOIA and Privacy Act), and/or personnel law, AND,
  • Experience providing legal advice regarding ethics programs; information management policies and strategies; and/or human capital policy, in accordance with the applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

AND

Must be an active member of the bar of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia.

The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector, or through volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis.

To receive any credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate the number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

Education

You must have graduated with a J.D. or an LL.M. degree from an ABA-accredited law school.

Additional information

  • All newly appointed employees to the federal service are subject to a probationary period if hired under a competitive service appointment, or a trial period if hired under an excepted service appointment. These periods are designed to evaluate an employee's performance, conduct, and alignment with agency mission and values. These periods are no longer passive transitions to permanent status but serve as formal extensions of the hiring process, requiring affirmative Supervisory certification action.
  • This position is excluded from the bargaining unit.
  • Salary range includes 25.72% geographical pay for Washington, DC.
  • If you are a current OCC employee who previously received a waiver determination permitting you to retain bank securities due to extenuating circumstances, please note that this determination may be rescinded if the nature of your duties changes. We strongly suggest that you discuss the potential implications of any change in duties on a prior securities determination with your ethics official.
  • The candidate selected for this position may be credited with directly-related non-Federal experience for annual leave purposes if eligible and considered appropriate.
  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more positions.
  • Click all links in this vacancy announcement to view additional information and instructions.
  • Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
  • Click "Print" to review the entire announcement before applying.
  • 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.

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.

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.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

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

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, Human Resources or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.

Structured Resume Review: After it has been determined that you meet the minimum qualifications, Human Resources or Subject matter experts (SMEs) may review the first two pages of your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required competencies. Additional documentation (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) may not be considered.

Once the announcement closes, we will conduct a review of your application package to verify your eligibility and qualifications. If you are found qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.

Your application and resume should demonstrate that you possess the following competencies. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the competencies identified below. Use specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position.

  • Legal Expertise
  • Advising
  • Legal Research and Analysis

Current OCC employees must have a performance rating of at least Fully Successful (i.e., Level 3) to be eligible for promotion.

Referral: All candidates who meet all the qualifications and other eligibility requirements may be referred for consideration. If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) you must be considered "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

Required Documents

A complete application package includes: 1) A resume 2) vacancy question responses and 3) submission of required documents.

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). Note: Please ensure that all bank, financial, and other confidential or sensitive information is removed/redacted from each document.

RESUME: All applicants are required to submit a resume by either 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 any credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please review Resume Tips.

VETERANS DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing type of separation and character of service (e.g. DD-214 Member 4 Copy) and if applicable, VA letter. Ten-point preference eligibles must also submit an Application for 10-point Veteran Preference, SF-15, along with required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form. Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant. The certification letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. You can find additional information about Veterans' Preference at http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.

EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: This position has a positive education requirement. You must submit an official or unofficial copy of your law school transcript (or equivalent) by the time of interview; however, you are encouraged to do so by the closing date of this announcement. An official transcript will be required, if selected.

A J.D. (or equivalent) must be from an ABA accredited college or university law school. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to American Bar Association Accreditation page. Additional qualifying education must be 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, if you are selected. Refer to the OPM instructions.

OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS: In addition, you may submit the following:

  • Cover letter
  • Recent performance evaluation (be sure to redact/remove all sensitive information prior to submitting)

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

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete the online application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, you must contact us by noon Eastern Standard Time on the announcement's closing date. If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Capital Office. Please contact Christine Anderson at christine.anderson@occ.treas.gov or 771-219-5074 to obtain an alternative application.

If you require a reasonable accommodation for disability during any part of the application and hiring process, please contact LaToya Wilson by phone at 202-649-6322 or by email at LaToya.Wilson@occ.treas.gov. Treasury provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. You must contact us by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the announcement's closing date to request accommodation. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Ms. Wilson is not the point of contact for questions about the vacancy announcement.

To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12665449.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the Announcement to receive consideration.

  • 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 resume 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.

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Capital Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.

Agency contact information

Christine Anderson
Address
Chief Counsel's Office
400 7th Street SW
Washington, DC 20219
US

Next steps

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/.

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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