Summary
Serves under the Chief Counsel in a Member's Office at the Federal Labor relations Authority (FLRA) as Deputy Chief Counsel. Responsible for preparing and overseeing decisions in arbitration, representation, unfair labor practice, and negotiability cases under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute. Conducts complex legal analysis, advises on policy issues, and supervises attorneys and staff to ensure high-quality, timely adjudication of labor-management disputes.
This job is open to
Federal employees - Excepted service
Current federal employees whose agencies have their own hiring rules, pay scales and evaluation criteria.
Internal to an agency
Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.
Clarification from the agency
Open to FLRA employees only.
Duties
The incumbent serves under the general supervision of the Chief Counsel in the Office of the Chairman/Member and functions as the Deputy Chief Counsel. The position manages a broad portfolio of highly complex and sensitive assignments involving all areas of labor-management disputes arising under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, including arbitration, representation, unfair labor practice (ULP), and negotiability cases.
Key Responsibilities:
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Functions as Deputy Chief Counsel, overseeing the adjudication and resolution of cases within the Office and supervising Attorney-Advisors.
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Assigns, reviews, and edits draft decisions, legal memoranda, and related work products to ensure analytical rigor, legal sufficiency, clarity, and consistency with Authority precedent and the Chairman/Member's adjudicatory philosophy.
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Independently prepares draft decisions and other legal documents for the Chairman/Member and Chief Counsel, including complex, sensitive, precedent-setting, or high-impact cases.
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Reviews hearing records, briefs, exhibits, and other case materials; conducts extensive legal research; analyzes statutory, regulatory, and case law; and applies precedent to complex factual and legal issues.
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Recommends strategic approaches to cases to promote an orderly, consistent body of Authority precedent with minimal supervision.
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When requested, reviews draft decisions and other work products prepared by other Members' staffs and Authority components, including the Office of Case Intake and Publication and the Office of the Solicitor, and advises the Chairman/Member and Chief Counsel regarding voting positions.
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Performs and supervises fact-development activities, including conducting hearings or post-petition conferences, and ensures proper development of the record.
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Assists in developing major policy statements, statutory interpretations, and proposed regulatory revisions affecting the federal labor-management program.
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Meets regularly with the Chairman/Member and Chief Counsel to plan workflow, prioritize assignments, and manage case processing from initial review through final disposition.
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Provides ongoing guidance, mentoring, and performance feedback to Attorney-Advisors; prepares performance-appraisal narratives and recommends performance ratings.
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Assists with administrative management of the Office, including resource allocation, strategic planning, and implementation of case-processing goals and performance measures.
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Represents the Chairman/Member or Chief Counsel in meetings and internal management discussions, and acts on behalf of the Chief Counsel when delegated.
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Plans and executes special projects, including assignments involving sensitive information or confidential personnel matters.
This position requires advanced legal expertise, exceptional analytical and writing skills, sound judgment, and strong leadership and managerial capabilities.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
Requirements and Conditions of Employment
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U.S. Citizenship: You must be a United States citizen to be eligible for this position.
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Selective Service Registration: Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service System or meet an approved exemption.
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Background Investigation: You must successfully complete and maintain the appropriate background investigation/security clearance required for the position as a condition of employment.
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Bar Membership: You must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia at the time of application and must maintain good standing throughout your employment.
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Legal Education: You must have graduated from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
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Application Sharing Authorization: By applying to this announcement, you consent to the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) sharing your application materials with other FLRA offices for consideration for similar positions, if applicable.
Failure to meet any of the above requirements may result in removal from further consideration or, if already appointed, removal from the position.
Qualifications
Basic Requirements:
- The first professional law degree (LL.B. or JD) or the second professional law degree (LL.M.); AND
- Specialized professional legal experience in excess of three (3) years that is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. The quality of the individual's background may be evidenced by the relatedness of his or her specialization.
Specialized Experience: The skills and experience listed immediately below are of particular importance to the position, and applicants should provide specific detailed information in these areas, where applicable, as part of their application.
For this position,
specialized experience includes providing legal advice and support on labor and employment law matters in the federal government or private sector. You qualify for the GS-15 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the federal government.
Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level. All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. 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
Applicants must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. You must submit a copy of your law school transcript with your application. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. Official transcripts will be required if you are selected for the position. 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; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.
Additional information
You will be required to complete an OGE 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Form. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration of Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, FLRA requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation as a condition of placement in this Non-Critical Sensitive position. This review may include financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
This is a permanent appointment in the excepted service and will be filled on a full-time permanent basis. Employees hired under an Excepted Service appointment are required to serve a two (2) year trial period, unless already completed. Upon successful completion of the required trial period, this position will be permanent. This position does not confer non-competitive conversion to the competitive service.
Supervisory Probationary Period: The incumbent may be required to be on a supervisory probationary period for 1-year unless already completed.
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.
We will review your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position. If you are found qualified, your experience, education, and training will be further evaluated through a job-related assessment questionnaire based on the competencies required to successfully perform the duties of this position.
- Attention to Detail
- Decision Making
- Influencing/Negotiating
- Problem Solving.
- Self-Management
- Teaching Others
- Writing
If you are determined to be among the best qualified candidates, your application may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration, and you may be contacted for an interview.
To preview the job questionnaire and application requirements, please follow the instructions provided in the announcement.
The FLRA evaluates qualified applicants by comparing each candidate's qualifications to the requirements of the position. This evaluation includes consideration of relevant skills and experience, education and training, performance history, and awards. Please ensure your resume and supporting documentation accurately reflect your qualifications. If it is determined that you have overstated your experience or qualifications, you may be removed from further consideration.
Application of Veterans' Preference:
There is no formal rating or ranking system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service. However, the FLRA considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in the attorney hiring process.
Applicants who are eligible for veterans' preference are encouraged to identify their eligibility in their cover letter or resume and to submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214 or other appropriate substantiating documents) with their application materials.
Consideration may be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards as indicators of the quality and relevance of your prior experience.
Interviews are required for this position. Failure to participate in a scheduled interview may result in removal from further consideration.
Required Documents
Resume: Your resume may NOT exceed two pages, and the font size should not be smaller than 10 pts. You will not be considered for this vacancy if your resume is illegible/unreadable. Additional information on resume requirements can be located under "How To Apply".
Questionaire: Responses to the job questionnaire.
Transcript: A copy of your law school transcript (unofficial is acceptable) from an institution accredited by the American Bar Association.
License: At the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status with a bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status.
Written Example: A legal writing sample not to exceed 4 pages.
Proof that you are an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia.
Are you a current or former Federal employee? Submit your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows competitive or excepted service appointment, tenure group, and salary. If you are applying for a higher grade, please submit the SF-50 showing the highest (permanent) grade ever held, if different from your current grade.
Please note: Performance award, Details, and Realignments are not acceptable SF-50s.
Are you a veteran? You must provide acceptable documentation of your preference. The member 4 copy of your DD214 "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," is preferable. If claiming 10-point preference, you will need to submit a Standard Form (SF-15), "Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference." If applying based on eligibility under Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions. View more veterans' information.
Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
- Position title,
- Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee),
- Agency
- Beginning and ending dates of appointment.
Performance Appraisal: If you are are a federal employee, you must attached a copy of your last or recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards.
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 may complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your Resume. If you submit more than one resume, only the most recent will be reviewed. The "most recent" is considered the resume with the latest timestamp.
- Resumes may not exceed two pages. The two-page resume ensures the most relevant experience is reviewed and considered, which is a common practice in both the public and private sectors. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information on how to complete or update your resume may be located here.
- For qualification determination your resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series, and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Current Federal Civilian Employees may list any relevant performance related rating (given within the last three years) and/or incentive awards in your resume.
- Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy.
- Your name, first and last, MUST be included on your resume.
2. A complete Application Questionnaire
3. Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section). Ensure all submitted documents contain your full name.
4. Help recruiters find you. Make your resume and profile searchable, which means recruiters may contact you about possible jobs. Additional information may be located here.
PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. You can access your USAJOBS account to do so by clicking
here. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
Next steps
Once your application package is received an acknowledgement email will be sent. After a review of your complete application is made you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official.
If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility and qualifications for consideration. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.
To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account, select My Applications, and click on the more information link under the application status for this position.
If you do not provide an email address, you are responsible for checking status updates and notifications in USAJOBS. Hard copy notifications will not be sent to you.