Deputy Tax Legislative Counsel Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 25-12768266-NS Department Treasury, Departmental Offices
Salary $150,160.00 to $225,700.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 7/31/2025 Close Date 8/29/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position serves as Deputy Tax Legislative Counsel in the Office of the Tax Legislative Counsel (the Office). The Tax Legislative Counsel is the legal adviser on domestic, non-benefits tax legislation and guidance projects and assists the Assistant Secretary (Tax Policy) and the Secretary in providing leadership for the Department of the Treasury to assure consistency in tax policy and an integrated legislative program on tax matters.

Duties

In addition to the general duties as a senior attorney in the Office, the Deputy Tax Legislative Counsel has particular responsibility for the following principal duties:

Administrative Guidance Development: Under the general direction of the Tax Legislative Counsel, supervises staff work regarding administrative guidance projects and implementation of the Department's administrative guidance priorities. Assists in the Tax Legislative Counsel's review and revision of administrative guidance projects, including regulations and revenue rulings and other published guidance, to ensure the Department's policies are incorporated into such guidance. Provides legal analysis and assists in the Tax Legislative Counsel's analysis of tax law and regulations and makes recommendations for revisions to reflect the Department's policies. Presents and promotes the Department's administrative guidance projects to the Congress, general public, and tax practitioners.

Administrative Guidance Liaison and Coordination: Coordinates the Office's work with regard to administrative guidance projects. Maintains liaison with senior officials in the IRS, including in the Office of the Commissioner and the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, to clarify legal and policy issues and explain the Department's policy positions. In conjunction with liaising with the IRS Chief Counsel, IRS Associate Chief Counsels and their Deputies, coordinates staff level interaction between the Office and the IRS on regulations and guidance issues. Attends meetings with senior officials of the Treasury and other agencies, staff of congressional committees, State, Tribal, and local governments, trade and bar associations and interest groups, and interested taxpayers and tax practitioners to ascertain their positions with respect to administrative guidance.

Administrative Guidance Policy: Represents the Office of Tax Policy in Treasury-IRS meetings concerned with the promulgation of tax regulations and other administrative guidance. Ensures that the legal and policy positions of the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Policy are appropriately represented in the development of administrative guidance priorities, in meetings with congressional staff regarding implementation of tax legislation, and in memoranda and correspondence regarding regulatory and other administrative guidance. As required, develops testimony and briefings for presentation to the Congress, OMB, CBO, the White House, the IRS, and Departmental officials regarding the Office's administrative guidance projects.

Legislative Policy: Under the general direction of the Tax Legislative Counsel, supervises staff work regarding legislative proposals that set forth the Administration's revenue proposals. Supervises staff work regarding technical analysis of legislative proposals presented by Members of Congress or congressional committees, to share technical expertise and ensure the Department's policies are taken into account.

Miscellaneous: Prepares analyses, reports, testimony, and other information in support of the Department's legislative agenda, in particular with regard to projects affecting or affected by regulations and other administrative guidance. Assists the Tax Legislative Counsel in the development and implementation of specific legislative and administrative guidance projects, and monitors and reports to the Tax Legislative Counsel on the status of specific projects. Researches and develops recommendations for improving the Office's operation and performance in promulgation of regulatory and other administrative guidance. As a deputy to the Tax Legislative Counsel, in the latter's absence or unavailability, may be called upon to provide temporary leadership for the Office. The General Counsel will designate an Acting Tax Legislative Counsel as circumstances require.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • A one-year SES probationary period is required, if not previously completed.
  • An initial SES career appointment becomes final only after the individual successfully completes a 1-year probationary period.
  • Must successfully complete personnel security vetting (e.g., investigation, evaluation, and adjudication).
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • Must 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.
  • Disclosure of Political Appointments.
  • Veterans' preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service.
  • All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position of Deputy Tax Legislative Counsel, you must meet the following requirements:

  • Possess at least the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; and
  • Applicants must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
  • Desired Education/Experience: An LL.M. in Taxation is desired but not required. Seven (7) years of professional legal tax experience is desired.


RESUME: As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service (SES), you must clearly articulate and describe within your two (2) page resume evidence of progressively responsible supervisory, managerial, or professional experience which involved management of a program or organization of significant scope and complexity. Your resume must provide information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate your ability to perform the duties of this position and meet the mandatory Technical Qualification(s) and Executive Core Qualifications listed below. Your resume must demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential to fulfill executive responsibilities typically required in SES positions, including:

  • Directing the work of an organizational unit;
  • Accountability for the success of one or more specific programs or projects;
  • Monitoring progress toward organizational goals and periodically evaluates and makes appropriate adjustments to such goals;
  • Supervising the work of employees (other than personnel assistants) at least 25% of the time; or
  • Exercising important policy-making, policy-determining, or other executive functions


If you are currently serving under a career SES appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the SES (this means you were previously employed as a Career SES employee and successfully completed a one-year probationary period) or have successfully completed an OPM-certified SES Candidate Development Program (CDP), your resume must clearly state that you are a current career SES, eligible for reinstatement, or SES CDP certified, including the year of certification.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): By statute, OPM prescribes Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) for the appointment of career SES members. The ECQs were designed to evaluate executive experience and not technical expertise. The following ECQs provide the focus for certification of executive core qualifications for initial appointment to the Senior Executive Service. Your two-page resume should show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications.

ECQ 1 - Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding: Demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people. Leadership Competencies: Knowledge of the American System of Government, Commitment to the Rule of Law, Civic-Mindedness.

ECQ 2 - Driving Efficiency: Demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades. Leadership Competencies: Fiscal Responsibility, Managing Resources, Leveraging Technology.

ECQ 3 - Merit and Competence: Demonstrated knowledge, ability, and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality. Leadership Competencies: Technical Skill, Problem Solving, Agility and Resilience.

ECQ 4 - Leading People: Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable. Leadership Competencies: Accountability, Developing Others, Executive Judgement.

ECQ 5 - Achieving Results: Demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors. Leadership Competencies: Operational Mindset, Innovation, Strategic Thinking.

FUNDAMENTAL COMPETENCIES: The following competencies are the foundation for success in each of the Executive Core Qualifications: Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Written Communication, Integrity/Honesty, Continual Learning, and Public Service Motivation.

Additional information about the SES and ECQs can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) SES Website: Executive Core Qualifications.

MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (MTQs): In addition to the ECQs, candidates must address Technical Qualifications (TQs). MTQs are designed to assess an applicant's experience relevant to the specific position requirements. All applicants must clearly demonstrate in their two-page resume, experience and accomplishments related to the MTQs below:

MTQ 1: Diversified legal experience dealing with highly complex issues in the field of domestic federal taxation and related matters.

MTQ 2: Knowledge of the legislative and regulatory process, including the administrative guidance process, applicable to the Internal Revenue Code.

MTQ 3: A comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of federal taxation with specialization in domestic taxation issues such as corporate income taxes, passthroughs, or financial products tax issues, and outstanding ability to analyze benefits issues from a tax policy, economic policy, and general public policy standpoint.

MTQ 4: A comprehensive understanding of the functions of the Office of the Tax Legislative Counsel and its relationship to other offices within Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service and other Federal agencies.

Please DO NOT submit separate documents addressing the ECQs or MTQs.

Education

For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. 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.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov)

Additional information

Veterans' Preference: Is not applicable to positions in the Senior Executive Service.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last five (5) years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Noncareer SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information on your resume and to the Human Resources Office.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.


Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process should follow the instructions in the job opportunity announcement. For any part of the remaining hiring process, applicants should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform job duties or receive equal access to job benefits.

You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. Learn more about disability employment and reasonable accommodations or how to contact an agency.
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.

Please review the three hyperlinks of your rights. (Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights - FBI, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI, and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov)

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.

Your resume will be reviewed to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the basic qualification requirements, your application will be referred to and evaluated by an executive panel. Highly Qualified applicants may undergo one or more interviews and/or be asked to provide a list of references or additional documents to confirm eligibility.

The Executive Resources Board (ERB) will review results of the evaluation and make a written recommendation on the final selections to the appointing authority. Unless you have already been certified by the OPM Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past or received certification by an OPM approved Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program, your qualifications must be certified by an OPM QRB before appointment may occur.

If the selected candidate does not have Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certification by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the individual will be required to undergo an ECQ based structured interview with OPM to determine that you meet the leadership competencies required to serve as a member of the SES.

REMINDER: Before uploading your required PDF documents, please ensure the resume DO NOT EXCEED the noted page limits.

Required Documents

**************ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE UPLOADED IN PDF FORMAT*******************

The Qualifications Documents must be formatted using Times New Roman, size 12 font, with 1-inch margins. Do not use borders, provide photos, or list a Social Security Number on any of the Qualifications Documents.

1. Resume: The new SES hiring process requires applicants to submit a two (2)-page resume (only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications), which includes information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate you meet the ECQs and required MTQ. If you submit more than two pages, the remainder of the pages will not be reviewed nor considered.

Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.

Note: Applications must be presented in a font size and font style that is legible, preferably Times New Roman font, no less than 12-point size with no less than half an inch margin all around.

2. SF-50: Current & former federal employees should submit an SF-50 which shows your eligibility status. We recommend submitting your current SF-50 or most recent SF-50. DO NOT submit an award SF-50 as these often do not verify eligibility. Current Career Senior Executives and individuals with SES reinstatement eligibility must submit a copy of an SF-50 which shows career SES status.

3. Candidate Development Program Certificate: SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP) graduates that have not been appointed to the SES must submit a copy of their OPM QRB Certification. This document should be uploaded under the "other document type" field.

4. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently or have been within the last five (5) years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Noncareer SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information on your resume and to the Human Resources Office.

Additionally, you may be asked to provide additional documentation to support your eligibility and the information provided in your application package. Therefore, we encourage you to have these documents prepared and ready when requested by the agency. If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.

Applicants who fail to submit ALL required documents WILL NOT receive consideration for this position. Application will result in an "Incomplete" rating.

Faxed, emailed, and/or mailed application materials will not be accepted for this announcement.

NOTE: YOU MUST SUBMIT ALL DOCUMENTATION BY 11:59 P.M. EST ON THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

1. 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.

2. Follow the prompts to select your resume to be included with your application package. Your uploaded resume may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.


3. 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.

4. 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.

Agency contact information

Nieva Satcher

Next steps

You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My Account" tab and clicking on "Application Status". For a more detailed update of your application status, you may click on "more information."

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.

The Federal hiring process is setup to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.


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


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