Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens, Senior Executive Service, and those Federal Employees in an Excepted or Competitive Service Status.

The Director of the Departmental Ethics Office is a Senior Executive Service position and serves under the general direction of the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Management and Compliance, within the Justice Management Division (JMD), Headquartered in Washington D.C.

The incumbent manages a Department-wide ethics program and provides broad oversight and guidance to over 35 Deputy Designated Agency Ethics Officials (DDAEO's) throughout the Department. The program consists of training and counseling employees on matters of government ethics, as well as the collection and review of financial disclosure reports. The incumbent is personally involved in all aspects of the programs by providing direct service to the Department's leadership offices, JMD, and selected component offices. He/she is also responsible for ensuring the DDAEO's provide similar services of a high quality within their respective components.

Primary responsibilities of the incumbent include but not limited to:

1. Developing, implementing, and managing a department-wide system for compliance with the financial disclosure reporting requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. Identifies and makes changes to that system as necessary to pass annual audits by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE). Analyzing ethics issues and standards of conduct on a government-wide basis for revising Departmental ethics policies, financial disclosure procedures, and training programs.

2. Serving as the Departmental expert in the analysis and interpretation of new or challenging ethics laws and regulations such as the Hatch Act, Procurement Integrity Amendments, and the Ethics Reform Act of 1989.

3. The Director manages a staff that is responsible for reviewing financial disclosure reports filed by Presidential appointees. During this process, the incumbent thoroughly reviews the nominees' financial disclosure reports, identifies actual and potential conflicts of interest, and drafts Ethics Agreements mitigating the conflicts identified. Ensures the reviews are completed correctly and in a timely manner and that reports are forwarded to the Deputy Attorney General (DAG), Associate Attorney General (ASG), or the Assistant Attorney General for Administration (or designee) for timely certification.

4. Serves as the liaison between the Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO) and the DDAEO's on ethics matters. Serves as the Department's subject-matter expert on conflict-of-interest laws, standards of conduct, and financial disclosure, maintaining awareness of ethics developments across all levels of government. Interprets new ethics legislation, advises senior DOJ leadership on its implications, and implements updates through revised DOJ orders, memos, policies, and other written guidance.

Conditions of employment

Conditions of Employment:

1. You must be a United States Citizen or National.
2. Veterans' preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service.
3. Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st, 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
4. You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check for the security level designated for this position.
5. You will be required to undergo a drug screening and obtain favorable results prior to being appointed.
6. You may be subject to a one-year probationary period effective from the date in which you are appointed.
7. This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) upon entry, and annually thereafter in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
8. You must meet all minimum qualifications to be deemed eligible. Only experience obtained by closing date of this announcement will be considered.

As a basic requirement for entry into the SES, applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level management capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the Mandatory Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications.

Qualifications

The application process used to recruit for this position is RESUME-ONLY. Applicants must show clear evidence of their demonstrated leadership ability by addressing the the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) embedded within their resume. The resume-based application should not to exceed 2 pages (1-sheet double-sided or 2 sheets one-sided)

**Note: Applicants who have completed the SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and have had their ECQs certified by OPM must provide a copy of their certificate as part of their application. Candidates must still satisfy the MTQs of the position.

We recommend that your resume emphasize your level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of the programs managed, and your program accomplishments, including the results of your actions. You will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required of the position and on the extent your application demonstrates that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of the Director, Departmental Ethics. Please be sure to give concrete examples of your experience and demonstrate the complexity of the knowledge you possess.

ECQ1 - 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.

ECQ2 - DRIVING EFFICIENCY. Demonstrated ability to strategically and sufficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.

ECQ3 - MERIT AND COMPETENCE. Demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.

ECQ4 - LEADING PEOPLE. Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals; To drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture.

ECQ5 - ACHIEVING RESULTS. Demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to state goals from superiors.

For this position, the following Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) have been established and should be addressed within the resume application.

MTQ 1: Demonstrated, in-depth knowledge of Federal ethics statutes and regulations, including financial disclosure requirements, review, and counseling, with substantial experience administering and overseeing ethics programs within a large, complex organization. Proven ability to interpret and apply ethics laws, ensure regulatory compliance, and provide authoritative guidance to senior leaders and employees.

MTQ 2: Demonstrated ability to lead policy development, direct strategic and operational planning, and oversee comprehensive ethics training programs within a Cabinet-level agency or comparably complex organization.

MTQ 3: Demonstrated ability to review financial disclosure reports from Presidentially nominated appointees, identify actual and potential conflicts of interest, and draft Ethics Agreements mitigating the conflicts identified while ensuring the reviews are completed correctly and in a timely manner before forwarding them to agency leadership for timely certification.

How you will be evaluated

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

Only experience obtained by the 11:59pm EST on the closing date (02/20/2026) of this announcement will be considered.

Once this announcement closes the following will occur:

1. A review of your resume, Clear evidence of the 5 ECQs and MTQs, and supporting documentation will be conducted by the HR Specialist.
2. Applicants deemed minimally qualified will be referred to a Qualifications Rating Panel (QRP) to further evaluate applications.
3. The QRP will further evaluate applications to determine the best qualified applicants for referral to the hiring official.
4. Best qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring official and may be invited to participate in a structured interview. Interviews may be in a virtual setting or in person at DOJ offices.
5. The selectee will receive a tentative offer from the agency however before an agency can appoint a new Senior Executive Service member, The selected individual will be subject further evaluation through a Structured Interview by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Review Board (QRB) as required by law. OPM must review the executive qualifications of each new career appointee to the Senior Executive Service (SES) prior to appointment.

NOTE: You MUST address all MTQs as required above, but do not need to address the ECQs if you:

1. Are currently serving under a career SES appointment;
2. Are eligible for reinstatement into the SES; or
3. Have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program and been certified by Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Proof of Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certification must be provided in your application.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

- Complete Resume that addresses the MTQs and ECQs. Your resume must not exceed (2) pages.
- Recent SF-50 that shows Official Title, Salary, Grade Level, Status and (for current or former federal employees)
- Recent Performance Appraisal (for current or former federal employees)
- Provide certification of OPM QRB approval (for graduates of SES Candidate Development Programs)
- Proof of ACTIVE Bar Membership
- Other supporting documentation as required.

Next steps