Summary
This position is located in the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's (PBGC) Office of the General Counsel (OGC), General Law and Operations Department (GLOD), General Litigation and Employment Law Division (GLELD).
More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
All U.S. Citizens, including veterans eligible under the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act (VOW), and Nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island).
Duties
The candidate selected for this position will:
- Support OGC’s mission by providing representation, legal advice and counsel for the Director, the Corporation, and its constituents on employment law issues such as employment and personnel, labor management relations (including collective bargaining), and equal employment opportunity matters.
- Oversee internal investigations of alleged violations of laws, regulations, or policies in anticipation of litigation.
- Investigate facts, research issues, review pertinent laws, legal opinions and precedents, and draft memoranda on sensitive matters, outlining cases and explaining and justifying the application of legal principles, recommendations, and conclusions.
- Prepare cases for litigation including drafting all motions, memoranda, briefs and other pleadings stating the facts, analyzing the legal issues, identifying policy concerns, and justifying the legal action.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen
- You may undergo a personnel security background investigation
- Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt
- A 2-year trial period is required unless met during prior Federal service
- 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.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
Qualifications
In addition to the education requirement, you must also have the following specialized experience to qualify:
GS-13:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the private sector, in the following areas:
- Providing legal advice and counsel for management on labor and employment law issues, such as personnel matters, representation before arbitrators and administrative bodies, representation for management at the table in collective bargaining, and equal employment opportunity matters.
- Conducting internal investigations of alleged violations of laws, regulations, or policies in anticipation of litigation.
- Investigating complex facts; research issues; review pertinent laws, legal opinions and precedents; and draft memoranda on sensitive matters, outlining cases and explaining and justifying the application of legal principles, recommendations, and conclusions.
- Preparing cases for litigation, including the drafting of motions, memoranda, briefs and other pleadings stating the facts, conducting discovery, analyzing the legal issues, identifying policy concerns, and justifying legal action or settlement.
GS-14:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience at the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the private sector, in the following areas:
- Providing legal advice and counsel for the Director, the Corporation, and its constituents on complex and/or sensitive issues arising under the laws governing Federal employment. Examples include equal employment opportunity, merit systems principles, labor relations (including representation for management at the table in collective bargaining), employment law issues, personnel matters such as grievances, disciplinary and adverse actions, and representation before courts, arbitrators and administrative bodies.
- Overseeing internal investigations of alleged violations of laws, regulations, or policies in anticipation of litigation.
- Investigating complex facts; research issues extensively; review pertinent laws, legal opinions and precedents; and draft memoranda on sensitive matters, outlining cases and explaining and justifying the application of legal principles, recommendations, and conclusions.
- Preparing cases for litigation, including the drafting of motions, memoranda, briefs and other pleadings stating the facts, conducting discovery, analyzing the legal issues, identifying policy concerns, and justifying legal action or settlement.
WRITING SAMPLE (REQUIRED): Each applicant must submit an original sample of their unedited written work that does not exceed ten pages in length (double or single spaced). The writing sample should demonstrate legal analysis. A filing with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), or the Federal Labor Relations is preferred.
Education
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree from a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
In addition to the education requirement, you must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a State, a Territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia.
Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home
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.
Visit Federal Employee Benefits for information on the major benefits offered.
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 assessed against the minimum qualification requirements for this position (education, bar membership, and specialized experience).
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required Documents
RESUME: You must submit a resume. Your resume must include your name and contact information and should clearly show your possession of the specialized experience and KSAs so that we can determine your qualifications for this position. Your resume should be specific to the position you are applying for, relating your skills and experience to those noted in the job posting.
PLEASE DO NOT include photographs, hypertext/hyperlinks, or other inappropriate material or content. This information will not be used to make eligibility or qualification determinations.
COVER LETTER (OPTIONAL): Your cover letter should state your interest in this position and the strengths that you feel will make you an asset to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. We will not use your cover letter to determine your qualifications; however, your cover letter will go to the Selecting Official along with your resume if you are referred.
LAW SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT(S) (REQUIRED): You must submit transcripts to verify that you meet the educational requirement for this position. Information on the specific education requirement can be found under Education in the vacancy announcement. Your transcripts should include course titles, school name/location, date completed, grades, and number of credits earned. Applicants who obtained their qualifying education outside of the U.S. and its territories must provide proof that their degrees have been validated as equivalent to a degree conferred by a college or university in the U.S. Unofficial transcripts may be submitted with your application; however, you must bring official transcripts with your first day if you are hired. Please see the Education section of this announcement for additional information.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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.
PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP (REQUIRED): This position requires you to be an active member of the bar (of any jurisdiction) and in good standing. You must submit proof of your membership to verify that you meet this requirement. In the event that you do not have a valid certificate of bar membership or good standing available at the time of application, please submit other evidence of bar membership (e.g., proof of payment of bar dues, a printout from a website indicating active bar membership) with your application; however, you must bring an official, valid certificate with you on your first day if you are hired.
WRITING SAMPLE (REQUIRED): Each applicant must submit an original sample of their unedited written work that does not exceed ten pages in length (double or single spaced). The writing sample should demonstrate legal analysis. A filing with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), or the Federal Labor Relations is preferred.
Failure to submit the required documents will result in an incomplete application.
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
In order to be considered, submit all of the required information (including your supplemental documentation) before midnight EST on the closing date.
If you are not able to apply online or require reasonable accommodations, contact Tamara Jackson on (202) 229-6020or at jackson.tamara@pbgc.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day before the closing date of this vacancy announcement. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
Please complete all the steps in the online application process at USAJOBS (www.usajobs.gov). You may make updates to your information at any time prior to midnight EST on the closing date of this announcement.
- Register with USAJOBS, which will store your information and resume. You will only need to complete this step once.
- Locate and review the vacancy announcement on USAJOBS. Click the “Apply” link and then select a resume to submit with your application. If you do not have a resume to select, or you want to upload a new one, click “Add Resume” and upload your resume. You can also click “Edit” to edit an already-uploaded resume. Once you have selected a resume, click “Save and Continue.”
- Add or remove your supporting documents.
- Once you have attached your resume and supporting documents, review your application package to ensure that they have been attached, then check the box next to “I acknowledge that I have reviewed my resume and document(s).” Then Click “Save and Continue.”
- Complete the “Include Personal Information” page and click “Save and Continue,”
- On the “Continue Application with Agency” page, read the terms and certify by checking the box if you agree. Then click “Continue to Agency Site.” This will take you to the application for the position.
- Click “Apply to this Vacancy.”
- Complete or review the eligibility questions, which determine the types of positions you are eligible for.
- Specify which series, grade(s), and location(s) you wish to be considered for.
- Complete the online vacancy questions, then click "Finish". You will continue to the Vacancy Documents page.
- Review your attached documents from USAJobs. If there are other documents that you need to attach, upload those here as well.
- You will then see a summary of your application, including the documents that you submitted. You are strongly encouraged to save or print a copy of this page as proof of submission and receipt of your application and documents.
- To finish, click "Submit Application."
Next steps
You will receive confirmation that we have received your resume. Save this and any other receipts you receive via email or fax. We will inform you of the status of your application via the email address you provided in your registration.
You may check the status of your applications by clicking on the My USAJOBS tab at the USAJOBS website.
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