Summary

This position is located in the Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Bankruptcy, Litigation & Terminations Department (BLTD), at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).

This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Clarification from the agency

All current internal employees to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) who are currently serving or previously served on a career or career-conditional appointment.

Duties

The candidate selected for this position will:

Serve as an expert general attorney within OGC, and is responsible for providing comprehensive legal services relating to PBGC’s ERISA programs and providing support to the Deputy General Counsel at the department levels of OGC.
As needed, consult with the Deputy General Counsel in assembling teams of professionals for specific large and/or complex program matters, and is responsible for independently overseeing, managing, and coordinating the work of the team for the particular program matter.
Provide legal counsel and assistance to the Corporation’s program offices in connection with particular cases.
Conduct litigation in the various U.S. District Courts, Courts of Appeal, Bankruptcy Courts and other courts of appropriate jurisdiction.
Will serve as a backup supervisor for their division.
Serve as a leading substantive expert in one or more assigned technical fields, such as bankruptcy, employer liability, benefits, transactional matters, and standard terminations.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

A 2-year trial period is required unless met during prior Federal service

Qualifications

In addition to the education requirement, you must also have the following specialized experience to qualify:

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience at the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service. This experience must include experience in the following areas: (a) Title IV of ERISA (b) bankruptcy and insolvency Law; (c) federal litigation; (d) administrative law; and (e) transactional Law.

Examples may include: authoritative rendering of legal advice and services under Title IV of ERISA with respect to questions, regulations, practices, or other matters; review of proposed legislation, and evaluation of their effect on Corporation programs, policies, procedures, operations, and cases; drafting, negotiating, and examining legal documents; serve as a source of authoritative technical advice, guidance, and liaison on policy, legislative and regulatory matters relating to ERISA, including advice and litigation related to standard terminations.

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

Additional information

To be considered under a special hiring authority such as the Schedule A appointing authority for persons with disabilities; or another excepted service/special hire authority, you must submit documentation to support your claim for eligibility with your application package. For more details, visit Federal Hiring Flexibilities.

PBGC encourages qualified applicants with disabilities to apply. If you are requiring reasonable accommodations, please contact PBGC’s Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator, Denorse Prince at (202) 299-4026 or prince.denorse@pbgc.gov. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

All Veterans are encouraged to visit CareerOne for resume writing tips and skill conversion terms.

If you believe that you have been subjected to discrimination, you may contact the PBGC Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (OEEO):

OEEO Main Office Phone: 202-229-4363

Email: EEO@PBGC.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.

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 limit your resume to two pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed by Human Resources and the hiring manager to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

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.

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 Cecilia Mendozaon (202) 229-3713or at mendoza.cecilia@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."

Agency contact information

Cecilia Mendoza

Phone: 202-229-3713
Fax: 000-000-0000
Email: mendoza.cecilia@pbgc.gov

Address: PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTY CORPORATION
Human Resources Department
445 12th Street SW
Washington, District of Columbia 20024
United States

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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