Senior Attorney Advisor Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. EX-25-031-MW Department U.S. International Trade Commission
Salary $142,488.00 to $195,200.00 Grade 14 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 8/14/2025 Close Date 8/27/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is located in the U.S. International Trade Commission, Office of Tariff Affairs & Trade Agreements. The incumbent is responsible for providing legal advice to the Commission and staff concerning customs, tariff, and other laws affecting international trade, focusing on international and domestic tariff nomenclature, trade agreement matters, and analysis of all legal and non-legal changes required to ensure the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) is up-to-date and accurate.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

This position is in the excepted service and open to all eligible candidates (US Citizens) who meet qualifications of the position.

Duties

  • Provides legal expertise with respect to all of the legal authorities under which the Commission operates in the area of tariffs, trade agreements implementation and trade investigatory functions as they relate to tariffs administration and trade agreements compliance.
  • Assists in the preparation, for the U.S. Trade Representative, of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders relating to trade agreements, the operation of the Generalized System of Preferences, import relief granted pursuant to tariff and trade statutes, and other Executive modifications of the tariff schedules.
  • Provides legal expertise in the development and implementation of domestic statistical programs, under section 484(f) of the Tariff Act of 1930.
  • Acts as technical advisor to U.S. delegations to meetings of international organizations concerned with facilitating international trade; e.g., the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
  • Provides legal expertise in the development and implementation international trade nomenclatures, under section 608(c) of the Trade Act of 1974.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
  • You will be required to successfully complete a background investigation.
  • You may be required to serve a two-year probationary period.
  • Males born after 12/03/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You will be required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement.
  • You must provide proof of your Bar membership.
  • You must provide a Certificate of Good Standing of the bars to which you are admitted, if you are made an offer.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all of the qualification requirements, including education and any selective placement factors described below by the closing date of this announcement. Education may only be substituted in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order to be credited towards qualifications. Applicants must have the general and specialized experience outlined below which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. To be hired as an Attorney Advisor with us, you must:

  • possess at least a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree or a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; AND
  • currently be a member in good standing of the Bar of a state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

AND

Minimum Qualifications:

For the GS-14: In addition to meeting the basic qualification requirements above, you must have at least four years of experience which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. This experience must consist of the following: one year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND three years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: interpreting regulations, Executive Orders, court decisions, and agency determinations related to the United States International Trade Commission or U.S. Customs and Border Protection; analyzing communications and correspondence to provide technical, legal, and administrative assistance to private sector firms and the general public; work demonstrating skill in providing government officials with legal advice regarding the activities, regulations, policies, and procedures of a government agency; work involving an understanding of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States or the Harmonized System maintained by the World Customs Organization; and, work that demonstrates knowledge of how to satisfy varied requests for tariff related information.

For the GS-15: In addition to meeting the basic qualification requirements above, you must have at least five years of experience which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. This experience must consist of the following: one year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND four years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: interpreting regulations, Executive Orders, court decisions, and agency determinations related to the United States International Trade Commission or U.S. Customs and Border Protection; analyzing communications and correspondence to provide technical, legal, and administrative assistance to private sector firms and the general public; work demonstrating skill in providing government officials with legal advice regarding the activities, regulations, policies, and procedures of a government agency; work involving an understanding of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States or the Harmonized System maintained by the World Customs Organization; and, work that demonstrates knowledge of how to satisfy varied requests for tariff related information.

Education

All applicants must possess a first professional law degree: J.D. or LL.B from an American Bar Association Law School, or equivalent training. Equivalent training is training permitted in some states in lieu of attendance at a law school. To be acceptable, this training must be of the kind and nature required by the state in which the bar exam is taken. A copy of your transcript(s) is required to show proof that you meet this requirement. Please see the Required Documents section of the announcement for more specific information.

Submit a copy of your transcript(s) or list of courses with credit hours, major(s) and grade-point average or class ranking. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click on the link for a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials: http://www.naces.org/members.htm.

Additional information

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a one-year probationary period (competitive service) or a two-year trial period (excepted service) during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Excepted service appointments: This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer rights to permanent Civil Service status.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you are registered with the Selective Service or are exempt under Selective Service regulations. For additional information concerning Selective Service requirements, please visit http://www.sss.gov/.

Cover page to fax paper application - OPM Form 1203fx: http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdfimage/opm1203fx.pdf

Assessment Question: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12782669

Vacancy ID number: EX-25-031-MW

Reasonable accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the contact listed on the vacancy announcement. The decision to grant a reasonable accommodation is made on a case-by-case basis.

Verification of information: Any information claimed on your resume and in application materials, such as education, credentials, employment history, etc., will be verified as part of the security clearance process.

Time period to meet qualifications: All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

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 qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

  • Legal Analysis
  • Legal Knowledge
  • Oral and Written Communication
We will evaluate your relevant education and/or work experience as they relate to the competencies mentioned above. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.

All minimally qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for review. Your resume, and supporting documentation for education, should contain sufficient information for us to make a valid determination that you fully meet the qualification requirements for this vacancy. We do not make inferences and can only consider the information you provide to us. Insufficient resumes and application packages will result in loss of consideration.

Your experience is also evaluated using an assessment questionnaire, which is available at the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12782669

Required Documents

To receive consideration, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified below by 08/27/2025

1. Resume: Your resume may be in any written format you choose, and to be sufficient, should contain the required information as specified in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. Insufficient resumes, or resumes that contain inappropriate information, such as privacy information or photographs, will result in an ineligible rating.

Your resume should not exceed 2 pages and must demonstrate the specialized experience related to the position for which you are applying. If your resume goes beyond two pages, we will only consider the first two pages for the required experience as outlined in the specialized experience. It must contain the following information:

  • Name, address, telephone number, email address;
  • Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade);
  • If qualifying based on related unpaid (e.g. volunteer service) experience, you must provide hours worked per week and beginning/ending dates (mm/dd/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy);
  • If other than full time you must provide hours worked per week.
  • PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination.
  • Should you submit multiple resumes, only the latest uploaded resume will be reviewed.

2. Occupational questionnaire: A completed job-specific occupational questionnaire should be submitted through your Application Manager account.

3. Proof of Bar Membership: Documentation must show that you are a member of the Bar of a state, territory or commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. If you are made an offer, you must submit a Certificate of Good Standing dated within 30 days of the offer.

4. Transcripts: You must submit a copy of your transcript(s), as specified under the Education section of this announcement. Unofficial transcripts are sufficient for application purposes, provided they show your classes, grades, dates of attendance and award of any degree. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

5. SF-50: Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50.

6. Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney positions, which are in the excepted service; however, the Commission considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring of all positions. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include such information in their cover letter, or resume, and submit supporting documents (e.g. DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active duty) as part of their application package. Although the point preference system is not used as in the competitive service, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15), and documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed, as listed on the SF-15. Specific information is available on the Office of Personnel Management website at: http://www.opm.gov.

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

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/27/2025 to receive consideration.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.

3. To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

4. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

The Vacancy ID is 12782669.

Agency contact information

Melanie West
Address
Office of Tariff Affairs and Trade Agreements
500 E St SW
Washington, DC 20436
US

Next steps

Once the online application package is received, you will be notified through USAJOBS of your qualification status and referral or non-referral to the hiring official for further consideration. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. We will notify you by email the outcome after each of these steps has been completed. Your application status will be updated up to four times during the following hiring phases:

  1. After applications are received.
  2. After applications are assessed to determine qualifications.
  3. After candidates are referred to the hiring manager.
  4. If selected, candidates may receive additional notifications regarding the next steps in the hiring process.
Your status will also be updated on your USAJOBS account throughout the process.


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


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