Clarification from the agency

Open to the Public-All US Citizens

The ideal candidate for this position would possess experience in one or more of the following: federal appropriations law; federal procurement law, including bid protests; providing legal advice on complex FCC programs involving significant federal funds, such as the Universal Service Fund or spectrum auctions; or providing oral and written advice and legal-sufficiency reviews across a wide range of administrative law matters, including interpretation of statutes, executive orders, regulations, guidance, and precedent.

The incumbent serves as the Deputy Associate General Counsel, participating with the Associate General Counsel in managing the operations and responsibilities of the Administrative Law Division, and providing expert guidance on diverse legal matters and issues affecting the operations of an agency of 1,400 employees.  He/she prepares and oversees the preparation of expert legal advice on the basis of legal research and consultation with appropriate federal agency experts on important and/or novel jurisdictional, statutory, or regulatory problems/issues in the following areas of law:  communications law, administrative procedure, fiscal law, contracts, torts, fraud, labor relations, environmental law, real estate, conflicts of interest law, information and privacy law, and ethics.  This position offers a unique opportunity to advise on a wide range of general law matters that critically affect the work of the Federal Communications Commission, to support and shape policies, and to offer creative solutions to thorny legal and procedural issues affecting the Commission’s strategic goals.  He/she reports to the Associate General Counsel, Administrative Law Division.

Participates as a subject matter expert rendering authoritative legal advice and opinions on a wide range of extremely complex and difficult administrative law legal and policy issues, applying Federal and state statutes and regulations, policy statements, court cases, and actions falling within the Administrative Law area to provide well-reasoned and legally sufficient advice to the General Counsel and agency leadership.  Reviews and analyzes the trend of administrative law to determine its affect and/or potential impact upon the Commission’s mission, functions, programs and activities.

Oversees and advises Division attorneys who advise on the legal aspects of rulemakings, budget and audit submissions, draft appropriations legislation and other agency proceedings and operations to ensure agency compliance  with judicial and administrative interpretations and  a wide range of statutory provisions which include: the Communications Act, Administrative Procedure Act, Paperwork Reduction Act, Regulatory Flexibility Act, Freedom of Information Act, Sunshine Act, Privacy Act, Federal Tort Claims Act, Congressional Review Act, Data Quality Act, Federal Advisory Committee Act, Anti-Deficiency Act, Miscellaneous Receipts Statute, Recording Statute, Ethics in Government Act, and other statutes, regulations, and Executive Orders that apply to the agency’s activities.

Reviews and drafts regulatory and legislative initiatives as directed by the Associate General Counsel; prepares opinions, recommendations, and legal memoranda; and represents the Associate General Counsel at meetings, hearings, and conferences.

Conditions of employment

• Bar Membership Documentation Required Upon Selection.
• Education-Transcripts Required Upon Selection.
• US Citizenship.
• Suitable for employment as determined by a background investigation.
• Serve a probationary period of one year, if applicable.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
• Financial disclosure statement may be required upon assuming the position.
• Current FCC employees must provide SF-50 verifying grade & status
• SF-50 Documenting One Year of Time in Grade Required.
• Resume must not exceed two pages and must meet resume format criteria.

Please note your resume must thoroughly support your responses to the vacancy questions.  Your resume is an integral part of the process for determining if you meet the basic qualifications of the position and determining if you are to be among the best qualified.

SF-50 Required: ALL FCC EMPLOYEES AND CURRENT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MUST provide a legible Personnel Action, SF-50, that verifies your status and highest permanently held grade.  If an SF-50 is not submitted, the application will be rated as ineligible. To request a copy of your SF-50 please send an email to PersonnelRecordsRequest@fcc.gov

Qualifications

Interested candidates should be passionate about the ideals of our American republic, committed to upholding the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution, and committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government. Hiring decisions will not be based on race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

Applicants must meet eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Professional law experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

In order to be deemed as "BEST QUALIFIED" candidates must meet both the educational requirements AND the Specialized Experience.

A. Education

You must meet the minimum basic educational requirements for Attorney positions. Education requirements include:  a professional law degree JD, LL.B., and/or LL.M. 

NOTE-If you do not provide a transcript at the time of application, a transcript will be required to be provided at the time of selection.

AND

B. Specialized Experience

To Qualify for the GS-15: Applicant must possess at least four years of professional law experience and at least one year of the experience must be specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service performing the following:

Specialized experience includes: (1) Interpreting statutes, regulations and/or rulemaking documents; (2) communicating orally to advise and explain legal and policy issues in a clear and persuasive manner; (3) writing to clearly convey complex legal and technical information to management and staff; (4) representing the organization to explain complex or controversial issues or negotiate resolution to problems; (5) providing leadership to other attorneys or professionals in meetings, discussions, or legal proceedings; and (6) expertise in one or more of the following:  communications law; administrative law; fiscal law; information and privacy law; ethics and conflict of interest law; contracts, torts, fraud, labor relations, environmental and real estate law; and general law statutes and regulations that would be applicable to the FCC.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE:  Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

SME REVIEW

Your application will be reviewed by subject matter experts to determine if you meet the OPM qualification requirements for this position.

COMPETENCIES

• Leadership
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Oral Communication
• Problem Solving
• Decision Making

How you will be evaluated

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

Optional Four Essay Questions

At the time of application, applicants have the option of answering the following four short, free-response essay questions.

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.
2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.
3. How would you help advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.

Applicants will be required to certify that they are using their own words, and did not use a consultant or AI (such as a large language model [LLM]). The responses to each question cannot exceed 200 words per question.

All candidates will be considered without regard to political or religious affiliation, marital status, race, color, sex, national origin, non-disqualifying physical or mental handicap, age, or any other non-merit factor.  THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

All applicants will be rated on the extent and quality of experience and education relevant to the duties of the position.  Applicants who do not submit a supporting resume will be rated ineligible. 

There are several parts to the application process that affect the overall evaluation of your application including:

1.  the core questions
2.  supplemental documentation (e.g., SF-50, transcripts, bar membership); and
4.  your resume.

Applicants will be rated ineligible, if they do not respond to job specific questions provide supplemental documents and submit resume.  For more information, please click on Rating Process

Merit Hiring Plan Resume Requirements

In compliance with Executive Order 14170, Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service resumes must not be longer than two pages in length. The resume must address minimum qualifications and other requirements listed in the job announcement.

Resumes must include all of the following information outlined below:

Contact Information

Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number.

Relevant Work Experience

• Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions)
• Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 –08/2022)
• The number of hours you worked per week

Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement.

Resumes must be formatted as outlined above. If the two page resume criteria and/or the resume formatting requirement is not met candidates will be rated as ineligible and will not be referred for hiring consideration.

The FCC is providing the following applicant resume resources: 

• Applicant Guidance on the Two-Page Resume Limit
• USAjobs-How to Write a Federal Resume

Your application MUST be received by midnight U.S. Eastern Time of the closing date of the announcement. 

You must submit a resume at the time of application.  Your resume must clearly document how you meet the specialized experience in order to meet the minimum qualification requirements for the vacancy.  Current Federal employees must also submit a copy of an SF-50 documenting one year of time in grade.  If an SF-50 is not submitted to verify time in grade, the applicant will be rated as ineligible.

This position may require the submission of supplemental documents before selection.

• Law academic transcripts (unofficial is acceptable).
• Proof of current, active bar membership.
• Writing sample demonstrating the ability to analyze complex legal and/or policy issues.
• Professional references.

Once you apply to this vacancy you will be prompted by the system to upload supporting application documentation. If you are unable to upload the required documentation, contact the HR Specialist listed on the vacancy announcement prior to 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement. 

Supplemental Documents Required:

• Current Federal employees should submit a copy of an SF-50 documenting one year of time in grade.  If an SF-50 is not submitted to verify time in grade, the application will be rated as ineligible.
• Transcripts
• Bar Membership

If transcripts and proof of bar membership are not provided at the time of application, this documentation must be provided at the time of selection.

Veterans must submit a legible Member 4 copy of the DD-214 which reflects the manner of discharge.  Please refer to OPM's VetGuide for further information about veterans' preference via the following link: VetGuide

Next steps