Summary
The FTC is seeking an experienced attorney to serve as Regional Director of its Northeast Regional Office (NERO), located in New York City. The NERO has responsibility for the Commission's competition and consumer protection law enforcement activities and consumer and business education in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Activities may involve work and travel outside the geographical area.
Duties
If you are selected as Regional Director, you will have overall responsibility for planning, coordinating, and implementing a comprehensive program designed to further the agency's strategic goals of protecting consumers and promoting competition.
As the Northeast Regional Office handles both competition and consumer protection matters, this role involves directing and supervising: (1) merger and anticompetitive conduct investigations and litigation across an array of industries to enforce federal antitrust laws and (2) investigations and litigation, as well as outreach to consumers and partners, in support of eliminating unfair or deceptive practices in the marketplace. The Regional Director will provide hands-on investigation and litigation support to case teams as needed, particularly with respect to competition matters. This role involves facilitating budgetary and administrative activities.
The efforts of the Northeast Regional Office are directed toward safeguarding the consuming public by preventing or eliminating unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices. In order to accomplish these goals, staff investigates alleged violations of the law, negotiates agreements to stop illegal acts, drafts formal complaints, develops legal theories and facts for presentation, and conducts litigation in federal court and before administrative law judges. Within the area served by the regional office, you will be responsible for managing the office's large docket of complex litigation and for establishing and maintaining effective federal-state-local relationships, including development of coordinated campaigns to prevent unfair, deceptive, and anticompetitive trade practices.
You will serve as a spokesperson for the Commission on matters of regional concern in interviews with representatives of business, industry, the news media, consumer groups, state and local authorities, and the general public.
You must work effectively with the Assistant Regional Director, the Directors of the Bureaus of Competition and Consumer Protection, the Associate, Assistant, and Deputy Assistant Directors of divisions within each Bureau, and other managers in headquarters and throughout the regions to implement the Commission's strategic plans and those of each Bureau. Guided by such strategic plans, you will establish work priorities for the office, initiate changes in program emphasis, and ensure that the resources of the office are effectively utilized.
Your management responsibilities will include: (1) overseeing and participating in federal court and administrative litigation, creating and supervising well-functioning litigation teams, and managing litigation case priorities and organizational structure, (2) providing training and development opportunities for the staff to hone their investigative and litigation skills; and (3) establishing performance standards, recommending employees for promotions and performance awards, correcting performance deficiencies, and initiating disciplinary actions.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- U.S. citizenship requirement must be met by the closing date of this vacancy.
- This position is subject to a background investigation.
- Males born after December 31, 1959 must register with Selective Service.
- Possess a J.D. or LL.B. degree from an accredited law school.
- Member in good standing of the Bar of a state or territory - US, PR, DC.
- The position may be subject to completion of a two-year trial period.
- This position may be subject to completion of a supervisory probation period
- This position is not in the bargaining unit.
Qualifications
Minimum Requirements
Applicants must have attained the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from an accredited law school and be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a U.S. territory. Applicants must demonstrate excellent writing skills and be able to work effectively with other people, exercise sound judgment, and exhibit a strong interest in the work of the agency.
Additional Requirements
GS-15 Positions
For attorney appointments: active member of the bar in good standing and 60 months of legal experience after graduation from law school.
To qualify for the GS-15 level: In addition to a law degree and active bar membership, you must have 60 months of legal experience after graduation from law school to qualify for the GS-15 level. At least 18 months of your legal experience after graduation from law school must be comparable to the GS-14 level. Qualifying experience at the GS-15 level include examples of conducting excellent legal research and writing abilities, strong organizational and analytical skills in presenting written arguments and excellent oral communication skills.
Note: Legal and nonlegal experience gained in the Federal Government before completing law school does not satisfy post law school 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
Education
This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcripts. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package; however, official transcripts will be required prior to receiving an official offer.
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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. For further information, visit: FOREIGN EDUCATION
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.
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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 evaluated based on the overall strength of your credentials as demonstrated by your cover letter, resume, writing sample, and experience. The most qualified candidates will be selected for interviews, which will also be considered in making the final decision.
Application of Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Federal Trade Commission considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. If you are eligible for veterans' preference, you are encouraged to include that information in your cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214 or other substantiating documents) to your submission.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
- Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Capital Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.