Tax Law Specialist

Clarification from the agency

Open to U.S. Citizens/Nationals

The following are the duties of this position at the full working level. If this vacancy includes more than one grade and you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and receive training to help you grow in this position.

• Evaluates and resolves Voluntary Compliance cases. Confers with customers and representatives to explain financial, legal and other significant issues involved and the applicability of pertinent tax laws, regulations and related filing requirements.
• Researches and analyzes data including examination results to identify industry trends, issues and problems. Identifies previously unknown potential areas of non-compliance requiring policy determinations, legal interpretations or law changes to promote voluntary compliance.
• Develops audit guidelines and provides other forms of written and oral technical assistance to field agents.
• Prepares technical responses to inquiries submitted by members of Congress, taxpayers, authorized representatives, government agencies and other external customers.
• Coordinates with agents and managers to develop national examination initiatives. Coordinates bond cases with the office of Chief Counsel and Appeals when appropriate.
• Makes recommendations regarding the referral of a bond issue to the field for examination

Conditions of employment

• Probationary Period - All newly appointed employees to the competitive (or excepted) service are subject to a probationary (or trial) period. During this time, your performance, conduct, and suitability for continued employment will be evaluated. You will not automatically convert to permanent status at the end of the probationary (or trial) period. Your supervisor must affirmatively determine that continued employment is in the best interest of the Federal service. If no certification is made before the probationary (or trial) period ends, your appointment will be terminated. You are encouraged to actively engage with your supervisor, seek feedback, and understand role expectations. Additional guidance and support will be provided during onboarding.
• Government Credit Card - Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.

• U.S Citizenship - Must be a U.S. Citizen or National and provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• Selective Service Registration - Males born after December 31, 1959 are required to be registered with the Selective Service System or prove they are exempt from having to do so.
• Personal Identity Verification (PIV) - Must provide 2 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. These documents must be unexpired original or certified copies.

Qualifications

Federal experience is not required. Experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or through Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized Experience GS-13: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Legal, tax accounting, or other experience that required knowledge of Federal tax laws, regulations, precedent decisions, or other areas related to the position to be filled. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Preparing, reviewing, or applying rulings, advisory letters, memoranda, etc. related to Federal taxation.
• Analyzing and adjudicating tax claims, appeals, settlement offers, or similar work related to Federal tax operations.
• Work as an attorney that required legal research, analysis, and preparation of briefs or similar documents interpreting laws and regulations.
• Work as an accountant, auditor, or investigator that required application of Federal tax accounting principles and/or the Internal Revenue Code and related laws.
• and you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position must include:
• Applying accounting and finance principles, theory, and practices to analyze and interpret accounting books, records, or systems specifically to determine their effect on compliance with complex Federal tax law on tax advantaged municipal bonds.
• Conducting legal research and analysis, and prepared briefs or similar documents that interpret laws and regulations related to compliance with complex Federal tax advantaged bond rules that include tax credit and tax exempt bond issuances.
• Interacting and negotiating effectively with governmental entities, their representatives and other similar municipal finance-related professions in accounting, legal, and tax matters to address municipal bond compliance with Federal tax laws.
• Interpreting and applying Federal tax law for governmental, municipal and private entities in municipal financial transactions and financial management principles and practices.

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

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 based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Rating: Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, CAT A, CAT B or CAT C.

Referral: Eligible applicants rated in the highest category group, may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. Candidates, if required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring practices), will be interviewed in category group order. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Qualified preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more (CPS, CP) are placed at the top of the highest category on the referral list (except for scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher). Remaining preference eligibles are placed above non-preference eligibles within their assigned category.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), you must receive a rating of category CAT B to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

If you are selected, you will be subject to all requirements listed in the Requirements, Qualifications, and Additional Information sections of this announcement which includes, Prior Employment/Tax Checks, Fingerprint/Criminal History checks.

The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. All application materials, including transcripts, must be in English.
Incomplete or insufficient information may result in not being considered for the position, or not receiving special consideration for which you may be eligible. Please view Application Preparation or How to write a resume for federal job.

1. Resume

• Requirements (Failure to provide the following information, may result in not being considered):
  • Limited to two (2) pages. Recommend a standard 8.5x11-inch document size, a sans-serif font such as Arial or Calibri with a font size no smaller than 10-point, page margins of 0.5 inches. Applicants that attempt to circumvent the 2-page limit page limit, for example by materially reducing readability, will be deemed ineligible.
  • Includes your name and contact information.
  • Include relevant work experience - Employer Name, Job Title, Employment dates (start to end date or present), number of hours worked per week, and a brief description of duties that clearly demonstrate your qualifications.
  • To receive full credit for work experience, you must include specific MM/DD/YYYY start and end dates for every position.
  • Pay plan, series, and grade (e.g., GS-0301-09) for all federal service jobs.
• Don't Include on Resume:
  • Photographs, classified or sensitive information, SSN, encrypted/digitally signed documents, or other inappropriate content. Resumes containing prohibited information will be deemed ineligible.
  • Embedded links as they will not be opened or considered when determining qualifications.
  • Personal information such as age, sex, religion, race, or disability.
  • Specialized experience copied from the announcement or position description, as this is not a demonstration of your experience.

• Submit a copy of your transcript(s) or equivalent for positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position based on education or training. An official transcript(s) will be required if you are selected.
• High School Diploma (or equivalent) - If you are 16 or 17 years of age, you MUST submit documentation of graduation from high school (or equivalent); OR completion of a formal vocational training program; OR statement from school authorities agreeing with your decision to pursue employment rather than continuing your education.

• MUST submit a copy of your DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge.
• If you are serving under active duty, provide certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released within 120 days from the date of certification. The certification must indicate your dates of service, rank and that you will be separated under honorable conditions.
• 10-point preference eligible - Submit an Application for 10-point Veteran Preference, SF-15, along with the required documentation listed on the back of the form if you are a 10-point preference eligible. For more information on claiming veterans' preference view here.

• Submit the required documentation as outlined under CTAP/ICTAP

• Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) or equivalent personnel action form which shows your grade and competitive service status.

Next steps

Additional locations