Attorney Advisor

This Position Is Located in The Office of The Secretary, Office of The General Counsel, Office of General Law Under the Administrative Supervision of the Assistant General Counsel for General Law and is responsible for providing legal services to the Office of the Secretary and the operating elements of the Department on matters relating to the Department's programs and the scope of powers and authority of the Department and its officers.

Duties

The Attorney Advisor:

• Advises agency managers and leadership on issues and policies associated with a broad range of employment and labor law matters, including employee performance and conduct, reasonable accommodations, internal investigations, EEO, employment policy and whistleblower complaints.
• Serves as an advisor and representative for matters concerning labor/management relations, including grievances, arbitration, and collective bargaining. Serves as lead legal counsel in cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Merit Systems Protection Board, and Federal Labor Relations Authority.
• Performs legal analysis and research, conducting necessary conferences and consultations, preparing memoranda and opinions, and maintaining continuing liaison with clients and other affected stakeholders to ensure understanding of the legal issues associated with Federal government statutes and regulations involving ethics, conflicts of interest, gifts, outside activity, ethics pledges, political activity, and issues arising under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. Advises on issues related to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

The Ideal candidate is a highly motivated, self-reliant, and skilled individual willing to work in a challenging and fast-paced environment with experienced professionals committed to ensure that our Nation has the safest, most efficient, and modern transportation system in the world. This individual should have a keen interest in the legal areas listed in the Summary section of this announcement. The ideal candidate exercises initiative and must be creative in addressing complex/novel legal and policy matters and has excellent client communication skills.

Salary

• $89,924 - $157,100/year

Conditions of Employment

• Be a U.S. citizen or a U.S. national.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• This is an Excepted Service position.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: 

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• TRIAL PERIOD: This is an Excepted Service position. This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service. Applicants selected for an excepted service position may be subject to a two-year trial period.
• ETHICS/CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT: All employees are subject to the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 2635, including restrictions on owning financial interests that may conflict with performance of their duties. The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires the applicant selected for this position to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter.

Qualifications

To qualify, your experience should include experience and education equal or equivalent to the following:

GRADE 13 - A law degree, bar membership in good standing and either TWO years of professional attorney experience OR one year of professional attorney experience and a second professional law degree (LL.M) which requires one full year of graduate study.

GRADE 14 - A law degree, bar membership in good standing and at least THREE years of professional attorney experience.

GRADE 15 - A law degree, bar membership in good standing and at least FOUR years of professional attorney experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, Government regulations, Executive orders, agency rules, Government organization and functions, and the democratic political process.
2. Administrative Law- Knowledge of state and Federal administrative laws, including procedures, regulations, guidelines, and precedents related to case preparation and settlements.
3. Compliance- Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance. 
4. Oral Communication- Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately
5. Written Communication- Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

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.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: In order to qualify for this position, candidates must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have a professional law degree, and must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia. Other Information As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period 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 2-year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Required Documents

The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position. Please review each of the following sections to determine which documents you need to provide with your application.

RESUME:In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application.  These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages. 

Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time (e.g., Program Analyst, GS-343-11 | January 2009–Present | 40 Hours/Week) and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.

For assistance with the resume builder, please visit:  https://help.usajobs.gov/

COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE.

PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP: Must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.  

TRANSCRIPTS - Transcripts are REQUIRED as there is a stated education requirement for the series. The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - click here. 

WRITING SAMPLE: If selected for an interview, a writing sample may be requested.

VETERANS: Department of Transportation attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Transportation considers veterans’ preference eligibility as a positive factor in the attorney hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans’ preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with supporting documentation, e.g., SF15, DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.

SPECIAL ATTENTION: To be considered, you must submit all required resume details and applicable documents by the closing date of the announcement.  Note: You must review and verify that all files are successfully transferred to our system before final submission.

How to Apply

To be considered, you must submit all required resume details and applicable documents no later than 11:59 (EST) by the closing date of the announcement.

Note: Uploading documents to USAJobs does not automatically attach them to this application. You must review and verify that all files are successfully transferred to our system before final submission. Late or incomplete applications will be disqualified.

• To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting.
• Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
• You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/

If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at Transjobs@dot.gov.