Senior Level Counsel (SCE)

Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, seeks enthusiastic individuals to serve taxpayers fairly and with integrity by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the internal revenue laws and the highest quality legal advice and representation for the IRS. To learn more, click the links below: IRS Office of Chief Counsel Careers Site Meet Our People Learn about our Legal Divisions

Duties

The Senior Level Counsel, Syndicated Conservation Easements (SCE), serves as a technical expert and trusted advisor to the Division Counsel, Deputy Division Counsels, and Associate Division Counsels within the Litigation and Advisory Division (L&A). The Senior Level Counsel provides high-level specialized advice and technical legal expertise to the Litigation & Advisory executive leadership team, in support of Syndicated Conservation Easement (SCE) work, and provides leadership on the full scope of coordinating and advising senior leadership on complex SCE cases toward efforts to deter abusive tax shelters (docketed and exam).

The Senior Level Counsel (SCE) represents Counsel in matters with significant impact on tax administration, particularly efforts to thwart tax schemes associated with abusive SCE transactions, and acts as a consultant to the Division, to Counsel executives, and to IRS executives, on a variety of legal, technical, and tax matters with special emphasis on complex SCE cases; represents and acts for the Division Counsel, Deputy Division Counsels, or Associate Division Counsels in a close and confidential capacity and serves as a technical expert and senior advisor on a broad array of activities designed to fulfill Counsel's responsibilities to provide legal support to the IRS. The Senior Level (SCE) serves as Counsel's liaison with the IRS and the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) on efforts to deter abusive tax shelters with an emphasis in SCE transactions, and in the coordination and development of high-impact public and private tax guidance.

Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Acts as a legal and technical expert to Division, Counsel, and IRS senior executives on the most difficult, important, and complex professional legal matters arising in the administration of the internal revenue laws.
• Manages complex and significant special projects and programs as a subject matter expert. Selects and reviews proposals, monitors work group needs and progress, and facilitates and expedites recommendations regarding these matters through the decision-making process.
• Performs exhaustive and detailed research on complicated legal problems and prepares recommendations as to the position to be taken by the Division, Counsel, and IRS.
• Serves as a primary contact and Counsel expert in SCE matters. Serves as primary liaison to Division and Associate Chief Counsel offices in the coordination and direction of activities to support IRS needs and objectives.
• Coordinates the participation of Counsel in the development of high-level reports and studies for use by the IRS, Treasury, or Congress. As requested, assists in the preparation and drafting of testimony for Congressional hearings and prepares responses to ad hoc requests from Congress and related government agencies.
• Reviews and advises on the impact of pending litigation, proposed legislation, or public guidance and legal issues facing the IRS.
• Represents Division senior executives at top-level Counsel, IRS, and Treasury meetings and conferences and in meetings with executives from other agencies where policy is developed and determined.
• As the Division's technical expert, makes presentations on technical and procedural matters to Counsel staff, IRS staff, and outside bar organizations to enhance their knowledge and understanding of Counsel's role in providing legal support and to improve coordination within Counsel and with IRS. Works with appropriate Counsel personnel to plan and deliver such training.
• Performs other duties and special projects as assigned or delegated by the Chief Counsel, Deputy Chief Counsels, Division Counsel, Deputy Division Counsels, or Associate Division Counsel.

Salary

• $150,160 - $207,500/year

Conditions of Employment

• Refer to "Additional Information"
• Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National

Qualifications

To qualify for this position of Senior Level Counsel (SCE) you must meet the following requirements:

• Possess at least the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; AND
• Applicants must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
• Desired Education/Experience: An LL.M. in Taxation is desired but not required. 7 years of professional legal tax experience is desired.

To meet the minimum requirements for a Senior Level position, candidates must be a recognized subject matter expert with directly related experience. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at the GS-15 or equivalent level in the federal service or its equivalent in the private sector. Candidates must demonstrate their experience meets the Mandatory Technical Qualifications for this position in their two-page resume and this experience must have been at a sufficiently high level of difficulty to clearly show the candidate possesses the required subject matter expertise and technical qualifications set forth below.

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.

To be considered, the resume must not exceed two pages. Written narratives for the Mandatory Technical Qualifications are not required. Candidates must demonstrate their experience meets the Mandatory Technical Qualifications for this position in their two-page resume

Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs): All candidates must show evidence in their resume of the following mandatory technical competencies to meet basic qualifications for this position. Written narratives for the Mandatory Technical Qualifications are not required.

MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (MTQS)

1. Comprehensive in-depth expert knowledge and understanding of the legislative process, Federal tax statutes and regulations, decisions, rulings, precedents, and IRS tax policies.
2. Demonstrated ability and experience providing legal advice and guidance on tax litigation and examination matters, assisting with formulation of compliance efforts, and litigation strategies, and overseeing tax litigation and examination matters.
3. Demonstrated expert knowledge and substantial high-level experience in the tax field, including the tax legislation and guidance processes, tax litigation, or transactional work.

Education For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. FOREIGN EDUCATION: 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. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov) Other Information This is a Non-Bargaining Unit position. We offer opportunities for telework. We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules. Conditions of Employment Continued: Subject to a 1-year trial period (unless already completed). Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer. Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two 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. Public Trust (85PS) Background Investigation required Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel. File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report OGE-278e within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on. Undergo an income tax verification. The employment of any candidate, including a current employee or a new hire, selected for this position may be conditional upon classification and/or audit of federal tax returns. This audit may include up to 2 years of returns. This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time. There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations. Please read and retain these documents: Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights, for those who undergo an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history record check for personnel vetting, which includes Rap Back, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI (this is the same statement used when your fingerprints are submitted as part of your background investigation), and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov), (applicable to those who hold a sensitive position or have eligibility for access to classified information)" Required Documents

A complete application includes 1. A resume 2. Vacancy Questionnaire Responses and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

1. RESUME: All applicants are required to submit a two-page resume - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES). To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view resume tips. Resume should clearly state your experience related to this position as described in the Duties section and Qualifications section.

2. VACANCY QUESTION RESPONSES: Responses are automatically submitted through USA Jobs when you apply to this vacancy.

3. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: In addition, applicants are required to submit the following supporting documentation:

• Memorandum of Interest summarizing your interest in the position.
• Performance Evaluation (not more than 2 years old).

EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: For positions with an education requirement, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected and not already on file. See "Education" for more details.

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: If selected, you will be required to submit an original Certificate of Good Standing from your State Bar if not already received by the agency.

How to Apply

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12807718

• 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. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
• It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
• Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.