Senior Regulatory Attorney

The Office of the General Counsel seeks an experienced regulatory attorney to lead OPM's rulemaking program. This position serves as OGC's principal legal advisor on Federal rulemaking, reviewing proposed and final rules for the Federal Register, advising on the Administrative Procedure Act and OPM's statutory authorities, and coordinating reviews with OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. You will supervise a small team handling broader legal questions across OPM's programs.

Duties

The senior regulatory attorney (Supervisory Attorney Advisor) serves as the agency's lead rulemaking attorney, regulatory advisor, and first-line supervisor responsible for expert legal advice on complex policy, regulatory, and administrative law matters and for managing the OGC processes that support the development, review, clearance, and publication of OPM rules, regulations and related regulatory materials. In this role, the incumbent will:

• Serve as OGC's senior attorney and principal legal advisor on Federal rulemaking involving OPM's statutory authorities, civil service programs, and governmentwide personnel-management responsibilities.
• Draft, review, and clear proposed and final rules, interpretive rules, policy statements, and responses to public comments, ensuring legal sufficiency and compliance with applicable statutes, Executive orders, and procedural requirements.
• Analyze complex and novel legal questions arising under the Administrative Procedure Act, OPM's enabling statutes, Executive orders, the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Privacy Act, the Congressional Review Act, and other authorities affecting Federal rulemaking.
• Coordinate regulatory review under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735, Oct. 4, 1993), serving as OGC's primary point of contact with OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
• Oversee preparation of documents for publication in the Federal Register consistent with Office of the Federal Register requirements.
• Manage OGC's regulatory docket - intake, assignment, clearance, tracking, and publication deadlines - across OPM program offices, and develop the procedures, templates, and quality-control practices that keep it running.
• Advise OPM program offices on developing, revising, implementing, and defending regulations and regulatory initiatives.
• Advise senior OPM officials on new legislation, Executive orders, litigation developments, regulatory priorities, legislative proposals, and oversight inquiries affecting OPM programs or regulatory authorities.
• Provide legal advice concerning litigation or potential litigation involving OPM regulations and support the Department of Justice or agency litigation counsel through legal analysis, regulatory history, administrative-record support, and subject-matter expertise.
• Direct a small professional staff of attorneys and analysts - reviewing legal work product for legal sufficiency and consistency with established OGC positions, balancing workload, and developing staff through mentoring, feedback, and performance management.
• Supervise and provide substantive direction to attorneys advising OPM program offices on a wide range of legal questions, offering exposure to the full range of the agency's programs and operations.

Salary

• $169,279 - $197,200/year

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
• May be required to successfully complete a trial period.
• Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.
• This position is not eligible for inclusion in a bargaining unit.
• This position requires a regular on-site presence at OPM Headquarters, 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC. Situational Telework is available consistent with OPM Policy.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• A J.D. from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association;
• Active membership, in good standing, of the Bar of a State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia; and
• At least one full year of experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal service.

Preferred Qualifications:
In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must demonstrate professional legal experience that equipped them to perform the duties of this position at the GS-15 level. Qualifying experience should demonstrate substantial expertise in several of the following areas: You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

This is principally a rulemaking position. The ideal applicant will demonstrate experience in all of the areas listed below, and a strong applicant will have some or many of them. Substantial hands-on experience with Federal rulemaking is essential to this position; other legal experience, however strong, will not substitute for it. Applications will be rated on the depth and breadth of experience across these areas.

• Drafting or reviewing proposed and final rules, including preambles, regulatory text, and responses to public comments;
• Applying the Administrative Procedure Act and other procedural requirements governing Federal rulemaking, and interpreting the statutes, regulations, and Executive orders that supply an agency's rulemaking authority;
• Coordinating regulatory review under Executive Order 12866, including working directly with OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs;
• Preparing documents for publication in the Federal Register consistent with Office of the Federal Register requirements;
• Managing a regulatory docket or rulemaking program spanning multiple program offices, including intake, clearance, tracking, and meeting publication deadlines;
• Developing legal positions and recommendations on novel or unsettled regulatory questions, where governing authority is limited, competing interests must be reconciled, or the outcome carries significant policy or litigation consequences;
• Advising senior agency officials or executives on legally complex, high-visibility, or time-sensitive regulatory matters; and
• Leading, supervising, or providing substantive direction to attorneys, including reviewing legal work product for legal sufficiency and consistency with established legal positions.

Describe this experience directly in your resume. Identify the specific rules and regulatory matters you worked on and your own role in each.
You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

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.

Other Information Incentive payments may be considered. Relocation expenses will not be paid. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across OPM. If you are unable to apply online and would like to request information about the Alternate Application process, please use the contact information at the bottom of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may 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 trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your Resume that includes your bar number and issuing state.

1. Other supporting documents:
   • Cover Letter, optional
   • Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.) There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, OPM considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring.
   • Performance Appraisals: Current Federal employees must submit their last three performance appraisals or explain why three are not available (e.g. employed in the government for fewer than three years).

Merit Hiring Questions: Applicants may choose to submit responses to the four essay questions below. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate or assist with these responses is not permitted. By submitting responses, you certify that the essays are your own work and were completed without the use of AI.

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.

How to Apply

Email your complete application package to OGCJobs@opm.gov. Use this subject line format: your last name, followed by the announcement number. For example: Smith, 26-CLD-13076126-ATT, GS15.

You will receive an email acknowledgment within two business days of receipt. The acknowledgment confirms only that your email arrived; it is not a determination that your application is complete. You are responsible for submitting a complete application.

Questions about this position are welcome. Applicants who would like to discuss the position before applying may request to be contacted by emailing OGCJobs@opm.gov.