Attorney-Advisor

This position is for an Attorney-Advisor within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Office of Inspector General (OIG). OIG enhances DOT programs and operations by conducting objective investigations and audits of departmental programs and operations in addition to detecting and preventing fraud, waste, abuse, and violations of law.

Duties

Duties

This position is located in the Office of Inspector General, Office of Chief Counsel (OCC).  The Office of Chief Counsel provides legal advice and guidance in support of OIG’s mission. Attorney-Advisors advise on every aspect of OIG operations, including audits, investigations, and other reviews; internal management issues; appropriations; ethics; information disclosure law; and much more. Attorney-Advisors handle a broad range of long-term and short-term assignments and interact with management and staff across the OIG.

The individual(s) selected will work on a team of Attorney-Advisors and will primarily perform the following duties:

• Providing legal opinions or memoranda on complex and difficult issues of law relevant to general OIG operations or to particular OIG audits, investigations, or reviews.
• Provides legal review and advice on transportation statutes and regulations and general law matters, including fiscal law, government contracts, tort claims, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and appeals, employment law, government ethics, and other areas.
• Provides legal support to the OIG Office of Auditing and Evaluation, collaborating with auditors and analysts to answer legal questions encountered during audits, and ensuring legal sufficiency for audit-related written products.
• Provides legal support to the OIG Office of Investigations, collaborating with investigators to answer legal questions encountered during investigations.
• Represents OIG OCC in meetings, personal contacts, and telephone conferences with top legal and administrative personnel in the Department of Transportation and other federal agencies, on important legal and policy questions and issues.
• Develops and presents training to OIG employees in assigned areas.
• Other duties as assigned.

Salary

• $121,785 - $187,093/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen
• This position is subject to a background investigation.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 P.M. EST on the closing date.
• May be required to serve a 2-year trial period.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service
• Must submit transcripts.
• Must meet member of the bar requirement.

Must possess a Juris Doctorate Law Degree or equivalent (J.D. or LL.B)

MEMBER OF THE BAR REQUIREMENT: Must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Applicants are responsible for citing minimum qualifications such as JD and Bar membership information (institution name, state for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will result in an incomplete application.

Applicants must meet qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Qualifying applicants must have successfully completed a law degree (J.D. or L.L.B) and must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Additionally, applicants must also possess the specialized experience as described below. 

GS-13: To be considered for the GS-13 grade level applicants must have at least two years of relevant specialized and professional legal experience as an attorney. The professional legal experience must include providing legal advice both orally and written in the form of legal opinions, briefs, pleadings, or other analysis. The professional legal experience must also include responding independently to routine requests for legal support and managing multiple projects simultaneously. The specialized experience must include analyzing legal issues related to transportation laws; government-wide laws and regulations related to contracts, grants, appropriations, Government employee integrity, or similar fields; or regulatory or enforcement actions.

GS-14: To be considered for the GS-14 grade level, applicants must have at least five years of relevant professional legal experience as an attorney. The specialized experience must include that described for the previous grade level and providing expert legal advice to senior executives and others related to Federal transportation safety, grant program laws, and/or the Inspector General Act with minimal input on drafts of work from supervisors. Identifying areas of improvement for agency operations, policies, or procedures and making recommendations/participating in implementation of solutions to such areas.

Applicants must meet the required qualifications by the closing date of the announcement.

Education Education: Successful completion of a law degree (J.D. or L.L.B.). Must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. NOTE: ALL APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT A COMPLETE COPY OF THEIR TRANSCRIPTS. DEGREE AUDITS ARE NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE FOR OFFICIAL/UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS. IF SELECTED, AN OFFICIAL/SEALED TRANSCRIPT WILL BE REQUIRED PRIOR TO AN APPOINTMENT DATE BEING ESTABLISHED. IF YOU HAVE EARNED A DEGREE FROM A FOREIGN INSTITUTION YOU MUST SUBMIT WITH YOUR APPLICATION EVIDENCE THAT ANY EDUCATION COMPLETED IN A FOREIGN INSTITUTION WAS APPROPRIATELY ACCREDITED BY AN ACCREDITING BODY RECOGNIZED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AS EQUIVALENT TO U.S. STANDARDS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, REFER TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WEB SITE AT http://www.ed.gov. Other Information OIG carries out its mission by issuing audit reports, evaluations, management advisories, and other products with findings and recommendations to improve program delivery and performance. PLEASE NOTE THIS VACANCY WILL CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT ON THE CLOSING DATE OR AT MIDNIGHT ON THE DAY WE RECEIVE THE 150TH APPLICATION, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MAY BE USED TO FILL ADDITIONAL LIKE VACANCIES IN THE ANNOUNCED DUTY LOCATION. Applicants selected for an excepted service position are subject to a two year trial period. If selected for this position, you will be subject to favorable adjudication of an employment suitability determination. You must submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, upon entering the position and annually. Candidates will be asked to fill out a Declaration for Federal Employment (Optional Form 306). Individuals selected for this position will be required to certify that their application materials are accurate when they enter on duty. Any male applicant who was born after December 31, 1959, and who is subsequently selected for this position must certify that he is registered for the military selective service by the date he is to enter on duty. False certification may result in termination after appointment. It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or to find an individual unqualified, unsuitable, or unfit for employment based upon financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience should be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of unfavorable suitability or fitness determination. THIS AGENCY PROVIDES REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS TO APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES. IF YOU NEED A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY PART OF THE APPLICATION AND HIRING PROCESS, PLEASE NOTIFY THE AGENCY. THE DECISION ON GRANTING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS WILL BE ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS. ALL APPLICANTS WILL RECEIVE CONSIDERATION REGARDLESS OF RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, AGE, POLITICAL AFFILIATION, UNION AFFILIATION OR NON AFFILIATION, MARITAL STATUS, NON- DISQUALIFYING PHYSICAL HANDICAP, OR ANY OTHER NON-MERIT REASON. THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL (OIG), U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DOT) IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. Relocation expenses will not be paid. No permanent change of station (PCS) expenses will be paid. Required Documents

Resume:

Your resume must sufficiently describe how your experience fully meets the specialized experience requirements as stated in this announcement for each grade level(s) you are applying (see "Qualifications" section).**Please limit your résumé to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your qualifications. Your resume must also support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. Credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. We cannot assume you have performed the experience required for this position regardless of your employment history or academic career. We strongly recommend you use the USA Jobs online Resume Builder to submit a resume. If you choose to use your own formatted resume, you must ensure it contains all of the following for each experience/position listed: job title, name of employer, beginning and ending dates of employment (month/year format), hours worked per week, detailed description of duties performed, and if a Federal position, series and grade or equivalent. We will not access web pages linked on your resume to determine your qualifications. Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information.

For additional information see:

• What to include in your resume
• Resume Writing

TRANSCRIPTS- You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at time of application. If selected, an official/sealed transcript will be required prior to an appointment date being established.

PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP - Must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 

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, and other supporting documentation.

WRITING SAMPLE - A writing sample of no more than 10 pages may be required if selected for an interview.

DD-214/VA LETTER/ and SF-15- To receive consideration including veteran's preference points, all veterans must submit a copy of their DD-214 (copy  Member #4).  If you are claiming 10-point preference, you must submit your SF-15 (revised 12/04).  The form is available at http://www.opm.gov/forms/html/sf.asp. If you are a current service member, in lieu of a DD-214, you may submit a statement from your military personnel center certifying the nature and dates of your service and expected date of separation.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL - All applicants MUST submit a copy of your most recent official annual performance appraisal, whether or not you are a Federal employee. If it is not provided, please provide an explanation as to why it is not provided.

SCHEDULE A - To receive consideration for Schedule A appointment, you must submit your certification from a State Vocational Rehabilitation Office or the Department of Veterans Affairs that you are likely to succeed in the performance of the position. The letter must be printed on “medical professional’s” letterhead and must include a signature or it is invalid.

CTAP/ICTAP - If you are eligible under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), a copy of your certificate of surplus status, certificate of expected separation, or a specific Reduction-in-Force notice establishing your eligibility under CTAP/ICTAP.  CTAP/ICTAP candidates must meet all qualification requirements for the vacant position to include any selective factors; meet the definition of best qualified (GOLD Category); and be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry.

Supporting documents may either be uploaded or faxed to 571-258-4052. The requested information MUST be received by fax within 48 hours prior to the closing date of the vacancy announcement (not including Saturdays, Sundays or government holidays). 

NOTE:  Applicants who fail to submit all the required documentation listed above, in addition to their resumes, will be considered ineligible for further consideration for this announcement.

How to Apply

Applications submitted via WWW.USAJOBS.GOV must be received before midnight eastern time on the closing date of the announcement. No extensions will be granted.  If you fail to submit a COMPLETE on-line resume, you WILL NOT be considered for this position. Please make sure that the responses provided in the questionnaire are fully supported by your resume, that your resume is detailed and you have highlighted your most relevant experience for this position (to include starting and ending dates of employment for each position held), and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. If you fail to provide this information, it may result in you being rated "ineligible" or "not qualified" for this position.

If you exaggerate or falsify your experience, education and/or your responses to questions, your ratings are subject to change or you may be removed from employment consideration.  Applicants who do not respond to the application questions will be rated ineligible.

If applying on-line poses a hardship to any applicant, the Servicing Personnel Office listed on the announcement will provide assistance to ensure that applications are submitted on-line by the closing date. Applicants must contact the Servicing Human Resources Office PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE to speak to someone who can provide assistance for on-line submission.  Requests for extensions will not be granted.

Benefits The Office of Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) offers all standard federal benefits that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. This link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal employees https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits. The Department of Transportation recognizes the importance and encourages the use of telework. Telework supports departmental mission and performance goals and improves the Department's capability to support homeland and national security requirements. Telework improves individual and organizational productivity; helps reduce highway congestion and mobile source emissions; serves as a recruitment and retention tool; helps maintain operations during emergency situations; and improves work life quality. This position has been identified as a telework-eligible position.