The Office of Safety Law supports FRA's mission-driven rail safety program by advising on the legal requirements relating to railroad safety, focusing on regulatory and enforcement issues. Staff attorneys specialize in subject matter areas such as operating practices, operating crew certification, hazardous materials, track and structures, signal and train control, and motive power and equipment.
Duties
As an Attorney Advisor (Safety Law), you will: Enforcement: Handle rail safety enforcement actions, including review, assessment, and closure of civil penalty cases. Rulemaking: Assist in the development and drafting of rail safety regulations. Litigation: Counsel on litigation matters pertaining to rail safety and represent the agency in certain administrative hearings. Support: Provide technical assistance regarding proposed rail safety legislation. General: Guide FRA's Office of Railroad Safety, industry stakeholders, and the public regarding rail safety legal issues. The ideal candidate should have knowledge of and experience in a wide range of legal practice areas affecting the transportation industry and DOT, including specifically: administrative law, regulations, and guidance; safety enforcement programs; litigation; or legislative drafting. *PLEASE NOTE: This announcement establishes an open continuous (1 year) vacancy announcement. Given our continuing need for top professionals in this field, we will review applications after the first 21 days of the vacancy opening for early consideration. Then after, applications will be reviewed on an as needed basis.
Salary
Qualifications
To qualify your experience should include experience and education equal or equivalent to the following: GRADE 12 - You must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include: Be a graduate of an accredited law school with a LL.B., J.D., or equivalent AND at least One (1) years of professional legal work experience. Be an active member in good standing of the bar in a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. GRADE 13 - You must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include: Be a graduate of an accredited law school with a LL.B., J.D., or equivalent AND at least TWO (2) years of professional legal work experience. 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. GRADE 14 - You must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include: Be a graduate of an accredited law school with a LL.B., J.D., or equivalent AND at least THREE (3) years professional legal work experience of a progressively responsible nature. Be an active member in good standing of the bar in a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. GRADE 15 - You must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-14, it must include: Be a graduate of an accredited law school with a LL.B., J.D., or equivalent AND at least FOUR (4) years of professional attorney experience. Be an active member in good standing of the bar in a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. You cannot qualify for any grade on education alone; you must also have 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: Administrative Law - Knowledge of state and Federal administrative laws, including procedures, regulations, guidelines, and precedents related to case preparation and settlements. Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience. 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. Problem Solving - Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations. 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.
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, or average number of hours worked per 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. Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
How to Apply
PLEASE NOTE: With each application, please email the following to rccjobs@dot.gov Cover letter Resume Proof of bar membership Law school transcripts You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. 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.
