The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is ranked within the top 5 mid-size agencies as a "Best Place to Work" in the Federal government! This Attorney-Adviser (Public Utilities) position is located in the Office of Office of the General Counsel. For more information visit: OGC.
Duties
As an Attorney-Adviser (Public Utilities) some of your typical work assignments include: Drafting orders, opinions, regulations, memoranda, or other documents related to Commission jurisdictional matters affecting the electric utility, natural gas, and oil pipeline industries. Evaluating facts, legal pleadings and briefs, data or other relevant materials, marshaling evidence and arguments to support conclusions and identifying and recommending appropriate resolution of questions of law and policy. Working collaboratively with cross-departmental teams that may include attorneys, analysts, engineers, other subject-matter experts, or external stakeholders. Providing advice to senior staff members and senior officials within the Commission. Performing legal research and analysis of legal decisions, opinions, rulings, and other documents. Applying the provisions of statutes such as the Federal Power Act, Natural Gas Act, Natural Gas Policy Act, Interstate Commerce Act, Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, Public Utility Holding Company Act, and Administrative Procedure Act.
Salary
Qualifications
You must meet the following basic requirements, by the closing date of this announcement: (1) hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from an accredited college or university and (2) be a current, active bar member in good standing. In addition, to the minimum requirements above, you must meet the following qualifications for each grade level by the closing date of this announcement: For the GS-14: You must have three years of relevant professional legal experience post-bar admission with one year equivalent to the GS-13 level. Experience at the GS-14 level is defined as: interpreting and analyzing complex legal issues, leading teams to analyze issues; conducting independent legal research and analysis; drafting memoranda, orders, regulations or other documents; and developing legal conclusions on statutes, regulations and matters related to the energy industry. The GS-14 salary range is $143,913 through $187,093 per year. For the GS-15: You must have four years of relevant professional legal experience post-bar admission with one year equivalent to the GS-14 level. Experience at the GS-15 level is defined as: independently interpreting and analyzing complex legal issues; leading teams to analyze issues; serving as a subject matter expert on complex legal issues; conducting independent legal research and analysis; drafting memoranda, orders, regulations or other documents; and developing legal conclusions on statutes, regulations and matters related to the energy industry. 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 any volunteer experience. Please do not cut and paste the "Duties" section, specialized experience statement, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.
Education
This position has an education requirement and therefore, transcripts are required. Failure to submit a copy of your transcripts at the time of application will result in your application being marked incomplete and you will not receive further consideration.
Required Documents
Failure to submit all required documentation by the closing date of this vacancy announcement, including adhering to the maximum two-page resume requirement, will result in removal from consideration and loss of any special hiring preference (e.g., veterans' preference). REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR ALL CANDIDATES: RESUME (maximum of 2 pages in length): Your resume should describe your specialized experience and support your answers to the vacancy announcement questionnaire. You must ensure it contains the following information for each experience/position: Position title Name of employer Beginning and ending dates of employment (Month/Day/Year format) Hours worked per week Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable) Series and grade or equivalent (for federal positions) If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying based on your education, you must list your education history, including the type of degree and your major of study. VACANCY QUESTIONNAIRE: You must submit and complete the online eligibility and vacancy questions. TRANSCRIPTS: You are required to submit copies of your college and law school transcripts to verify your education. Unofficial copies are acceptable; however, if selected you will be required to provide official transcripts before your effective date. PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP: Documentation showing you are a current bar member in good standing. OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS FOR CANDIDATES (You are strongly encouraged to submit these documents as a part of your initial application; however, if contacted for an interview, these documents will be required): COVER LETTER: You may be required to submit a cover letter that showcases how your unique combination of skills and experience(s) meet the requirements of the position. WRITING SAMPLE: You may be required to provide a writing sample that demonstrates your persuasive writing skills and that reflects your analytic skills. OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS TO SUPPORT PREFERENCE OR ELIGIBILITY CLAIMS: VETERANS'PREFERENCE (DD-214, VA Disability Letter, etc.): There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, FERC considers military service a positive factor when reviewing applications. If you are claiming veterans' preference, you are encouraged to submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge. Ten-point preference eligibles must also submit an "Application for 10-point Veteran Preference" (SF-15), along with official VA letter and the required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form. For more information about veterans' preference, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans.
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Make sure you verify that your resume clearly indicates possession of the competencies and specialized experience listed under the "Qualifications and Evaluation" and "How You Will Be Evaluated" sections of this announcement. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside approximately two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Remember to submit all required and supporting documentation listed under the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)
