Senior Level Counsel (P&A)

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. Please click "Learn more about this agency" to find out more about Chief Counsel's various offices, to view some of the workplace attributes that Chief Counsel's workforce rates most favorably, and to hear from employees themselves.

Duties

The Senior Level Counsel (SLC) serves as a national expert and confidential advisor, to the Associate Chief Counsel, Procedure and Administration (P&A); and represents the Associate Chief Counsel (P&A) on a variety of legal, technical, and tax matters. The SLC serves as an advisor, program manager and technical expert to the Associate on a broad array of activities designed to fulfill the Associate's role in providing support to the Office of Chief Counsel (Office) regarding rulemaking and the interaction of the Internal Revenue Code with other provisions of law affecting agency rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act; to provide comprehensive legal and programmatic advise to field of functions in both advisory and litigation settings; and to provide legal support to the Internal Revenue Service. The SLC provides trusted advice and guidance to the Chief Counsel, the Commissioner and to executives and professionals within both the IRS and Treasury and performs special assignments of the highest complexity and impact.

Major duties of the Senior Level Counsel include, but are not limited to the following:

• Acts as legal and technical expert to the Office executives on the most difficult, important, and complex professional legal matters arising in the administration of the Internal Revenue laws and in related litigation.
• Serves as the legal expert/point of contact and coordinator on published guidance and primary liaison to other Division and Associate Chief Counsel offices in the coordination and direction of activities to support IRS needs and objectives.
• Handles highly complex issues arising in relation to the defense of litigation involving novel challenges to rulemaking issues by IRS and Treasury issues related to EO 12866, and the interaction of the Internal Revenue Code with other provisions of law affecting agency rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act, such as the Congressional Review Act, the Paperwork Reduction Act, and the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
• Reviews and advises on the impact of pending litigation, proposed legislation or public guidance and legal issues facing the IRS on tax areas covered by P&A and its foreseeable effect on the Office of Chief Counsel, Counsel's method of operation, and on existing legislation.
• Manages highly complex and significant special projects, including rulemaking. Selects and reviews project proposals, monitors work group needs and progress, and facilitates and expedites recommendations regarding these matters through the decision-making process.
• Coordinates the participation of the Office of Chief Counsel in the development of high-level reports and studies for use by Treasury and/or Congress.
• Personally, represents the Office of Chief Counsel and the Associate Chief Counsel (P&A) at top level IRS, DOJ and Treasury meetings and conferences, and in meetings with executives from other agencies where legal policy is developed and determined.
• Performs exhaustive and detailed research on complicated legal problems and prepares recommendations as to the position to be taken by the Office. Signs such recommendations for the Associate Chief Counsel without review as appropriate, referring cases to the Associate Chief Counsel for review as specifically directed.
• As the Associate Chief Counsel (PA)'s technical expert, makes presentations on technical and procedural matters to Chief Counsel staff, IRS staff, and outside bar activities to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the Associate's role in providing legal support, and to improve coordination within Counsel and with the IRS. Works with appropriate Counsel personnel to plan and deliver such training.

Salary

• $147,649 - $204,000/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 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. seven (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 grade level or its equivalent in Federal service. Candidates must demonstrate their experience in the narrative responses to the Mandatory Technical Qualifications; 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. This specialized experience should also be reflected within the resume.

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.

Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs):

All candidates must show evidence of the following mandatory technical competencies to meet basic qualifications for this position. The narrative statements should demonstrate your specialized knowledge and technical competence. Please give concrete examples of your experience and demonstrate the complexity of the knowledge and skills you possess. You should address each MTQ separately, with the total narrative not exceeding ten pages.

Mandatory

1. Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Federal tax statutes and regulations, decisions, rulings, precedents, and IRS tax policies, and the application and interpretation of them in the context of litigation.

1. Ability to review and assess the organizational effectiveness of assigned P&A program services and policies and to design and work with executives in implementing procedures to improve/optimize the organizational performance.

1. Ability to perform exhaustive and detailed legal analysis and research on highly sensitive legal matters or problems of unusual delicacy and forecast the ramifications of alternate resolutions or courses of action, coupled with the ability to provide oral/written analysis for legal practitioners.

1. Demonstrated skill to prepare/write legal tax documents ranging from highly complex tax documents designed for legal practitioners to non-technical/ educational materials intended for more general use.

Desirable:
In-depth knowledge and understanding of the Chief Counsel mission and organization, and the interrelationship of its programs/policies with Chief Counsel Associate Office's, the Internal Revenue Service, and the General Counsel - Department of the Treasury Offices.

(Note: Failure to address these factors will result in your application being rated ineligible.) Narrative responses to the MTQs and Desirable Qualifications should not be more than two pages for each. Please provide responses to MTQs and Desirable Qualifications each on separate sheets of paper.

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. Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) 3. Vacancy question 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 resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) 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. MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (MTQs): To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you MUST address each Mandatory Technical Qualification separately, not to exceed a total of ten (10) pages. If you fail to do so, your application will be rated ineligible. Please include your full name on all documents submitted.

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

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

• Memorandum of Interest summarizing your interest in the position.
• A Supervisory Report (ERB Form 1-88, 4/11) regarding your suitability for the position as completed by your current or most recent supervisor. You are responsible for notifying your supervisor that this report must be received no later than five workdays after the closing date of this announcement.

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 the announcement to receive consideration. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12475952

• 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.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.