Senior Level Counsel (TEGEDC)

With nearly 1,700 attorneys, IRS Chief Counsel is the largest tax law firm nationwide. Our attorneys are among top tax law practitioners and some of the very best legal minds found anywhere. Together with the IRS, we serve the public by applying the tax code with fairness and integrity. To learn more, click the links below: IRS Office of Chief Counsel Careers Site Meet Our People Learn about our Legal Divisions

Duties

The Senior Level Counsel serves as the lead technical expert to the Division Counsel and Deputy Division Counsel of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division (TEGEDC) for matters under the jurisdiction of TEGEDC, including employee benefit programs (including qualified retirement plans, deferred compensation arrangements, and health and welfare programs), executive compensation, exempt organizations, federal, state, local and Indian tribal governments, tax-exempt bonds, and employment tax. The Senior Level Counsel leads the effort to assist clients in identifying emerging issues and developing compliance strategies.

The Senior Level Counsel assists senior executives in the formulation of policies and programs for the operation of the Office of Chief Counsel and performs special assignments of the highest complexity and impact on a case or project.

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

• Acts as a legal and technical expert to Counsel executives on the most difficult, important, and complex professional legal matters arising in the administration of the internal revenue laws.
• Serves as a chief legal advisor to the Division Counsel and Deputy Division Counsel on sensitive and controversial litigation strategies, transactions, and other technical TEGEDC issues and matters such as those involving political campaign activities, churches, or high-profile organizations or entities.
• Analyzes legal and policy matters affecting the IRS Client (i.e., TE/GE, Small Business/ Self-Employed (SB/SE) Employment Tax, and Large Business & International (LB&I) Compensation and Benefits) by interpreting legal principles in a practical manner so that these clients can incorporate those principles into their business practices; harmonizes legal and policy issues; develops new or alternative positions to meet changing business needs; and provides seasoned judgment and advice.
• Serves as a technical expert and liaison for TEGEDC and the Office of Chief Counsel on the most significant litigation and litigation-related matters with the IRS, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of the Treasury.
• Coordinates and collaborates with other Division and Associate offices to maintain a consistent litigation approach within and between Divisions, to support the Division's efforts to sustain continued success of all aspects of TEGEDC's litigation program.
• Provides legal advice and guidance to the IRS on abusive transaction matters involving TEGEDC issues; assists with formulation of compliance efforts, settlement initiatives, and litigation strategies; provides technical expertise to IRS executives, technical advisors, and program managers; and oversees promoter and preparer investigations and suits.
• Directly supports TEGEDC clients and serves as the agency expert and technical lead across Counsel on all matters relating to promoter and preparer investigations.
• Advises on a broad array of activities designed to fulfill Counsel's responsibilities to prepare, review, and assist in the preparation of proposed legislation involving matters under the jurisdiction of TEGEDC.
• Manages complex and significant special projects for TEGEDC, including selecting and reviewing proposals, monitoring work group needs and progress, and facilitating the movement of recommendations regarding these matters through the decision-making process.
• Represents Counsel at top level IRS and Treasury meetings and conferences and in meetings with executives from other agencies where policy is developed and determined. Such representations are for the purposes of furthering, setting forth, and explaining the position of Counsel, the IRS, and Treasury as they relate to matters under the jurisdiction of TEGEDC.
• Performs exhaustive and detailed research on complicated legal problems and prepares recommendations as to the position to be taken by Counsel. Makes such recommendations without review and as appropriate except for cases where the Senior Level Counsel assesses a higher-level review is required or as otherwise specifically directed.

Performs other duties as assigned and/or delegated by the Chief Counsel, Deputy Chief Counsels or Division Counsel.

Salary

• $151,661 - $209,600/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 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 or equivalent level in the federal service or its equivalent in the private sector. Candidates must demonstrate their experience meets the Mandatory Technical Qualifications for this position in their two-page resume 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.

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.

To be considered, the resume must not exceed two pages. Written narratives for the Mandatory Technical Qualifications are not required. Candidates must demonstrate their experience meets the Mandatory Technical Qualifications for this position in their two-page resume.

Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs):
All candidates must show evidence in their resume of the following mandatory technical competencies to meet basic qualifications for this position. Written narratives for the Mandatory Technical Qualifications are not required.

MTQs:

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 two-page resume - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. 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. VACANCY QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES: Responses are automatically submitted through USA Jobs when you apply to this vacancy.

3. ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS: In addition, applicants are highly encouraged to submit the following supporting documentation:

• Memorandum of Interest summarizing your interest in the position
• Performance Evaluation (not more than 2 years old)

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 this announcement. To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12980770

• 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.