EBSA plays a vital role in protecting the retirement, health, and other job-based benefits of America's workers, retirees, and their families. We issue effective regulations, offer comprehensive education and assistance to workers, plan sponsors, fiduciaries, and service providers, and rigorously enforce the law. We serve workers, families, and the broader employee benefits community by protecting the security and integrity of the nation's benefit systems.
Duties
This position is located in the Office of Regulations and Interpretations (ORI), in the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). ORI has primary responsibility to facilitate compliance with and enforcement of EIRSA through the development and implementation of advisory opinions, interpretive materials, and regulations .Major duties include but are not limited to the following: Program and Policy Planning and Development As Deputy Director, the incumbent participates with the Director in all phases of planning, developing, and executing programs for the coordinated development, issuance, review, and analysis of policies, regulations, opinions, interpretations, forms, and other guidance regarding the fiduciary responsibility, reporting and disclosure, coverage, preemption provisions, as well as other provisions of Title I of ERISA and those provisions of FERSA for which the Secretary has interpretive and regulatory authority. Program, Personnel, and Resource Management Participates with the Office Director in the evaluation of Office program accomplishments. Develops performance measures, evaluates overall program performance and accomplishments, identifies problem areas or areas capable of improvement, and develops and recommends, to the Office Director, approaches for correcting deficiencies and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of Office operations. Develops both short and long-range plans, budgetary estimates, resource needs, and program justification documents. Coordinates the development of multi-year work plans. Recommends the development of policy, procedural, and staffing changes in response to changes in levels of appropriations and/or program emphasis. Approves milestones and schedules for completion of work; assigns continuing program responsibilities, projects, or studies to subordinates; furnishes advice and guidance on problems, and reviews completed work for conformance to established policies and project objectives. Coordination, Technical Assistance, and Liaison Activities Represents the Agency on Department, interagency, and Government-industry committees to assure coordination of national programs, policies, and regulatory strategies affecting employee benefit plans, on behalf of the Director and the Assistant Secretary/Deputy Assistant Secretaries of EBSA. Directs and coordinates the Agency's program for the development, drafting, and issuance of interpretations, opinions, rulings, forms, and other guidance. Ensures the review and analysis of major legislative proposals and interpretive issuances developed both within the Department and by other agencies and which directly or indirectly affect the provisions of Title I of ERISA. Explains EBSA policies, stance with regard to specific interpretations, opinions, rulings, forms, and other guidance, and potential for cooperative efforts and represents the Agency on program issues. Program and Policy Planning and Development As Deputy Director, the incumbent participates with the Director in all phases of planning, developing, and executing programs for the coordinated development, issuance, review, and analysis of policies, regulations, opinions, interpretations, forms, and other guidance regarding the fiduciary responsibility, reporting and disclosure, coverage, preemption provisions, as well as other provisions of Title I of ERISA and those provisions of FERSA for which the Secretary has interpretive and regulatory authority. Program, Personnel, and Resource Management Develops performance measures, evaluates overall program performance and accomplishments, identifies problem areas or areas capable of improvement, and develops and recommends, to the Office Director, approaches for correcting deficiencies and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of Office operations. Develops both short and long-range plans, budgetary estimates, resource needs, and program justification documents. Coordinates the development of multi-year work plans; recommends revisions of long- range plans. Approves milestones and schedules for completion of work; assigns continuing program responsibilities, projects, or studies to subordinates; furnishes advice and guidance on problems, and reviews completed work for conformance to established policies and project objectives. Coordination, Technical Assistance, and Liaison Activities Represents the Agency on Department, interagency, and Government-industry committees to assure coordination of national programs, policies, and regulatory strategies affecting employee benefit plans. Directs and coordinates the Agency's program for the development, drafting, and issuance of interpretations, opinions, rulings, forms, and other guidance. Explains EBSA policies, stance with regard to specific interpretations, opinions, rulings, forms, and other guidance, and potential for cooperative efforts and represents the Agency on program issues.
Salary
Qualifications
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Position titles alone cannot be used to determine if you are qualified. Please list dates in MM/DD/YY format. This is imperative in determining if whether you have at least one year of creditable specialized experience. Dates will not be assumed. You must meet the Basic Requirements and the Specialized Experience to qualify for , Deputy Director (ORI)as described below. Basic Requirements: Education: Undergraduate and graduate education: Major study in one or a combination of the following fields- finance, banking, business administration, economics, mathematics, accounting or auditing, pension plan administration, law, industrial relations, public administration, or other related fields. OR Specialized Experience: Progressively responsible experience that demonstrated the ability to perform work in the field of pension and welfare plans. Such experience may have been gained in (1) management, administration, development, analysis, audit, financial management, or termination of such plans or their funds; or (2) in closely related work such as taxation, securities, and investments. Specialized experience may have been gained in government, a welfare and pension plan administration or consulting firm, law firm, actuarial or accounting firm, labor union, welfare and pension association or research service, banking trust department, or investment firm. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Analysis and application of fiduciary, reporting and disclosure, bonding, funding, vesting, administration, and termination provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and related laws, regulations, court decisions, and precedent rulings. Development of proposals for new or revised pension or welfare plans, petitions for exemptions, or requests for rulings under governing law. Legal work, a substantial portion of which required interpretation of Federal laws and legal requirements concerning welfare and pension plans, or in such related fields as taxation, securities, real estate, corporations, trusts, bankruptcy, and investments. Auditing or accounting work that involved determining compliance with Federal and State laws governing welfare and pension plans, securities, banking, insurance, or corporations. Analysis of Federal laws or regulations, development of policy, and drafting of proposed changes in an employee welfare and benefit plan or a related function. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must meet 3 out of the 5 examples of specialized experience listed below for this grade level: For GS-15: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-14 in the Federal Service. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Qualifying specialized experience for GS-15 includes: Leading the coordinated development, drafting, issuance, review, and analysis of regulations, advisory opinions, interpretations, forms, and other guidance implementing Title I of ERISA and FERSA (including fiduciary responsibility, reporting and disclosure, coverage, and preemption), and coordinating these efforts with EBSA components, DOL, and other Federal agencies (e.g., PBGC, IRS, SEC). Managing program planning and resources for a regulatory/interpretive office, including developing multi-year work plans and budgets, setting milestones and performance measures, allocating staff and resources, directing subordinate supervisors and professional legal/economic staff, and conducting performance appraisals. Representing Government-industry committees; establishing and maintaining liaison with congressional committees/staff, Federal and State regulators, and industry groups; presenting authoritative policy options and recommendations; and committing to courses of action. Evaluating program effectiveness to identify deficiencies and implement corrective actions to improve efficiency and outcomes; and reviewing and analyzing legislative, regulatory, and policy proposals for their impact on ERISA/FERSA and employee benefit plan operations. Providing expert technical advice on ERISA, FERSA, and related laws (Internal Revenue Code), employee benefit plan operations, and financial institution practices; serving as an expert witness in ERISA litigation; and developing or overseeing internal training and public education materials/programs to promote voluntary compliance. Note: Specialized experience must be clearly documented in your resume; merely copying this statement into your application does not demonstrate that you possess the required experience.
Education
Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.
Required Documents
The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Resumes: Required and applicants must provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions and confirm that your resume supports your question responses. Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point (TP) preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. Your DD 214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point (CP/CPS, XP) preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214 and the proof of entitlement of this preference, which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. In addition, a Standard Form (SF-15) should be included, but is not required. (For active-duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Tentative Preference for Active Duty). For more information, go to Feds Hire Vets - Veterans Preference. Displaced Employee Placement Documents: Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, PhD, etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit. You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document with a maximum size limit of 5 MB. NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date. Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted. Do not upload password-protected documents. Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1 year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
How to Apply
Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration. Important - Save your information before the 30-minute system timeout! For help, go to the USAJOBS Help Center. STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete. NOTE: In alignment with the Presidential Memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, applicants may only submit a resume limited to two (2) pages. Only the résumé uploaded under the 'Resume" document type in USAJOBS will be reviewed. If the resume submitted exceeds two (2) pages, the application will be deemed ineligible for further consideration. STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS). Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button. STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL). On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions. The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy. STEP 4 - On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct. In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed. If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button. STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm Eastern Time of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, then Update Application. 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. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor, How to Apply website.
