This position is a senior attorney located in the Surface Transportation Board's (STB) Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA). The purpose of this position is to provide the highest degree of legal, administrative, and policy expertise and toensure that the agency complies with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related statutes, including the agency rules implementing NEPA in the preparation of environmental documentation for actions that require a license from the STB.
Summary
This position is a senior attorney located in the Surface Transportation Board's (STB) Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA). The purpose of this position is to provide the highest degree of legal, administrative, and policy expertise and toensure that the agency complies with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related statutes, including the agency rules implementing NEPA in the preparation of environmental documentation for actions that require a license from the STB.
All qualification requirements must be met by 04/06/2022. Your application package will not receive consideration if it lacks any of the required documents under the "Required Documents" tab.
Probationary Period: One-year probationary period may be required.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/
Background Suitability Investigation: Continued employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background investigation and the granting of a Federal suitability or security clearance. If selected, you may be offered tentative employment until the background investigation has been fully adjudicated.
Relocation expenses are not authorized.
Qualifications
The Office of Personnel Management has not issued qualification standards for attorney positions. However, successful candidates must possess the following minimum qualifications before the closing date of this posting:
A professional law degree (LL.B, J.D., LL.M.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
Current membership in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia. Proof of bar membership will be required before entering on duty.
Transportation experience preferred.
Rail experience preferred.
All candidates being considered must demonstrate through their application documents: excellent research and writing skills, incisive legal analytical ability, strong oral advocacy and presentation skills.
GS-15 candidates must have four years of professional legal experience: conducting legal research, providing legal advice and counseling, and addressing and resolving a full range of highly-complex legal issues that arise in the context of the implementation of NEPA and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and other applicable statutes.
Candidates must be able to perform the functions of the position providing the highest degree of legal, administrative and policy expertise to resolve complex matters brought before the STB. The attorney will ensure that the agency complies with the NEPA and related statutes, including the agency rules implementing NEPA in the preparation of environmental documentation for actions that requires a license from the STB. The attorney will serve as a legal advisor on all aspects of environmental analysis, including sensitive, complex environmental legal matters involving Board actions. The attorney will serve as a legal resource for the agency serving in the capacity of a senior counsel for the Director and Deputy Director of OEA.
A writing sample and cover letter is required to be submitted with application package.
Education
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.
Additional information
Due to COVID-19, the agency is currently in an expanded telework posture. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework one or more days a pay period depending upon the terms of the STB's telework policy.
To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to Executive Order 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine. The STB will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request of the agency a legally required exception from this requirement, upon request.
Fitness Center: STB employees, at no cost, have access to the agency's fitness center conveniently located in the building; and
A monthly transit subsidy for a portion of your commuting costs to help defray the commuting costs of employees who use mass transportation, including commuter bus, Metrorail or Metrobus, or commuter rail systems.
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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the application process is complete, a review of the resume and supporting documentation will be made to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation.
All candidates who meet the qualifications described above will be referred to the hiring official for consideration.
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility, you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. Well-qualified means you must be within the Best and Highly Qualified categories; meet medical, suitability, and minimum educational and experience requirements; all selective factors where applicable and appropriate quality ranking factor levels; be physically qualified, with reasonable accommodation where appropriate, to perform the essential duties of the position; meet any special qualifying condition(s) that OPM has approved for the position; and be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Information about ICTAP is on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp.
Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the EEOC considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their application submission documentation.
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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
1. Resume that includes the experience you wish to be considered for the review of your qualifications, the dates of employment with month and year, and hours worked per week, if part time. Resumes that do not contain all of the necessary information to determine qualifications may be marked as insufficient and applicants may not receive consideration for this position. Your latest resume submission is the one that will be used to determine your qualifications.
2. Responses to questionnaire.
3. A writing sample and cover letter.
4.Transcripts conferring a professional law degree (LL.B, J.D., LL.M.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
5. Proof current membership in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.
6. Supporting documents verifying your eligibility or any preference eligibility along with your application package.
These documents may include, but are not limited to:
Veterans documentation: All veterans MUST submit a DD-214, MEMBER 4 copy, if you are currently on active duty, you must submit an official statement of service from your command or other official documentation that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions;
Preference eligible documentation: If claiming 10-point preference you must also submit a SF-15 and any other proof that you are eligible for 10-point preference if a job offer is extended to you, final VA letter including percentage (please do not include letter from VA noting specific private medical information);
ICTAP documentation: RIF separation notice along with last performance rating or appraisal.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
The complete application package must be submitted before the announcement closes on 04/06/2022 . 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. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact Cynthia McClam by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
You must create a login.gov account, if you don't already have one. You must:
-Create a login.gov account - you only need to do this once.
-Enter an email address during the account set up - use the same email address you use for USAJOBS (your primary or secondary email address).
-Create a new password.-Have a working phone number (mobile or landline) near you - login.gov will send you a security code.
-Finish setting up your login.gov account.
Once you've finished setting up your login.gov account, you'll go back to USAJOBS to finish the process. Double check your USAJOBS Profile to make sure all of your information is accurate. You must use your login.gov email address, password, and security code every time you want to sign into USAJOBS. Follow the prompts in USAJOBS to take the online questionnaire and submit the required documents. See Required Documents section for more details.
Note: We recommend you don't use a .gov, .mil or .edu email address. Instead, use a personal (non-government) email address when you create your login.gov account. Please do not use an email address you share with someone else.
** For any issues signing into login.gov, go to https://login.gov/contact/This and other STB positions may be filled using Schedule A, 5 CFR 213.3102(u).Schedule A is an excepted service hiring authority used to appoint persons with severe physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and intellectual disabilities. Such individuals may be converted to permanent status after two years of satisfactory service. Documentation of disability is required, that is, a Schedule A Letter, which is used to verify that the applicant qualifies under Schedule A. This documentation must be provided at the time of application. A Schedule A letter can be obtained from a licensed medical professional (e.g., a physician or other medical professional certified by a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory to practice medicine); a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist (i.e., state or private); or any Federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits. A VA letter does not qualify as a Schedule A letter. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation for the application process, please include the accommodation request with your Schedule A letter. Reasonable accommodation requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Surface Transportation Board
395 E Street SW
Washington, DC 20423
US
Next steps
The Best Qualified Candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. Highly Qualified candidates may be referred if there is an insufficient pool of candidates in the Best Qualified group.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
1. Resume that includes the experience you wish to be considered for the review of your qualifications, the dates of employment with month and year, and hours worked per week, if part time. Resumes that do not contain all of the necessary information to determine qualifications may be marked as insufficient and applicants may not receive consideration for this position. Your latest resume submission is the one that will be used to determine your qualifications.
2. Responses to questionnaire.
3. A writing sample and cover letter.
4.Transcripts conferring a professional law degree (LL.B, J.D., LL.M.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
5. Proof current membership in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.
6. Supporting documents verifying your eligibility or any preference eligibility along with your application package.
These documents may include, but are not limited to:
Veterans documentation: All veterans MUST submit a DD-214, MEMBER 4 copy, if you are currently on active duty, you must submit an official statement of service from your command or other official documentation that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions;
Preference eligible documentation: If claiming 10-point preference you must also submit a SF-15 and any other proof that you are eligible for 10-point preference if a job offer is extended to you, final VA letter including percentage (please do not include letter from VA noting specific private medical information);
ICTAP documentation: RIF separation notice along with last performance rating or appraisal.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
The complete application package must be submitted before the announcement closes on 04/06/2022 . 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. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact Cynthia McClam by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
You must create a login.gov account, if you don't already have one. You must:
-Create a login.gov account - you only need to do this once.
-Enter an email address during the account set up - use the same email address you use for USAJOBS (your primary or secondary email address).
-Create a new password.-Have a working phone number (mobile or landline) near you - login.gov will send you a security code.
-Finish setting up your login.gov account.
Once you've finished setting up your login.gov account, you'll go back to USAJOBS to finish the process. Double check your USAJOBS Profile to make sure all of your information is accurate. You must use your login.gov email address, password, and security code every time you want to sign into USAJOBS. Follow the prompts in USAJOBS to take the online questionnaire and submit the required documents. See Required Documents section for more details.
Note: We recommend you don't use a .gov, .mil or .edu email address. Instead, use a personal (non-government) email address when you create your login.gov account. Please do not use an email address you share with someone else.
** For any issues signing into login.gov, go to https://login.gov/contact/This and other STB positions may be filled using Schedule A, 5 CFR 213.3102(u).Schedule A is an excepted service hiring authority used to appoint persons with severe physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and intellectual disabilities. Such individuals may be converted to permanent status after two years of satisfactory service. Documentation of disability is required, that is, a Schedule A Letter, which is used to verify that the applicant qualifies under Schedule A. This documentation must be provided at the time of application. A Schedule A letter can be obtained from a licensed medical professional (e.g., a physician or other medical professional certified by a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory to practice medicine); a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist (i.e., state or private); or any Federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits. A VA letter does not qualify as a Schedule A letter. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation for the application process, please include the accommodation request with your Schedule A letter. Reasonable accommodation requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Surface Transportation Board
395 E Street SW
Washington, DC 20423
US
Next steps
The Best Qualified Candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. Highly Qualified candidates may be referred if there is an insufficient pool of candidates in the Best Qualified group.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
