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Attorney-Advisor

Department of Transportation
Office of Inspector General
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) works within the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to promote efficiency and effectiveness, and prevent or stop waste, fraud and abuse in departmental programs. We do this through audits and investigations. OIG also consults with the Congress about programs in progress and proposed new laws and regulations. The Inspector General Act of 1978 gives the Office of Inspector General autonomy to do its work without interference. 

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/18/2022 to 06/06/2022
This job will close when we have received 250 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$89,834 to - $164,102 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - This is a permanent position.
Work schedule
Full-time - This is a full-time position.
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
15 - The full promotion potential is a GS-15.
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
JL-2022-0004
Control number
655123200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from All US Citizens. Please note that this position is in the Excepted Service. This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service. For information on the Excepted Service, please visit: Excepted Service Appointing Authorities at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/excepted-service/

Duties

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This position is located in the Office of Inspector General, Office of Chief Counsel.  The Office of Chief Counsel provides legal advice and guidance affecting every aspect of OIG operations, including audits, investigations, and other reviews; internal management issues; appropriations; ethics; Freedom of Information Act; and much more.

The individual(s) selected will work on a team of Attorney-Advisors and will primarily perform the following duties:

  • Provides legal support to the OIG Office of Auditing and Evaluation, collaborating with auditors and analyst to answer legal questions encountered during audits, and ensuring legal sufficency for audit-related written products and Congressional testimony.  
  • Assists with the operation of the OIG ethics program, including reviewing OGE financial disclosure reports; counseling employees on potential ethics issues; coordinating with the DOT Ethics Office and the Office of Government Ethics; developing and presenting training; and compiling information for reporting obligations.
  • Provides legal advice and review of issues to appropriate laws, contracts, tort claims, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) issues, employment law, and other areas. 

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen
  • This position is subject to a background investigation.
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 P.M. EST on the closing date.
  • May be required to serve a 2-year trial period.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service

COVID VACCINATION: Pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. 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.

Must possess a Juris Doctorate Law Degree or equivalent (J.D. or LL.B)

MEMBER OF THE BAR REQUIREMENT: Must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Applicants are responsible for citing minimum qualifications such as JD and Bar membership information (institution name, state for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will result in an incomplete application.

Applicants must meet qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Qualifying applicants must have successfully completed a law degree (J.D. or L.L.B) and must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Additionally, applicants must also possess the specialized experience as described below. 

GS-12: To be considered for the GS-12 grade level applicants must have at least one year of relevant specialized and professional legal experience as an attorney. The specialized experience must include developing legal opinions, briefs, pleadings, or other analysis of legal issues related to transportation laws; government-wide laws and regulations related to contracts, grants, appropriations, Government employee integrity, or similar fields; or regulatory or enforcement actions. The experience must also include drafting legal advice and memorandum for supervisors and more experienced attorneys, helping supervisors and other attorneys prepare for providing legal advice or advocacy at meetings, hearings, arguments, or other settings.

GS-13: To be considered for the GS-13 grade level applicants must have at least two years of relevant specialized and professional legal experience as an attorney. The specialized experience must include developing legal opinions, briefs, pleadings, or other analysis of legal issues related to transportation laws; government-wide laws and regulations related to contracts, grants, appropriations, Government employee integrity, or similar fields; or regulatory or enforcement actions. The experience must also include handling of routine requests for legal support from stakeholders on assigned projects and updating supervisors at appropriate times.

GS-14: To be considered for the GS-14 grade level, applicants must have at least five years of relevant professional legal experience as an attorney. The specialized experience must include providing expert legal advisory services both orally and written. Providing expert legal advice to senior executives and others related to Federal transportation safety, grant program laws, and/or the Inspector General Act with minimal input on drafts of work from supervisors. Identifying areas of improvement for agency operations, policies, or procedures and making recommendations/participating in implementation of solutions to such areas.

Applicants must meet the required qualifications by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

Education: Successful completion of a law degree (J.D. or L.L.B.). 

Must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

NOTE: ALL APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT A COMPLETE COPY OF THEIR TRANSCRIPTS. DEGREE AUDITS ARE NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE FOR OFFICIAL/UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS. IF SELECTED, AN OFFICIAL/SEALED TRANSCRIPT WILL BE REQUIRED PRIOR TO AN APPOINTMENT DATE BEING ESTABLISHED.

IF YOU HAVE EARNED A DEGREE FROM A FOREIGN INSTITUTION YOU MUST SUBMIT WITH YOUR APPLICATION EVIDENCE THAT ANY EDUCATION COMPLETED IN A FOREIGN INSTITUTION WAS APPROPRIATELY ACCREDITED BY AN ACCREDITING BODY RECOGNIZED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AS EQUIVALENT TO U.S. STANDARDS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, REFER TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WEB SITE AT http://www.ed.gov

Additional information

OIG carries out its mission by issuing audit reports, evaluations, management advisories, and other products with findings and recommendations to improve program delivery and performance.

PLEASE NOTE THIS VACANCY HAS A CUT-OFF DATE OF JUNE 1, 2022. ALL APPLICATIONS RECIEVED BY MIDNIGHT ON THIS DATE WILL BE REVIEWED PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE OF JUNE 15, 2022 OR THE FIRST 250 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AND WILL CLOSE  AT MIDNIGHT ON THE CLOSING DATE OR AT MIDNIGHT ON THE  DAY WE RECEIVE THE 250TH APPLICATION, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MAY BE USED TO FILL ADDITIONAL LIKE VACANCIES IN THE ANNOUNCED DUTY LOCATION.

Applicants selected for an excepted service position are subject to a two year trial period.

If selected for this position, you will be subject to favorable adjudication of an employment suitability determination.

You must submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, upon entering the position and annually.

Candidates will be asked to fill out a Declaration for Federal Employment (Optional Form 306). Individuals selected for this position will be required to certify that their application materials are accurate when they enter on duty. Any male applicant who was born after December 31, 1959, and who is subsequently selected for this position must certify that he is registered for the military selective service by the date he is to enter on duty. False certification may result in termination after appointment.

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or to find an individual unqualified, unsuitable, or unfit for employment based upon financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience should be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.

THIS AGENCY PROVIDES REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS TO APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES. IF YOU NEED A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY PART OF THE APPLICATION AND HIRING PROCESS, PLEASE NOTIFY THE AGENCY. THE DECISION ON GRANTING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS WILL BE ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS. ALL APPLICANTS WILL RECEIVE CONSIDERATION REGARDLESS OF RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, AGE, POLITICAL AFFILIATION, UNION AFFILIATION OR NON AFFILIATION, MARITAL STATUS, NON- DISQUALIFYING PHYSICAL HANDICAP, OR ANY OTHER NON-MERIT REASON. THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL (OIG), U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DOT) IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

Relocation expenses will not be paid. No permanent change of station (PCS) expenses will be paid.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES WILL BE EVALUATED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: This is an Excepted Service position. This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service. Applicant’s selected for an excepted service position may be subject to a two-year trial period.

Qualified applicants will be evaluated by comparing each candidate's qualifications to the knowledge, skills, and abilities pertinent to the position to be filled. Experience, education, training, and writing samples will be considered.

VETERANS: The Department of Transportation attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Transportation considers veterans’ preference eligibility as a positive factor in the attorney hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans’ preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with supporting documentation, e.g., SF15, DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, and other supporting documentation.



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