Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Tax Law Specialist

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Click on "Learn more about this agency" button below to view Eligibilities being considered and other IMPORTANT information.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OTHER IRS CAREERS? Visit us on the web at www.jobs.irs.gov

Overview

Help
Job canceled
Open & closing dates
09/13/2022 to 09/26/2022
Salary
$111,521 to - $176,300 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Birmingham, AL
Phoenix, AZ
Fayetteville, AR
Little Rock, AR
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
22-11638150P-LBX-0987-14
Control number
676895600

Videos

Duties

Help

WHAT IS THE LARGE BUSINESS AND INTERNATIONAL DIVISION?
A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions

Vacancies will be filled in the following specialty areas: Large Business and International Director Withholding Exchange and International Individual Compliance (WEIIC), DOF FPP &AEOI Automatic Exchange of information (AEOI).

The following are the duties of this position at the full working level. If this vacancy includes more than one grade and you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and receive training to help you grow in this position.

WHAT DOES A TAX LAW SPECIALIST (WEIIC) DO? IRS employs Tax Law Specialists (TLS) in many areas throughout the Service. This position is a TLS in the Withholding, Exchange & International Individual Compliance (WEIIC) Automatic Exchange of information (AEOI) Office. Incumbent serves as an expert in interpretation and application of chapters 3 and 4 of the Internal Revenue Code. In particular, a TLS in the AEOI Office administers and coordinates withholding agreements between the IRS and NRA individuals and foreign corporations, including qualified intermediaries and other foreign financial institutions.

As a Tax Law Specialist, you will:
- Act as legal advisor to officials within the Internal Revenue Service and other US government agencies, in the analysis and interpretation of US tax law in the areas of international information reporting and withholding, and related Internal Revenue legislation, regulations, agreements, and procedures.
- Prepare studies, memoranda, and reports which involve legal research into, and evaluation and presentation of, the substance of documents related to international information reporting and withholding, in particular, withholding agreements for qualified intermediaries (QIs, including qualified derivatives dealers (QDDs)), withholding foreign partnerships (WPs), withholding foreign trusts (WTs), and foreign financial institutions (FFIs), as well as for FATCA intergovernmental agreements (IGAs).
- Participate in the development and implementation of administrative programs to implement QI, WP, WT, and/or FFI agreements and to effectuate voluntary compliance with, and effective enforcement of, US tax laws; perform legal tasks in the drafting of documents relating to international information reporting and withholding compliance and Internal Revenue legislation, regulations, and procedures.
- Develop and present complete plans for activities assigned, and coordinate projects, program segments, and procedures relating to assigned activities.
- Prepare background packages and/or position papers for use by others in matters involving the administration of international information reporting and withholding and other international agreements.
- Keeps abreast of developments which impact QIs, QDDs, WPs, WTs, FFIs, and/or international taxation, and advises field personnel, National Office programs coordinators, and others, of procedures and guidelines relating to the implementation of provisions of international information reporting and withholding requirements, particularly the QI, WP, WT, and/or FFI agreements, and other international agreements, including IGAs.
-Reviews proposed legislation, income tax regulations, Internal Revenue Manual revisions, tax forms and publications, and other proposed documents or public issuances bearing upon the administration of international information reporting and withholding and other international agreements, and proposes changes or revisions thereto ensuring technical accuracy, integrity, and feasibility.
- Attends meetings or conferences with other Internal Revenue Service personnel, personnel from other US government agencies, foreign officials, and/or members of the public and furnishes technical advice and assistance in compliance area matters involving the appreciation of international information reporting and withholding requirements or other international agreements.
- Maintains a continuing appraisal of the operations of the QI, WP, WT, and/or FFI agreements, related forms and instructions, and other international agreements of the United States for the purpose of identifying areas for amendment.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National and provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. (Birth certificate showing birth in the U.S; Unexpired U.S. Passport; Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization; or Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen (Form FS-240))
  • Undergo a review of prior performance/conduct and an income tax verification. Refer to "Get Your Tax Record" at http://www.irs.gov/(https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript) to check the status of your account, balance owed, payment history, make a payment, or review answers to tax questions. If you are not in compliance, you will be determined unsuitable for employment with IRS.
  • Must successfully complete a background investigation, including a FBI criminal history record check (fingerprint check).
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • 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. These documents must be unexpired original or certified copies.

Qualifications

Federal experience is not required. The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-14: To be eligible for this position at this grade level, you must meet the following requirements. In addition to the basic requirements, you must have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: Legal, tax accounting, or other experience that required knowledge of Federal tax laws, regulations, precedent decisions, or other areas related to the position to be filled. Preparing, reviewing, or applying rulings, advisory letters, memoranda, etc. related to Federal taxation; Analyzing and adjudicating tax claims, appeals, settlement offers, or similar work related to Federal tax operations; Work as an attorney that required legal research, analysis, and preparation of briefs or similar documents interpreting laws and regulations; Work as an accountant, auditor, or investigator that required application of Federal tax accounting principles and/or the Internal Revenue Code and related laws; Experience that demonstrates accomplishment of legal, and/or other project assignments requiring a wide range of experience with Federal tax laws (including international tax treaties), regulations, precedent case law decisions, treatises and other written authorities related to the position. Experience with formulating positions and proposing and supporting recommendations to management on matters relating to the theories, concepts, principles, and applications of Federal tax laws (including international tax treaties); Experience with analysis of legal issues, legal precedents, and legislative and regulatory processes impacting Federal tax laws (including international tax treaties); and Experience with procedures used by multilateral organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) necessary to develop, implement, and monitor changes to tax laws and tax administration practices in multiple countries.

For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

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: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions.

Additional information

  • Subject to a 1-year probationary period (unless already completed).
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • 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.
  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Additional jobs may be filled.
  • The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the minimum locality pay up to maximum locality pay for all duty locations listed. The range will be adjusted for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.
  • This is a bargaining unit position.
  • Tour of Duty: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm
  • Relocation expenses: No
  • Alternative work schedule, staggered work hours or telework may be available.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • May be eligible for telework based on IRS policy. If you are in a telework eligible position, you may be directed to temporarily telework on a full-time basis due to COVID 19. Employees must be within a 200-mile radius of their official assigned post-of-duty (POD) while in a telework status. Once normal operations resume, employees may be directed back to the office to perform the duties of their position. Telework eligibility does not guarantee telework; employees must meet and sustain IRS telework eligibility requirements and supervisor's approval to participate in the IRS Telework Program. As a reminder - If you are selected for a position, you are responsible for reporting to your designated POD (location) on the negotiated start date or as directed by management.


    Please consider each location carefully when applying. If you are selected for a position at one of your location selections, that location will become your official post of duty.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Decision Making
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Oral & Written Communication
  • Planning & Evaluating
  • Problem Solving
  • Tax Law & Practices


Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of two quality level categories, CAT A/B, CAT C depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. Candidates, if required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring practices), will be interviewed in quality group order. We WILL NOT reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned quality group and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that quality group. Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest quality group for this position. For scientific and professional positions Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category for this position, except at the GS-09 and above.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), you must receive a rating of category to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.