The employee shall serve as a Counsel in OGC as a participant in the agency's Legal Honors program. The Honors Counsel will conduct legal research, draft legal opinions, regulations, guidance, regulatory interpretations, and other documents, and assist senior legal staff to interpret federal statutes, regulations, guidance, policies, and legislation and provide legal advice, and represent FHFA related to all aspects of FHFA's operations.
Summary
The employee shall serve as a Counsel in OGC as a participant in the agency's Legal Honors program. The Honors Counsel will conduct legal research, draft legal opinions, regulations, guidance, regulatory interpretations, and other documents, and assist senior legal staff to interpret federal statutes, regulations, guidance, policies, and legislation and provide legal advice, and represent FHFA related to all aspects of FHFA's operations.
The Honors Counsel will work on assignments from each of the three branches within OGC.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Mission Branch supports FHFA's activities as supervisor and regulator of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Home Loan Banks, and the Office of Finance, including with respect to safety and soundness, charter compliance, executive compensation, and their housing and community investment missions; as conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; and as a member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Also supports the agency's legislative activities.
Administrative Law and ADEO Branch provides overall direction, coordination, leadership, and representation on ethics, procurement and contracts, employment, trademark, mortgage fraud, Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, Paperwork Reduction Act, data, research, and statistics and other administrative law matters.
Litigation Branch provides oversight of litigation related to FHFA.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Analyzes issues, conducts research, and prepares memoranda for senior attorneys on a wide variety of legal issues.
Develops, drafts, and/or reviews documents such as legal opinions, regulations, policies, guidance, and related documents, legislation, contracts and other agreements, correspondence, pleadings, legal briefs, and other documents of importance to the agency.
Reviews and interprets legislation, regulations, guidance, and policies.
Works as part of a collaborative team with fellow legal staff, support staff, and subject matter experts on issues related to assigned areas of law or policy, including attending meetings with colleagues across FHFA.
Researches, analyzes, and evaluates legal issues pertaining to FHFA in order to prepare legal documents, reports and memoranda for review, approval, and use by the General Counsel or other senior legal staff.
Consults various electronic and hardcopy sources, including statutes, regulations, and case law.
Researches, assembles, and summarizes legislative histories on issues of interest to FHFA staff.
Performs legal research by utilizing a wide variety of electronic and hardcopy resources including electronic search engines and resources on the Internet. Contacts other regulatory and federal agencies to obtain information relevant to FHFA issues.
Cite-checks, proofreads, and edits legal opinions and other OGC documents.
Assists senior attorneys in litigation matters, including conducting research, drafting, and/or reviewing pleadings, and implementing strategies to address emerging challenges.
Attends meetings with regulated entities and external parties on matters related to assignments, as appropriate.
Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
Resume and supporting documents (See How To Apply)
Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation
Appointments for Honor Counsel are for 14-month temporary positions.
Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
This is not a remote position, however, pursuant to the Agency's Telework Policy, some telework may be considered and approved.
Upon successful completion of the program, the employee may be considered for available vacancies in the Office of General Counsel.
Qualifications
This program is available to recent law school graduates who are currently employed in a judicial clerkship. Applicants must have received their J.D. or LL.B. within the last two years (2021 or 2022) to be eligible for the FHFA Legal Honors Program.
BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT:
All applicants must possess:
J.D. or LL.B. degree --AND-
Active membership of the bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Qualifying experience for the EL/GS-11 level includes one year of specialized experience at least equivalent to the EL/GS-09 which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.
Examples of specialized experience include the following:
Experience working with or studying federal financial law, public interest law, or related topics.
Experience researching, analyzing, and drafting legal memoranda and other related document
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.
Education
ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
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. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
FHFA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, gender (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability (physical or mental), age (40 years of age or over), genetic information, parental status, marital status, prior protected EEO activity, political affiliation, or other non-merit factors.
REASONABLE ACCOMODATION:
FHFA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, except when doing so would pose an undue hardship on the Agency. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify FHFA at (202) 649-3963. The Agency's decision on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Ethics: FHFA employees are subject to government-wide ethical standards of conduct, financial disclosure requirements, and post-employment prohibitions. In addition, certain FHFA employees are prohibited from accepting compensation from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for a two-year period after terminating employment with FHFA. Furthermore, to avoid financial conflicts-of interest or the appearance of conflicts-of-interest, FHFA employees may need to divest or sell certain assets they, their spouse, or minor children own or control, including securities issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or the Federal Home Loan Banks. Employees who work on Federal Home Loan Bank issues may need to sell or divest financial interests with any of the Federal Home Loan Bank members, which may include stock in bank holding companies, insurance companies, and other financial services firms. Questions regarding these requirements and prohibitions should be directed to the Office of General Counsel at (202) 649-3088.
Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: For more information on noncompetitive appointment authority eligibility requirements:
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.
This position is in the excepted service. All applicants meeting the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration.
All of the information you provide will be verified by a review of the work experience and/or education as shown on your application forms, by checking references or through other means, such as the interview process. This verification could occur at any stage of the application process. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempts to conceal information may be grounds for rating you ineligible.
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.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 02/27/2023 to receive consideration.
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.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Janice Obeido at janice.obeido@fhfa.gov or (202) 649-3742 to obtain an alternative application.
OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL
400 7th Street
Washington, DC 20219
US
Next steps
After all application packages have been received, we will review your materials to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided in his/her resume and the completed Occupational Questionnaire. Applicants deemed best-qualified may be contacted for an interview. We anticipate making a final job offer for this position within 45 days after the deadline for applications. All candidates will be notified of the final disposition.
There are currently two vacancies available. However, should additional vacancies become available within three months from the opening date of this announcement, eligible applicants for this position may be referred for consideration for the additional position(s).
We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the Federal Housing Finance Agency
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 02/27/2023 to receive consideration.
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.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Janice Obeido at janice.obeido@fhfa.gov or (202) 649-3742 to obtain an alternative application.
OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL
400 7th Street
Washington, DC 20219
US
Next steps
After all application packages have been received, we will review your materials to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided in his/her resume and the completed Occupational Questionnaire. Applicants deemed best-qualified may be contacted for an interview. We anticipate making a final job offer for this position within 45 days after the deadline for applications. All candidates will be notified of the final disposition.
There are currently two vacancies available. However, should additional vacancies become available within three months from the opening date of this announcement, eligible applicants for this position may be referred for consideration for the additional position(s).
We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the Federal Housing Finance Agency
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
