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Attorney-Adviser

Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
Office of the Chief Counsel, Employment & Labor Law Division (AGC-100)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Serves as legal counsel providing advice, guidance, and consultation to management on a variety of federal labor law matters.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/27/2023 to 04/11/2023
Salary
$117,639 to - $182,374 per year

The salary listed above includes a 32.49% locality payment for the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Pay scale & grade
FV J
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - The job may require travel from time-to-time, but not on a regular basis. The travel may be for training or other work-related duties.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
NA
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
AWA-AGC-23-14101AN-83006
Control number
715347600

Duties

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As a technical authority, analyzes and researches complex federal labor law issues, including those which intersect with the FAA’s unique personnel management authority.

Advises the FAA Administrator and other leaders regarding labor law and labor relations issues. Serves as the technical liaison/point of contact (POC) between the Office of the Chief Counsel and the Office of Human Resources Management (AHR), Office of Labor and Employee Relations (AHL) on all labor law and labor relations issues.

Serves as a POC for internal labor issues stemming from AGC employees who are members of the American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees (AFSCME) bargaining unit. Develops and provides definitive advice to AGC managers on labor and contract administration issues arising from the bargaining unit.

Conducts the legal review of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) and memoranda of understanding (MOU) that arise. Also conducts the legal review of annually negotiated MOUs addressing a variety of matters.

Serves as a legal advisor to AHL and Lines of Business/Staff Offices (LOB/SOs) on all term and mid-term negotiations. Participates in term CBA negotiations as a member of the FAA’s bargaining team. Conducts extensive research into cases to preclude or counter arguments during negotiations. Serves as POC between FAA bargaining teams and other AGC offices, such as Ethics & Compliance and Acquisition & Fiscal Law, on legal issues that arise during negotiations.

Provides training to management and staff attorneys on a wide variety of labor relations and labor law issues, including contract administration/compliance and CBA/MOU legal review.

Advises attorneys on labor issues that may arise in the course of non-labor litigation, i.e., Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), and federal court cases. Represents the agency before the EEOC and MSPB, and serves as second chair to junior AGC staff attorneys providing assistance with witness examination and case preparation.

Provides legal advice and counsel to AHR and agency leaders regarding non-labor matters, such as retirement, employee pay, and compensation. Advises AHR concerning the legal risks associated with the implementation of agency policies, and conducts legal sufficiency reviews of national AHR policies, i.e., the FAA Human Resource Policy Manual (HRPM).

Assists with the development and implementation of agency-wide programmatic initiatives regarding whistleblower protection, air traffic controller hiring initiatives, and other high-profile matters of particular concern to the agency. This includes providing advice to agency leaders regarding the implementation of Executive Orders and government-wide regulations.

Provides legal advice and counsel to AHR and agency leaders regarding a variety of non-labor matters, such as retirement and employee pay and compensation. Assists staff attorneys and managers to resolve programmatic legal issues surrounding a variety of AHR policies. Advises AHR concerning the legal risks associated with the implementation of agency policies and conducts legal sufficiency reviews of national AHR policies, i.e., the FAA Human Resource Policy Manual (HRPM).

Assists with the development and implementation of agency-wide programmatic initiatives regarding whistleblower protection, air traffic controller hiring initiatives, and other high-profile matters of particular concern to the agency.

Develops and maintains strong client relationships. Actively participates with clients to identify and meet client goals and objectives. Seeks consensus with client as to the timing and scope of work. Puts forth effort to meet established proficiency level goals and objectives.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • US Citizenship is required.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • This position has a positive education requirement. Transcript(s) required.
  • **Veterans preference does not apply to Attorney positions. PLEASE do not submit any documentation related to veterans preference.**

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, ALL applicants MUST meet the following criteria:

(1) have a JD Degree from an accredited law school;

(2) be admitted to practice before the bar of any U.S. jurisdiction or within the District of Columbia;

(3) be an active member of that bar; and

(4) demonstrate at least one year (52 weeks) of SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE equivalent to the next lower grade/pay band (FG/GS-13/FV-I) that is typically 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 required to successfully perform the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been at least equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is defined as:

  • Significant experience addressing extremely complex and difficult legal and factual issues for which there are limited precedents and requires balancing of conflicting or competing interests;
  • Performs assignments that involve providing leadership to others and providing authoritative legal expertise. Develops critical agency positions and provides guidance on critical legal issues to senior agency officials;
  • Applies considerable experience in a specialty area and advanced directly relevant legal knowledge to assignments such that work is considered authoritative;
  • Independently manages caseload and completes activities within established schedules, analyzes requirements and accomplishments and makes or directs adjustments needed to address organizational needs.

In addition to the above, this position also has a Selective Placement Factor (SPF).

  • Experience administering and interpreting the Federal Service Labor Management Relations Statute, 5 USC Chapter 71.

You should include relevant examples of the specialized experience in your work history. Errors or omissions may impact your rating or may result in you not being considered.

Answer all questions to the best of your ability. DO NOT ASSUME THAT BECAUSE YOU HOLD, OR HAVE HELD THIS POSITION, YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE FOUND ELIGIBLE. You may be asked to provide evidence or documentation that you have this type of experience later in the selection process. Your responses are subject to verification through job interviews, or any other information obtained during the application process. Any exaggeration of your experience or any attempt to conceal information can result in disqualification.

*Applicants who fail to demonstrate possession of any of the above criteria AND who do not provide the required documentation will receive no further consideration for this position.*

Eligible applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements and/or selective placement factor(s) (SPF) may be further evaluated on the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) and/or Quality Ranking Factor (QRF) listed in the announcement. Based on this evaluation, applicants will be placed in one of the following categories: (1) score order; (2) category grouping; or (3) alphabetical, and referred to the selecting official for selection consideration.

Applicants may be asked to verify information on your application for employment with the FAA.

**All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement.**

Education

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcripts(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcement to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. You may upload these documents with your application in USAJOBS or fax it to fax number provided in the announcement (please include announcement number on each page).

Failure to do so will result in loss of consideration.

Schools must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation may be verified at the following website: www.ed.gov/accreditation.

Foreign education must be evaluated by a private professional organization specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials or an accredited U.S. educational institution in terms of equivalence to a degree acquired at an American college or university. A copy of the evaluation results must be included, otherwise your foreign education will not be considered.

For additional information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Applicants who are not currently in the 905 occupational series (Attorney) in the Federal Government and fail to provide a copy of an unofficial or official transcript will not receive further consideration for this vacancy. Upon selection, if not currently employed in the 905 occupational series (Attorney), you will be required to submit an official transcript prior to appointment. If you do not have an official transcript (original, with the raised seal), you should contact your school immediately to request it.

Preview job questionnaire

Make sure your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications and answers to the job questionnaire.

Additional information

We may use this vacancy to fill other similar vacant positions.
Position may be subject to a background investigation.
A one-year probationary period may be required.

The person selected for this position may be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of entry on duty. FAA policy limits certain outside employment and financial investments in aviation-related companies. www.faa.gov/jobs/working_here/financial_disclosure_requirements

The U.S. Department of Transportation strives to ensure that equity, transparency, accountability, collaboration, and communication permeate all that we do for the betterment of the Department, the traveling public, and our nation. As such, DOT values a highly diverse workforce of persons who promote a culture of belonging by respecting the personal dignity and worth of each individual and fostering a positive environment where all feel safe and welcome. If these commitments coincide with your personal ideals and professional aspirations, please consider joining the DOT family.

NOTES:

1) As a part of the Federal-Wide Hiring Reform Initiative (streamlining the hiring process), the FAA is committed to eliminating the use of the Knowledge, Skills and Ability (KSA) narratives from the initial application in the hiring process for all announcements. Therefore, as an applicant for this announcement, you are NOT required to provide a narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA.

In lieu of providing a KSA narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA section, in your work history, please include information that provides specific examples of how you meet the response level or answer you chose for each KSA. Your work history examples should be specific and clearly reflect the highest level of ability. Your KSA answers will be evaluated further to validate whether the level that you selected is appropriate based on the work history and experience you provided. Your answers may be adjusted by a human resource specialist as appropriate.

2) This position is covered by the FAA Core Compensation plan. Additional information about core compensation is available on the following website: http://jobs.faa.gov/FAACoreCompensation.htm.

3) This Level 5 (Moderate Risk; Public Trust) position requires favorable adjudication of a National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI) background.

4) Some, all, or none of the referred applicants may be interviewed.



This is not a bargaining unit position.

Links to Important Information: Locality Pay , COLA

How you will be evaluated

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



IMPORTANT: Applicants may be rated on the extent and quality of experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position(s). All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated. Ensure that your application package/resume supports your responses.

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