The Chief of Staff will serve as a principal advisor to the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Administration (AAG/A). This position is located in the Justice Management Division (JMD), reports directly to the AAG/A who provides policy direction and works closely with the JMD's four Deputy Assistant Attorney's General (DAAGs) who provide Department-wide policy guidance to the Department's offices, boards, divisions, and, to a limited extent, its bureaus.
Summary
The Chief of Staff will serve as a principal advisor to the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Administration (AAG/A). This position is located in the Justice Management Division (JMD), reports directly to the AAG/A who provides policy direction and works closely with the JMD's four Deputy Assistant Attorney's General (DAAGs) who provide Department-wide policy guidance to the Department's offices, boards, divisions, and, to a limited extent, its bureaus.
The duties and responsibilities for a Chief of Staff generally include, but are not limited to, the following:
Advise the AAG/A on the day-to-day execution of his or her duties and responsibilities. Advise the AAG/A on substantive matters involving the advocacy of the Department's programs and policies and ensures that prompt and effective action is implemented. Oversee and prioritize daily business to ensure that the entire operation runs smoothly on an ongoing basis.
Execute objectives to support the continuous improvement of the Justice Management Division. Oversee business process changes across all JMD staff and lead the collaboration on complex business processes. Develop solutions for new and existing initiatives.
Ensure timely staff review and monitor all memoranda, letters, reports, and other documents for the AAG/A, as well as serve as a liaison with leadership, primarily internal to the agency.
Oversee the planning, coordination, and execution of communication and deliverables for special projects and strategic initiatives on behalf of the AAG/A. These assignments may involve coordination with the various components, bureaus and/or legal divisions of the department.
Ensure projects related to the AAG/A strategic business goals are planned, managed and delivered effectively and on time. Has a broad responsibility to delegate other staff members and coordinate timely product deliverables at the request of the AAG/A; define problems, opportunities, and issues; determine and analyze relevant facts; determine when and what issues should be brought to the attention of the AAG/A and make appropriate recommendations.
Represent the AAG/A on communications with JMD's DAAGs, principal officials of the Department, staff members, and high-ranking officials of other Departments.
Serve as the AAG/A's representative in meetings concerning assigned projects. Advise the AAG/A on significant issues and outlines options and the consequences.
Represent the AAG/A with the immediate staffs, as well as other officials of the Department.
You must successfully pass a security/background investigation and a drug screening.
You must be a current permanent Department of Justice employee with competitive status or a CTAP/RPL eligible candidate.
You must meet all applicable time-in-grade requirements by the closing of this announcement.
Additional selections may be made from this announcement, at any time, if openings occur in other offices serviced by Justice Management Division, HR Operations.
Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
Qualifications
To qualify for the position of Chief of Staff, (GS-0301-15), you must meet the basic qualification requirements listed below AND possess the required specialized experience specific to this series and grade.
If you are a current Department of Justice employee on a permanent appointment in the competitive service, you will need to demonstrate 1-year (52-weeks) at the next lower grade level, to meet the time-in-grade requirements for this occupational series and grade.
Specialized Experience: For the GS-15, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-14 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service, which includes: Plan, coordinate, or oversee the execution of projects to deliver the strategic priorities of a large agency or similar organization; Advise senior agency leadership on agency level decisions or consequences; Demonstrate a combination of administrative expertise, management skills, or senior-level experience in an executive office.
You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including Time-in-Grade, by the closing date of this announcement, 08/14/2025.
YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
This vacancy is open to current DOJ employees and CTAP eligibles. See below for more information:
CURRENT DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE EMPLOYEES: Employees who currently work for the Department of Justice, or any of it's components (i.e. FBI, DEA, ATF, USTP, JMD, etc.) on a permanent appointment in the competitive service. Contractor employees and those on Excepted Service appointments are not eligible.
SELECTIVE SERVICE: If you were born male, on or 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. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.
This position is excluded from the bargaining unit.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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 announcement closes, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted by the HR Specialist. This information will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether you are qualified for this particular position. If a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, you may be deemed ineligible, or your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your skills and abilities.
Additionally, we will review your supporting documents and resume to determine if you are in the "Area of Consideration" for this vacancy. Government-Wide Merit Promotion vacancies may only accept applications from a limited audience, pay careful attention to the "Who May Apply" and the "Hiring Paths" information. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
When addressing the specialized experience statement, applicants must present evidence of the experience in their resume. If the specialized experience statement is repeated, in the applicant's resume, Human Resources will deem the applicant as ineligible.
BASIS OF RATING: DOJ's Merit Promotion Procedures will be used to evaluate candidates.
You resume will be evaluated by a Subject Matter Expert Panel (SME).
Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): This program applies to DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:
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.
Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims.
It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of document descriptions below, to see which documents are required for your application.
ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a detailed resume (2 page resume or less is suggested) containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:
Contact Information: Name, address, phone number, and email,
Official position title;
Employer name and contact information;
Start and end dates (including month and year);
A detailed list of duties & accomplishments,
Your grade/step achieved; and
The number of hours worked per week (or indicate full-time).
If you are a current DOJ employee:
You must submit your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) or equivalent agency form. Do not submit an award SF-50, these do not contain sufficient information about your appointment
Your SF-50 should list the full position title, series, grade and step, organization, duty location, service computation date, effective date, and your service type and tenure status.
Submit a copy of your most recent performance evaluation or appraisal, signed, showing your final rating. If a performance appraisal is not available submit a statement explaining why one is not available.
If you are a displaced former DOJ employee claiming eligibility under CTAP:
You must submit your separation notice or RIF letter.
If you have not yet been separated, you can provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of reduction-in-force.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/14/2025 to receive consideration.
If you're not logged in to your USAJOBS account, you will need to login. If you don't have an account, please create one.
You will be prompted to select one of your stored (or uploaded) resumes, and any supporting documents you have uploaded to USAJOBS. If you have not uploaded these documents, you can do so later before submitting your application.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, you will be asked to submit your demographic information (if you have provided this in your profile). Submission is optional and anonymous.
You'll be asked to confirm your choices and certify the accuracy of your information before you're able to continue to the Application Manager system. Until you see the blue border and DOJ logo, you are still on USAJOBS. You'll see a folder animation just before you leave USAJOBS.
Once you reach DOJ's Application Manager system, you'll be asked to verify the information you transmitted from USAJOBS. You will then respond to the application assessment questionnaires and indicate your eligibility options.
After responding to the questionnaires, you will have the opportunity to attach the documents you brought over from USAJOBS *OR* upload documents directly from your computer or device.
Once all your documents are uploaded, you must assign the uploads to the appropriate document category. You may attach more than one document to each category. Click the drop-down menu for a document category, and select one of the available options in the menu. The document will be listed under this category. You can click the drop-down again to add other documents, as needed. You can have up to 15 document assignments.
Once you've uploaded and assigned all your documents to an appropriate document type, you can proceed to the final verification step, and click Submit.
If you have correctly submitted your application, you will receive an automated e-mail notification within 30-60 minutes. Be sure to review the announcement fully to make sure that your application contains everything that is required.
If you need help with the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help Site (for everything on the USAJOBS-side), or the Application Manager Help Site (for everything on the DOJ-side).
Regrettably, the Department of Justice cannot assist you with USAJOBS account issues. If you contact us for assistance and the problem is related to your USAJOBS account, we will have to direct you to USAJOBS to remedy the issue.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: If you are unable to apply online due to a disability or overseas deployment, you must request an alternative application, which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Tamara Shelton at tamara.d.shelton@usdoj.gov or 202-286-6440 to discuss your situation. Accommodations are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
We strive to extend a final offer of employment within 90 days from the close of this announcement. Delays do sometimes occur for reasons beyond our control. Additional selections may be made from this announcement if openings in other offices occur within 90 days, candidates who are referred to the hiring office, may be referred to other hiring offices in this scenario.
Additional selections may be made from this announcement, for up to 90 days, if openings occur in other offices serviced by Justice Management Division.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims.
It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of document descriptions below, to see which documents are required for your application.
ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a detailed resume (2 page resume or less is suggested) containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:
Contact Information: Name, address, phone number, and email,
Official position title;
Employer name and contact information;
Start and end dates (including month and year);
A detailed list of duties & accomplishments,
Your grade/step achieved; and
The number of hours worked per week (or indicate full-time).
If you are a current DOJ employee:
You must submit your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) or equivalent agency form. Do not submit an award SF-50, these do not contain sufficient information about your appointment
Your SF-50 should list the full position title, series, grade and step, organization, duty location, service computation date, effective date, and your service type and tenure status.
Submit a copy of your most recent performance evaluation or appraisal, signed, showing your final rating. If a performance appraisal is not available submit a statement explaining why one is not available.
If you are a displaced former DOJ employee claiming eligibility under CTAP:
You must submit your separation notice or RIF letter.
If you have not yet been separated, you can provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of reduction-in-force.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/14/2025 to receive consideration.
If you're not logged in to your USAJOBS account, you will need to login. If you don't have an account, please create one.
You will be prompted to select one of your stored (or uploaded) resumes, and any supporting documents you have uploaded to USAJOBS. If you have not uploaded these documents, you can do so later before submitting your application.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, you will be asked to submit your demographic information (if you have provided this in your profile). Submission is optional and anonymous.
You'll be asked to confirm your choices and certify the accuracy of your information before you're able to continue to the Application Manager system. Until you see the blue border and DOJ logo, you are still on USAJOBS. You'll see a folder animation just before you leave USAJOBS.
Once you reach DOJ's Application Manager system, you'll be asked to verify the information you transmitted from USAJOBS. You will then respond to the application assessment questionnaires and indicate your eligibility options.
After responding to the questionnaires, you will have the opportunity to attach the documents you brought over from USAJOBS *OR* upload documents directly from your computer or device.
Once all your documents are uploaded, you must assign the uploads to the appropriate document category. You may attach more than one document to each category. Click the drop-down menu for a document category, and select one of the available options in the menu. The document will be listed under this category. You can click the drop-down again to add other documents, as needed. You can have up to 15 document assignments.
Once you've uploaded and assigned all your documents to an appropriate document type, you can proceed to the final verification step, and click Submit.
If you have correctly submitted your application, you will receive an automated e-mail notification within 30-60 minutes. Be sure to review the announcement fully to make sure that your application contains everything that is required.
If you need help with the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help Site (for everything on the USAJOBS-side), or the Application Manager Help Site (for everything on the DOJ-side).
Regrettably, the Department of Justice cannot assist you with USAJOBS account issues. If you contact us for assistance and the problem is related to your USAJOBS account, we will have to direct you to USAJOBS to remedy the issue.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: If you are unable to apply online due to a disability or overseas deployment, you must request an alternative application, which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Tamara Shelton at tamara.d.shelton@usdoj.gov or 202-286-6440 to discuss your situation. Accommodations are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
We strive to extend a final offer of employment within 90 days from the close of this announcement. Delays do sometimes occur for reasons beyond our control. Additional selections may be made from this announcement if openings in other offices occur within 90 days, candidates who are referred to the hiring office, may be referred to other hiring offices in this scenario.
Additional selections may be made from this announcement, for up to 90 days, if openings occur in other offices serviced by Justice Management Division.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
