Clarification from the agency

Current FCC Employees Only

The incumbent serves as a Legal Advisor for the Office applying policy and legal expertise on diverse issues pertaining to radio frequency, radiofrequency spectrum allocations, unlicensed operations, equipment authorizations, experimental licenses and other matters. He/she is
responsible for advising and consulting with the Office Chief and Deputy(s) on all legal phases of Commission spectrum management activities. He/she reports directly to the Office Chief, but contingent upon case/assignment may take broad policy direction from other OET leadership. As a Legal Advisor, the incumbent handles highly complex legal, technical and policy research analyses on significant OET matters that involve rigorous and original legal analysis. The work requires:

(1) independently carrying out assignments without preliminary instruction as necessary and as appropriate, in coordination with other OET Divisions and other FCC Bureaus/Offices;

(2) providing guidance/direction on policies and objectives for addressing complex OET issues and matters;

(3) planning project approaches and methods;

(4) taking action on licensing and authorization matters that have the potential to become the subject of future Commission attention and/or litigation;

(5) keeping OET leadership informed of assignment/project progress as appropriate; and

(6) overseeing and ensuring the efficient processing and coordination of OET circulation and meeting items, including coordination of policy and other matters with senior leadership of other Offices and Bureaus, other federal partners, and the Chair’s and other Commissioners’ office(s).

Conditions of employment

• FCC Employees Only.
• US Citizenship.
• Suitable for employment as determined by a background investigation.
• SF-50 Documenting One Year of Time in Grade Required.
• Bar Membership documentation required upon selection.
• Transcripts required upon selection.
• Financial Disclosure may be required.
• Current FCC employees must provide SF-50 verifying grade & status.
• Resume must not exceed two pages and must meet resume format criteria.

To be considered for this position, applicants must:

Currently be employed in the Federal Communications Commission in positions serving under career, career conditional, or excepted service (Schedule A appointments under authority 213.3102(d)-Attorneys) appointments.

SF-50 Required: ALL FCC EMPLOYEES MUST provide a legible Personnel Action, SF-50, that verifies your status and highest permanently held grade.  If an SF-50 is not submitted, the application will be rated as ineligible. To request a copy of your SF-50 please send an email to PersonnelRecordsRequest@fcc.gov

Qualifications

Interested candidates should be passionate about the ideals of our American republic, committed to upholding the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution, and committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government. Hiring decisions will not be based on race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

Applicants must meet eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Professional law experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

In order to be deemed as "BEST QUALIFIED" candidates must meet both the educational requirements and the specialized experience requirements outlined below.

A. Education

You must meet the minimum basic educational requirements for Attorney positions.

Education requirements include: a professional law degree JD, LL.B., and/or LL.M.

If transcripts are not submitted at the time of application, a copy of the transcript must be submitted at the time of selection.

AND

B. Specialized Experience

Applicants must have a minimum of 4 years of professional law experience, including one year of specialized experience which must be equivalent to at least the GS-14 in the Federal service. For this position, specialized experience includes the following:

• Experience serving as a senior advisor to the Office Chief and Deputy on emerging legal and policy issues, providing proactive recommendations to address novel or complex matters.
• Experience leading and managing complex, cross-cutting projects and proceedings of major policy and technical significance, including those involving national security, radio-frequency spectrum allocations, unlicensed operations, equipment authorization, experimental licensing, and other matters central to the Office of Engineering and Technology’s mission.
• Experience providing strategic legal guidance on policies governing the management of spectrum and other communications-related resources, ensuring that legal considerations are fully integrated into technical and policy decision-making.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and refining proposed rules, regulations, orders, and legislative recommendations for legal sufficiency, working closely with OET leadership and technical engineering staff to ensure alignment across legal, policy, and technical domains.
• Experience overseeing and coordinating the Office’s circulation, meeting items, and related workflows to ensure timely and effective Commission decision-making, including close collaboration with senior leadership across Bureaus and Offices, inter-agency partners, and the Chair and Commissioners’ offices.
• Experience representing OET in high-level internal and external meetings, briefings, and conferences, clearly articulating legal, policy, and technical considerations on behalf of the Office.
• Experience mentoring and supporting junior attorneys and staff, offering guidance on legal analysis, Commission procedures, and the integration of legal and engineering perspectives.
• Experience monitoring and assessing developments in communications law, technology trends, and relevant judicial or legislative activity to inform Office priorities and strategic planning.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: 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.

Subject matter experts will review your application to determine if you meet the required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's). If you are deemed to be qualified by the Subject Matter Experts, your application will be referred to the hiring manager for hiring consideration. Alternatively, if your application is not deemed as qualified by the Subject Matter Experts, your application will not be referred to the hiring manager for hiring consideration.

• Ability to provide expert legal guidance on topics such as: spectrum allocation and use, network and device security, equipment testing and authorization, transitioning spectrum users to more efficient bands and platforms, providing spectrum use and management
  information in trade negotiations and international treaty issues and working with other Federal spectrum managers on matters relating to identifying, classifying and managing spectrum use records.
• Mastery of knowledge of FCC rule-making policies and procedures in handling the Commission’s rules under both licensed and unlicensed approaches, and be familiar with commercial wireless broadband services as well as unlicensed device usage.
• Expert ability to develop legal recommendations regarding all rule making proceedings, review legal issues and provide support on spectrum allocation activities.
• Full mastery of all regulatory issues, policies and procedures, precedents related to the telecommunications industry, in general, and spectrum allocation, in particular, in order to provide guidance, direction and development of Office and Commission
  legal policy.
• Mastery of all concepts, issues, mandates, rulings and legislative proposals relating to telecommunications service regulation and
  authorizations.

How you will be evaluated

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

ll candidates will be considered without regard to political or religious affiliation, marital status, race, color, sex, national origin, non disqualifying physical or mental handicap, age, or any other non merit factor. THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. All applicants will be rated on the extent and quality of experience and education relevant to the duties of the position. Applicants who do not respond to the application questions and/or do not submit a supporting resume will be rated ineligible.

In compliance with the OPM Merit Hiring Plan requirements, please be advised that candidates will not be evaluated, selected or hired based on race, sex, color, religion, or national origin. 

Optional Four Essay Questions

At the time of application, applicants have the option of answering the following four short, free-response essay questions.

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.
2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.
3. How would you help advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.

Applicants will be required to certify that they are using their own words, and did not use a consultant or AI (such as a large language model [LLM]). The responses to each question cannot exceed 200 words per question.

Please note your resume must thoroughly support your responses to the vacancy questions. There are several parts to the application process that affect the overall evaluation of your application including:

1. supplemental documentation (e.g., DD-214, SF-50, SF-15, transcripts); and

2. your resume.

Applicants will be rated ineligible, if they do not respond to job specific questions provide supplemental documents and submit resume. For more information, please click on Rating Process

Subject matter experts will review your application to determine if you meet the required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's). If you are deemed to be qualified by the Subject Matter Experts, your application will be referred to the hiring manager for hiring consideration. Alternatively, if your application is not deemed as qualified by the Subject Matter Experts, your application will not be referred to the hiring manager for hiring consideration.