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Attorney-Advisor

Department of Transportation
Office of Inspector General

Summary

This position is for an Attorney-Advisor within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Office of Inspector General (OIG). OIG enhances DOT programs and operations by conducting objective investigations and audits of departmental programs and operations in addition to detecting and preventing fraud, waste, abuse, and violations of law.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/03/2026 to 04/17/2026
This job will close when we have received 150 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$121,785 - $187,093 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13 - 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—This position may be eligible for situational telework. Telework approval will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - This is a permanent position.
Work schedule
Full-time - This is a full-time position.
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
15 - The full promotion potential is a GS-15.
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
JL-2026-0001
Control number
863855700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from All US Citizens. Please note that this position is in the Excepted Service. This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service. For information on the Excepted Service, please visit: Excepted Service Appointing Authorities at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/excepted-service/

Duties

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Duties

This position is located in the Office of Inspector General, Office of Chief Counsel (OCC).  The Office of Chief Counsel provides legal advice and guidance in support of OIG’s mission. Attorney-Advisors advise on every aspect of OIG operations, including audits, investigations, and other reviews; internal management issues; appropriations; ethics; information disclosure law; and much more. Attorney-Advisors handle a broad range of long-term and short-term assignments and interact with management and staff across the OIG.

The individual(s) selected will work on a team of Attorney-Advisors and will primarily perform the following duties:

  • Providing legal opinions or memoranda on complex and difficult issues of law relevant to general OIG operations or to particular OIG audits, investigations, or reviews.
  • Provides legal review and advice on transportation statutes and regulations and general law matters, including fiscal law, government contracts, tort claims, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and appeals, employment law, government ethics, and other areas.
  • Provides legal support to the OIG Office of Auditing and Evaluation, collaborating with auditors and analysts to answer legal questions encountered during audits, and ensuring legal sufficiency for audit-related written products.
  • Provides legal support to the OIG Office of Investigations, collaborating with investigators to answer legal questions encountered during investigations.
  • Represents OIG OCC in meetings, personal contacts, and telephone conferences with top legal and administrative personnel in the Department of Transportation and other federal agencies, on important legal and policy questions and issues.
  • Develops and presents training to OIG employees in assigned areas.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen
  • This position is subject to a background investigation.
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 P.M. EST on the closing date.
  • May be required to serve a 2-year trial period.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Must submit transcripts.
  • Must meet member of the bar requirement.

Must possess a Juris Doctorate Law Degree or equivalent (J.D. or LL.B)

MEMBER OF THE BAR REQUIREMENT: Must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Applicants are responsible for citing minimum qualifications such as JD and Bar membership information (institution name, state for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will result in an incomplete application.

Applicants must meet qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Qualifying applicants must have successfully completed a law degree (J.D. or L.L.B) and must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Additionally, applicants must also possess the specialized experience as described below. 

GS-13: To be considered for the GS-13 grade level applicants must have at least two years of relevant specialized and professional legal experience as an attorney. The professional legal experience must include providing legal advice both orally and written in the form of legal opinions, briefs, pleadings, or other analysis. The professional legal experience must also include responding independently to routine requests for legal support and managing multiple projects simultaneously. The specialized experience must include analyzing legal issues related to transportation laws; government-wide laws and regulations related to contracts, grants, appropriations, Government employee integrity, or similar fields; or regulatory or enforcement actions.

GS-14: To be considered for the GS-14 grade level, applicants must have at least five years of relevant professional legal experience as an attorney. The specialized experience must include that described for the previous grade level and providing expert legal advice to senior executives and others related to Federal transportation safety, grant program laws, and/or the Inspector General Act with minimal input on drafts of work from supervisors. Identifying areas of improvement for agency operations, policies, or procedures and making recommendations/participating in implementation of solutions to such areas.

Applicants must meet the required qualifications by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

Education: Successful completion of a law degree (J.D. or L.L.B.). 

Must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

NOTE: ALL APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT A COMPLETE COPY OF THEIR TRANSCRIPTS. DEGREE AUDITS ARE NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE FOR OFFICIAL/UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS. IF SELECTED, AN OFFICIAL/SEALED TRANSCRIPT WILL BE REQUIRED PRIOR TO AN APPOINTMENT DATE BEING ESTABLISHED.

IF YOU HAVE EARNED A DEGREE FROM A FOREIGN INSTITUTION YOU MUST SUBMIT WITH YOUR APPLICATION EVIDENCE THAT ANY EDUCATION COMPLETED IN A FOREIGN INSTITUTION WAS APPROPRIATELY ACCREDITED BY AN ACCREDITING BODY RECOGNIZED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AS EQUIVALENT TO U.S. STANDARDS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, REFER TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WEB SITE AT http://www.ed.gov

Additional information

OIG carries out its mission by issuing audit reports, evaluations, management advisories, and other products with findings and recommendations to improve program delivery and performance.

PLEASE NOTE THIS VACANCY WILL CLOSE  AT MIDNIGHT ON THE CLOSING DATE OR AT MIDNIGHT ON THE DAY WE RECEIVE THE 150TH APPLICATION, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MAY BE USED TO FILL ADDITIONAL LIKE VACANCIES IN THE ANNOUNCED DUTY LOCATION.

Applicants selected for an excepted service position are subject to a two year trial period.

If selected for this position, you will be subject to favorable adjudication of an employment suitability determination.

You must submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, upon entering the position and annually.

Candidates will be asked to fill out a Declaration for Federal Employment (Optional Form 306). Individuals selected for this position will be required to certify that their application materials are accurate when they enter on duty. Any male applicant who was born after December 31, 1959, and who is subsequently selected for this position must certify that he is registered for the military selective service by the date he is to enter on duty. False certification may result in termination after appointment.

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or to find an individual unqualified, unsuitable, or unfit for employment based upon financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience should be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.

THIS AGENCY PROVIDES REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS TO APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES. IF YOU NEED A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY PART OF THE APPLICATION AND HIRING PROCESS, PLEASE NOTIFY THE AGENCY. THE DECISION ON GRANTING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS WILL BE ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS. ALL APPLICANTS WILL RECEIVE CONSIDERATION REGARDLESS OF RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, AGE, POLITICAL AFFILIATION, UNION AFFILIATION OR NON AFFILIATION, MARITAL STATUS, NON- DISQUALIFYING PHYSICAL HANDICAP, OR ANY OTHER NON-MERIT REASON. THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL (OIG), U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DOT) IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

Relocation expenses will not be paid. No permanent change of station (PCS) expenses will be paid.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

All applicants: Your application will be reviewed in two phases to determine how you move forward in the hiring process.

Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed. Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME). Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents). Applicants who do not respond to the application questions may be rated ineligible.

Supporting documents may either be uploaded or faxed to 571-258-4052. The requested information MUST be received by fax within 48 hours prior to the closing date of the vacancy announcement (not including Saturdays, Sundays or government holidays).


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Office of Inspector General

Agency contact information

Myra Clemens
Phone
202-366-1440
TDD
202-366-2136
Fax
571-258-4052
Email
Myra.E.Clemens@oig.dot.gov
Address
DOT, OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, District of Columbia 20590
United States

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Learn more about what it's like to work at Office of Inspector General, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.oig.dot.gov/

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