The incumbent serves as the Bureau Chief, functioning as the senior supervisory attorney and principle executive directing all legal, policy, regulatory, administrative and programmatic functions of the Bureau.
Provides authoritative leadership in executing the FCC's statutory responsibilities under the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and advances national communications policy across complex and emerging areas affecting the American public, regulated entities, federal agencies, and stakeholders across the communications ecosystem.
Exercises broad delegated authority to plan, direct, coordinate and evaluate the Bureau's legal, regulatory, and operational work. Requiring mastery of administrative and communications law, deep understanding of industry structures and technological trends, and the ability to integrate legal, policy economic, and technical considerations into coherent frameworks that support Commission decision-making.
Provides high-level strategic leadership to senior FCC officials, including the Chairman, Commissioners, and other Bureau Chiefs, and is responsible for ensuring that all Bureau work meets the highest standards for technical accuracy, legal sufficiency, and alignment with Commission priorities.
Exercises broad discretion to determine emerging issues requiring Commission attention, proposing new initiatives, regulatory reforms, and frameworks to address technological advancements, market shifts, and public needs.
Oversees the development of complex Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs), Reports and Orders (R&Os), Policy Statement, and Declaratory Rulings that may establish significant national precedent.
Represents the Bureau at meetings with the Office of Management and Budge (OMB), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), DOJ, FTC, DHS, OSTP, congressional committees, and other federal or state agencies.
Leads cross-Bureau or Commission-wide forces addressing national priority issues such as broadband deployment, emergency communications, accessibility, media modernization, cybersecurity, or spectrum-related policy intersections.
Responds to urgent or sensitive issues, including natural disasters, crises affecting communications infrastructure, congressional escalations, or Chairman-level directives requiring rapid, high-level action.
Bar Membership Documentation Required Upon Selection.
Education-Transcripts Required Upon Selection.
US Citizenship. Security clearance required. Drug testing required.
Suitable for employment as determined by a background investigation.
Serve a probationary period, if applicable.
Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
Financial disclosure statement required upon assuming the position.
Current FCC employees must provide SF-50 verifying grade & status
SF-50 Documenting One Year of Time in Grade Required.
Resume must not exceed two pages and must meet resume format criteria.
Please note your resume must thoroughly support your responses to the vacancy questions. Your resume is an integral part of the process for determining if you meet the basic qualifications of the position and determining if you are to be among the best qualified.
SF-50 Required: ALL FCC EMPLOYEES AND CURRENT FEDERAL 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
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.
NOTE-If you do not provide a transcript at the time of application, a transcript will be required to be provided at the time of selection.
AND
B. Specialized Experience
For the GS-15 position: Applicant must possess at least four years of professional law experience and at least one year of that experience must be specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service performing the following:
1. Experience supervising, leading or managing staff. 2. Experience establishing organization-wide strategic priorities, directing development of significant legal rulemakings, adjudicatory decisions, and/or legal strategies. 3. Experience exercising broad delegated authority over organizational operations such as, but not limited to, personnel, budget, policy development, licensing activities, enforcement coordination, litigation strategy, strategic planning, and/or organizational management. 4. Experience overseeing or advising on the development of national communications policy. 5. Experience directing, administering, or providing expert legal guidance on nationwide regulatory programs as it pertains to matters such as, but not limited to, broadcast television, broadcast radio, cable television, satellite television, multichannel video programming distributors, media ownership, political broadcasting, children's programming, accessibility requirements, and/or emerging media technologies. 6. Experience resolving highly significant legal and policy issues, negotiating complex regulatory matters, explaining policies, and representing an agency, organization, or client concerning issues of substantial national importance.
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.
SME REVIEW
Subject matter experts will review your application to determine if you meet the following required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's):
Mastery of communications law, administrative law, constitutional law, and federal regulatory practice sufficient to interpret complex statutes; develop legally supportable regulatory policies; direct significant rulemaking and adjudicatory proceedings; resolve novel legal issues; and provide authoritative legal advice concerning the Communications Act of 1934, Commission regulations, and related federal laws.
Demonstrated ability to provide authoritative leadership over a large, complex organization by establishing strategic priorities; directing multidisciplinary professional staff; managing organizational resources; fostering workforce engagement and accountability; implementing long-range planning initiatives; and achieving organizational objectives in support of agency strategic goals.
Demonstrated ability to formulate, evaluate, and implement national regulatory policies involving highly complex legal, economic, technological, and public policy issues; balance competing statutory and stakeholder interests; anticipate emerging industry trends; and develop innovative regulatory approaches that advance the public interest while supporting effective agency decision-making.
Demonstrated ability to represent an organization before senior government officials, Members of Congress, Executive Branch agencies, regulated industries, public interest organizations, and other stakeholders; build consensus among diverse interests; negotiate complex and sensitive issues; and communicate highly technical legal and policy matters clearly and effectively in both written and oral form.
Demonstrated ability to analyze exceptionally complex legal issues involving significant statutory interpretation, constitutional considerations, judicial precedent, and regulatory policy; exercise sound executive judgment in resolving matters of substantial legal and public importance; and develop legally defensible recommendations supporting agency decisions with nationwide impact.
Education
Refer to information outlined under the "Qualifications" subheading.
Other: - Before hiring, an agency will ask you to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. The agency will also ask you to sign and certify the accuracy of all the information in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or you may be fined or jailed. If you are a male over age 18 who was born after December 31, 1959, you must have registered with the Selective Service System (or have an exemption) to be eligible for a Federal job.
- If applicable, you will be required to serve a trial period of one year.
- In order for you to be employed at the FCC, there are certain Commission and Federal laws governing the financial interests of you and members of your immediate family. If selected for the position, you must submit a financial disclosure statement upon assuming the position.
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.
The FCC offers a wide range of employee benefits, including:
Health Insurance Life Insurance Dental & Vision Insurance Flexible Spending Accounts Long-Term Care Insurance Holidays and Leave Retirement Thrift Savings Plan Transit Benefit Alternative Work Schedule Telecommuting
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.
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.
All 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 submit a supporting resume will be rated ineligible.
There are several parts to the application process that affect the overall evaluation of your application including:
1. the core questions 2. supplemental documentation (e.g., SF-50, transcripts, bar membership); and 4. 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
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.
The FCC offers a wide range of employee benefits, including:
Health Insurance Life Insurance Dental & Vision Insurance Flexible Spending Accounts Long-Term Care Insurance Holidays and Leave Retirement Thrift Savings Plan Transit Benefit Alternative Work Schedule Telecommuting
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.
Resumes must include all of the following information outlined below:
Contact Information
Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number.
Relevant Work Experience
Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions)
Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 –08/2022)
The number of hours you worked per week
Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement.
Resumes must be formatted as outlined above. If the two page resume criteria and/or the resume formatting requirement is not met candidates will be rated as ineligible and will not be referred for hiring consideration.
The FCC is providing the following applicant resume resources:
Your application MUST be received by midnight U.S. Eastern Time of the closing date of the announcement.
You must submit a resume at the time of application. Your resume must clearly document how you meet the specialized experience in order to meet the minimum qualification requirements for the vacancy. Current Federal employees must also submit a copy of an SF-50 documenting one year of time in grade. If an SF-50 is not submitted to verify time in grade, the applicant will be rated as ineligible.
This position may require the submission of supplemental documents before selection.
Law academic transcripts (unofficial is acceptable).
Proof of current, active bar membership.
Writing sample demonstrating the ability to analyze complex legal and/or policy issues.
Professional references.
Once you apply to this vacancy you will be prompted by the system to upload supporting application documentation. If you are unable to upload the required documentation, contact the HR Specialist listed on the vacancy announcement prior to 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
Supplemental Documents Required:
Current Federal employees should submit a copy of an SF-50 documenting one year of time in grade. If an SF-50 is not submitted to verify time in grade, the application will be rated as ineligible.
Transcripts
Bar Membership
If transcripts and proof of bar membership are not provided at the time of application, this documentation must be provided at the time of selection.
Veterans must submit a legible Member 4 copy of the DD-214 which reflects the manner of discharge. Please refer to OPM's VetGuide for further information about veterans' preference via the following link: VetGuide
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
As outlined in the "Required Documents Details" section of the announcement, resumes must meet be no longer than two pages in length and must meet the resume formatting requirements.
Your application, including resume, all supplemental documents, registration information and answers to job specific questions must be received no later than midnight U.S. Eastern time of the closing date. For more information on applying federal jobs, please check this webpage: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/process
If applying online poses a hardship, you may contact either the HR Specialist listed on the vacancy announcement or you may contact the Apply Government Solutions help desk (prior to the closing date of the vacancy announcement) via e-mail at fedhirehelp@applygovernment.com or you may reach them directly at 866-656-6831. The Apply Government Solutions Help Desk is available Monday-Friday 7:00 am to 7:00 pm EST. NOTE: To be considered for an announced vacancy in the area of consideration within which the employee is eligible to compete, the employee must apply online using the Commission’s automated recruitment system. Employees must submit all necessary application materials identified in the announcement by the specified closing date.
NOTE: To be considered for an announced vacancy in the area of consideration within which the employee is eligible to compete, the employee must apply online using the Commission’s automated recruitment system. Employees must submit all necessary application materials identified in the announcement by the specified closing date.
Federal Communications Commission
45 L Street NE
Washington, District of Columbia 20554
United States
Next steps
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications to determine your ranking. The best-qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the outcome.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Resumes must include all of the following information outlined below:
Contact Information
Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number.
Relevant Work Experience
Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions)
Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 –08/2022)
The number of hours you worked per week
Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement.
Resumes must be formatted as outlined above. If the two page resume criteria and/or the resume formatting requirement is not met candidates will be rated as ineligible and will not be referred for hiring consideration.
The FCC is providing the following applicant resume resources:
Your application MUST be received by midnight U.S. Eastern Time of the closing date of the announcement.
You must submit a resume at the time of application. Your resume must clearly document how you meet the specialized experience in order to meet the minimum qualification requirements for the vacancy. Current Federal employees must also submit a copy of an SF-50 documenting one year of time in grade. If an SF-50 is not submitted to verify time in grade, the applicant will be rated as ineligible.
This position may require the submission of supplemental documents before selection.
Law academic transcripts (unofficial is acceptable).
Proof of current, active bar membership.
Writing sample demonstrating the ability to analyze complex legal and/or policy issues.
Professional references.
Once you apply to this vacancy you will be prompted by the system to upload supporting application documentation. If you are unable to upload the required documentation, contact the HR Specialist listed on the vacancy announcement prior to 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
Supplemental Documents Required:
Current Federal employees should submit a copy of an SF-50 documenting one year of time in grade. If an SF-50 is not submitted to verify time in grade, the application will be rated as ineligible.
Transcripts
Bar Membership
If transcripts and proof of bar membership are not provided at the time of application, this documentation must be provided at the time of selection.
Veterans must submit a legible Member 4 copy of the DD-214 which reflects the manner of discharge. Please refer to OPM's VetGuide for further information about veterans' preference via the following link: VetGuide
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
As outlined in the "Required Documents Details" section of the announcement, resumes must meet be no longer than two pages in length and must meet the resume formatting requirements.
Your application, including resume, all supplemental documents, registration information and answers to job specific questions must be received no later than midnight U.S. Eastern time of the closing date. For more information on applying federal jobs, please check this webpage: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/process
If applying online poses a hardship, you may contact either the HR Specialist listed on the vacancy announcement or you may contact the Apply Government Solutions help desk (prior to the closing date of the vacancy announcement) via e-mail at fedhirehelp@applygovernment.com or you may reach them directly at 866-656-6831. The Apply Government Solutions Help Desk is available Monday-Friday 7:00 am to 7:00 pm EST. NOTE: To be considered for an announced vacancy in the area of consideration within which the employee is eligible to compete, the employee must apply online using the Commission’s automated recruitment system. Employees must submit all necessary application materials identified in the announcement by the specified closing date.
NOTE: To be considered for an announced vacancy in the area of consideration within which the employee is eligible to compete, the employee must apply online using the Commission’s automated recruitment system. Employees must submit all necessary application materials identified in the announcement by the specified closing date.
Federal Communications Commission
45 L Street NE
Washington, District of Columbia 20554
United States
Next steps
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications to determine your ranking. The best-qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the outcome.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
