The Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) is an independent regulatory agency responsible for economic regulation of freight railroads and limited regulatory responsibilities over passenger rail, certain water carriers, non-energy pipelines, trucking companies, and intercity bus companies. The position is responsible for conducting legal research, developing recommended outcomes of cases, and preparing initial drafts of Board decisions.
Summary
The Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) is an independent regulatory agency responsible for economic regulation of freight railroads and limited regulatory responsibilities over passenger rail, certain water carriers, non-energy pipelines, trucking companies, and intercity bus companies. The position is responsible for conducting legal research, developing recommended outcomes of cases, and preparing initial drafts of Board decisions.
The major duties of this position are researching and drafting decisions in proceedings before the Board. The Board adjudicates, among others, the following types of proceedings: complaints of unreasonable railroad rates or practices; declaratory orders; licensing of rail line constructions, acquisitions, and abandonments; railroad mergers and acquisitions; and proceedings under the Board's jurisdiction over motor carriers, water carriage in the noncontiguous domestic trade, and certain pipelines.
In preparing draft decisions, the selected attorney will review the record before the agency and apply the relevant statutes, regulations, policies, and case law. Board decisions include summaries of relevant evidence, analysis of salient legal issues, and findings of fact, conclusions of law, and determinations of actions to be taken by the Board.
The selected attorney also will lead meetings with staff from other offices within the Board to develop recommendations for resolving Board proceedings, lead briefings of the Board members to present staff recommendations, and draft legal memoranda, correspondence, or other materials as assigned.
If you are selected at a grade lower than the highest shown in this listing, you will be placed under a career development plan and can be non-competitively promoted when you successfully complete the requirements for the higher grade.
All qualification requirements must be met prior to the position closing.
A complete application package will consist of a Cover Letter, Resume (Maximum 2-page limit), and a redacted Writing Sample (10 pages or less). Your application package will not receive consideration if it lacks any of the required documents under the "Resume" tab.
Trial Period: A two-year trial period will be required.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born 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. See http://www.sss.gov/
Background Suitability Investigation: Continued employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background investigation and the granting of a Federal suitability or security clearance.
If selected, you may be offered tentative employment until the background investigation has been fully adjudicated.
E-Verify: If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form 1-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System.
The STB is an E- Verify Participant.
Employment is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background investigation and the granting of a Federal suitability clearance. If selected, you may be offered a tentative offer until the background investigation has been adjudicated.
Relocation expenses are not authorized.
Qualifications
The Office of Personnel Management has not issued qualification standards for attorney positions.
However, STB sets minimum qualifications for attorney positions and sets forth these qualifications for this position. Therefore, you must possess the following minimum qualifications before the closing date of this posting:
Professional law degree (LL.B., J.D., LL.M.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA);
Upon entering duty, current membership in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia. Proof of bar membership will be required before entering on duty.
All candidates must demonstrate through their application documents: excellent research and writing skills, incisive legal analytical ability, and strong oral advocacy and presentation skills.
AND
Specialized Experience:
GS-12 Level
GS-12 candidates must have one year of professional legal experience: analyzing statutes, regulations, and decisional law, and presenting those analyses and relevant legal or policy issues for decision. Federal clerkships count towards creditable experience.
GS-13 Level
GS-13 candidates must have two years of professional legal experience: analyzing statutes, regulations, and decisional law, and presenting those analyses and relevant legal or policy issues for decision and resolving disputes. Federal clerkships count towards creditable experience.
GS-14 Level
GS-14 candidates must have three years of professional legal experience: analyzing statutes, regulations, and decisional law, and presenting those analyses and relevant legal or policy issues for decision and resolving disputes. Candidates must possess a legal background in transportation, economics, administrative law, or government regulation. Federal clerkships count towards creditable experience.
GS-15 Level
GS-15 candidates must have four years of professional legal experience: analyzing statutes, regulations, and decisional law, and presenting those analyses and relevant legal or policy issues for decision and resolving disputes in support of an efficient, competitive, and economically viable surface transportation network. Candidates at this level will also have experience providing advice on complex technical issues concerning rail transportation. Federal clerkships count towards creditable experience.
We will consider only candidates who submit complete application packages (writing sample, cover letter, transcripts, and a resume).
In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or education. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
Please Note: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages ( see USAJOBS for formatting requirements ). Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:
Name, address, telephone number, email address;
Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade);
To receive full consideration for specialized experience, please list month/year to month/day/year (MM/DD/YY - MM/DD/YY) or month/day/year to present (MM/DD/YY-present);
Hours worked per week (if other than full time);
If qualifying based on related unpaid (e.g. volunteer service) experience, you must provide hours worked per week and beginning/ending dates (MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY);
Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination; and
PLEASE NOTE: If you submit multiple resumes, only the latest uploaded resume will be reviewed.
If a determination cannot be made about the length of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.
Education
Education alone is not sufficient for qualification for this position. Therefore, applicants must also possess an active bar membership and meet the specialized experience requirements described in this announcement.
Educational Requirements
Applicant must possess a professional law degree, (Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or Juris Doctor (J.D.)), from a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any state, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing. You must submit a copy of both your law school and college transcripts with your application. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. Official transcripts will be required if you are selected for the position.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited toward qualifications; applicants' resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions.
Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please click Foreign Education.
Additional information
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. In addition, STB offers work-life balance flexibilities that may be right for you:
Flexible Work Schedule options;
Access to a cost-free fitness center located in the building; and
Monthly transit subsidy for a portion of your commuting costs for employees who use mass transit, including commuter rail or bus, or Metrorail or Metrobus.
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.
This is an excepted service appointment and does not confer competitive status.
Candidates must disclose any pending or completed disciplinary investigation or action in any jurisdiction in which they are members of the bar or licensed to practice law, consistent with applicable DoD attorney professional responsibility requirements.
Notice of Veteran's Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214, "Certificate of Uniformed Service") to their submissions. Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing an online application, you may request an alternative application. Please send an email to the following address for information on how to obtain an alternative application: whs.job.application.assistance@mail.mil
Reemployed Annuitants: Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. /www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/
Current or Former Political Appointees: Agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office.
Nepotism: Under the provisions of 5 USC 3110, an individual may not be appointed into a position if the position is under the supervisory chain of command of a relative.
This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
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 application process is complete, a review of the resume and supporting documentation will be made to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation.
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.
Please be advised that the following documents are required even if you are already a current Federal or STB employee:
Cover letter indicating why you are applying for this position and why you believe you ought to be selected. (Note: Your Cover Letter must be 2 pages or less)
Resume that includes the experience you wish to be considered for the review of your qualifications, the dates of employment with month and year, and hours worked per week, if part-time. Resumes that do not contain all of the necessary information to determine qualifications may be marked as insufficient and applicants may not receive consideration for this position. Your latest resume submission is the one that will be used to determine your qualifications.
Please Note: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages ( see USAJOBS for formatting requirements ). Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:
Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
Employer name and contact information,
Start and end dates (for full consideration, you must include month, day, and year),
Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
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.
Responses to questionnaire.
Writing Sample: applicants MUST include an unedited or lightly edited writing sample that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of the position and illustrates your ability to conduct complex legal research and analysis. Selected extracts of larger documents are acceptable. If appropriate, please attach an explanatory cover memo to your writing sample. DO NOT submit any sensitive or classified documents or documents containing personally identifiable information (PII). The writing Sample should be redacted and must not exceed 10 pages.
Transcripts: You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application before final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
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.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Resume section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/18/2026 to receive consideration.
To verify your application is complete, log in to your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link, and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon EST on the announcement's closing date.
Note: We recommend you don't use a .gov, .mil or .edu email address. Instead, use a personal (non-government) email address when you create your login.gov account. Please do not use an email address you share with someone else
***For any issues signing into login.gov, go to https://login.gov/contact/Reasonable accommodation requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis; you must email your request for Reasonable accommodation directly to HR@stb.gov
Once referred, you may be asked to complete a structured interview, written demonstration, and/or fit interview. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency during the probationary period. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated. You will receive another notification about the status of your application.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Please be advised that the following documents are required even if you are already a current Federal or STB employee:
Cover letter indicating why you are applying for this position and why you believe you ought to be selected. (Note: Your Cover Letter must be 2 pages or less)
Resume that includes the experience you wish to be considered for the review of your qualifications, the dates of employment with month and year, and hours worked per week, if part-time. Resumes that do not contain all of the necessary information to determine qualifications may be marked as insufficient and applicants may not receive consideration for this position. Your latest resume submission is the one that will be used to determine your qualifications.
Please Note: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages ( see USAJOBS for formatting requirements ). Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:
Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
Employer name and contact information,
Start and end dates (for full consideration, you must include month, day, and year),
Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
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.
Responses to questionnaire.
Writing Sample: applicants MUST include an unedited or lightly edited writing sample that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of the position and illustrates your ability to conduct complex legal research and analysis. Selected extracts of larger documents are acceptable. If appropriate, please attach an explanatory cover memo to your writing sample. DO NOT submit any sensitive or classified documents or documents containing personally identifiable information (PII). The writing Sample should be redacted and must not exceed 10 pages.
Transcripts: You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application before final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
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.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Resume section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/18/2026 to receive consideration.
To verify your application is complete, log in to your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link, and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon EST on the announcement's closing date.
Note: We recommend you don't use a .gov, .mil or .edu email address. Instead, use a personal (non-government) email address when you create your login.gov account. Please do not use an email address you share with someone else
***For any issues signing into login.gov, go to https://login.gov/contact/Reasonable accommodation requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis; you must email your request for Reasonable accommodation directly to HR@stb.gov
Once referred, you may be asked to complete a structured interview, written demonstration, and/or fit interview. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency during the probationary period. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated. You will receive another notification about the status of your application.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
