Attorney-Advisor (Ethics Officer)

at  US Federal Election Commission

SALARY RANGES:

GS-13: $117,962 - $153,354
GS-14: $139,395 - $181,216

As the Attorney-Advisor (Ethics Officer) in this position, you will:

• Have frequent contact with the leadership of the agency and is relied upon to provide confidential advice to ensure compliance with the applicable ethic’s laws.
• Administer the day-to-day operations of the Commission’s ethics programs, working closely with the Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO), Alternate Designated Agency Ethics Official (ADEAO), and Special Counsel to the General Counsel on important issues pertaining to the ethics program.
• Generate and deliver expert-level guidance on a wide variety of ethics and/or Hatch Act issues to employees at every level of the Commission.
• Serve as the agency’s liaison to the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), and other relevant federal agencies regarding ethics laws and program operations.
• Coordinate with the White House, Congressional Liaison, and OGE to support Commissioner nomination and appointment processes.
• Create and provides ethics briefings and training to various audiences.
• Independently lead the Public and Confidential Financial Disclosure programs for the agency.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS (APPLICABLE TO BOTH GRADE LEVELS):

A. Education: Possess a J.D. or LL.B degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL:

You must have at least 2 years of progressively responsible professional experience working as a practicing attorney in any of the following duty areas: compliance, litigation, investigations, legal review, regulations/policy, or other similar areas. At least one year of this experience must be comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-12 level participating in providing legal advice, analysis, research, or litigation work. This must include activities such as: (1) conducting legal research on ethics issues; (2) drafting regulations, policy statements, briefs, motions, or legal memoranda; (3) researching and recommending solutions to ethics policy or legal issues; (4) assisting senior staff with developing policy, legal strategies, or handling matters associated with the promulgation of regulations; and (5) making oral presentations on results of policy research/analysis or legal arguments.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT FOR THE GS-14 LEVEL:

You must have at least 3 years of progressively responsible professional experience working as a practicing attorney in any of the following duty areas: compliance, litigation, investigations, legal review, regulations/policy, or other similar areas. At least one year of this experience must be comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-13 level providing legal advice, analysis, research, and/or litigation work. This must include activities such as: (1) conducting extensive legal research on governmental ethics programs; (2) writing advisory opinions, intricate regulations, policy statements, briefs, or motions; (3) Reviewing confidential and public financial disclosure forms (OGE 450 and OGE 278, respectively); (4) negotiating and communicating with, high-level officials such as those in the Federal government involving government ethics issues.; and (5) defending current policy to high-level officials or making oral presentations to senior leaders on results of policy or legal research/analysis.

In addition, you must provide a cover letter of at least two pages summarizing your evidence of the following competencies:

• Legal Writing: Writes clear, concise, persuasive legal documents.
• Legal Analysis: Researches, analyzes, and explains complex legal issues.
• Technical Credibility: Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.
• Negotiating: Develops negotiation strategy; drafts and negotiates settlement agreements; works with others towards an agreement; negotiates to find mutually acceptable solutions.
• Oral Communication: Makes clear and convincing oral presentations to individuals or groups; listens effectively and clarifies information as needed; communicates complex legal principles succinctly and clearly.

We recommend your cover letter include examples that are clear, concise, and emphasize your level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of the functions, activities, or services you delivered; level of contacts; the sensitivity and criticality of the issues you addressed, and the results of your actions.
Part-time or unpaid experience: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.
Volunteer work experience: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

EDUCATION

Are you using education to qualify? You must provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated, unofficial transcripts are acceptable. Your transcripts must include all of your courses, grades, and semester or quarter hours. If you received a degree, the transcript must show the date the degree was awarded or conferred.
A self-created transcript or a list of courses you have prepared is not acceptable.

IF YOU ARE RELYING ON YOUR EDUCATION TO MEET QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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.

• How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/31/2024 to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply Online. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application. You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

IF YOU ARE RELYING ON YOUR EDUCATION TO MEET QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
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.
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