Senior Attorney (Policy Advisor)

The Office of Personnel Management has not issued qualification standards for attorney positions. However, successful candidates must possess the following minimum qualifications before the closing date of this posting: A professional law degree (LL.B, J.D., LL.M.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA); Current membership in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (Please note: 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, strong oral advocacy and presentation skills. A writing sample and cover letter are to be submitted with your application package. GS-14 To be considered at the GS-14 level, 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, resolving disputes, and possess a legal background in transportation, economics, administrative law, or government regulation. GS-15 To be considered at the GS-15 level, 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 advisement on complex technical issues concerning rail transportation. For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months, years, and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. To receive full consideration for specialized experience, please list month/year to month/year (XX/XX-XX/XX) or month/year to present (XX/XX-present) and the number of hours worked per week for each period of employment/experience listed in your resume. Your responses to the questionnaire must be supported/demonstrated in your resume. If a determination cannot be made about the length of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.
This Senior Attorney (Policy Advisor) position is located in the Office of Passenger Rail (OPR) of the Surface Transportation Board (STB). The purpose of the position is to provide legal, administrative, and policy expertise as necessary to resolve complex passenger rail matters brought before the Board. This work also includes handling legally and factually complex assignments involving passenger rail issues within the Boards jurisdiction.