Attorney Advisor

Closing Date: 8th October, 2026

Description:

Summary:
This position is for a Staff Attorney in the Federal Transit Administration's Office of Chief Counsel, Legislation and Regulations Division. The attorney provides legal advice on appropriations and fiscal law, the Administrative Procedure Act and Paperwork Reduction Act, the National Transit Database, bus testing, rulemaking, safety, legislative drafting and technical assistance, civil rights, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and environmental law.

Duties:
As an Attorney Advisor, you will:

• Provides legal advice on matters relating to annual multi-billion-dollar grant making program with a focus on the Federal Law-making process.
• Provides written and oral legal opinions, interpreting statutes, regulations, case law, departmental orders, and agency circulars, with emphasis on all legal requirements.
• Drafts proposed and final regulations and other Federal Register documents in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act and assists program offices in preparing regulatory analyses and evaluations.
• The ideal candidate is a self-starter with excellent written and oral communication skills. The candidate is independently present legal conclusions to high level organizational officials as well as outside groups.

Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:

• You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• This is an Excepted Service position.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.

Conditions of Employment:

• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Background Investigation: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
• Trial Period: This is an Excepted Service position. This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service. Applicants selected for an excepted service position may be subject to a two-year trial period.
• Ethics/Conflict of Interest Statement: All employees are subject to the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 2635, including restrictions on owning financial interests that may conflict with performance of their duties. Some employees, like those involved in contracting or regulating non-Federal entities, are subject to Executive Branch Financial Disclosure requirements set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 263.
• Government Travel Card: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.

Qualifications:
To qualify, your experience should include experience and education equal or equivalent to the following:
Grade 12 - You must have a law degree, be an active member in good standing of a bar, and have at least one year of professional attorney experience.

Grade 13 - You must have a law degree, be an active member in good standing of a bar, and have at least two years of professional attorney experience.

Grade 14 - You must have a law degree, be an active member in good standing of a bar, and have at least three years of professional attorney experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

• Grants Management Laws, Regulations, and Guidelines: Knowledge of principles, laws, regulations, policies, practices, and guidelines (for example, Executive Orders, Code of Federal Regulations, OMB circulars) of grant or agreement programs, including their order of precedence.
• Administrative Law: Knowledge of state and Federal administrative laws, including procedures, regulations, guidelines, and precedents related to case preparation and settlements.
• Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, Government regulations, Executive orders, agency rules, Government organization and functions, and the democratic political process.

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.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education:
Mandatory Education Requirements:
In order to qualify for this position, candidates must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have a professional law degree, and must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.

Additional Information:
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your 2-year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code 9202(c) (https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2022-title5/pdf/USCODE-2022-title5-partIII-subpartH-chap92-sec9202.pdf) and 5 C.F.R 920.201 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-920/subpart-B/section-920.201) certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation (https://www.transportation.gov/careers/fair-chance-compete-act)

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Additional Information:
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.

Benefits: