Closing Date: 8th July, 2026

Description:

Summary:
This position is in Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Office of Chief Counsel, General Law Division. The General Law Division consists of Attorney-Advisors that report to the Assistant Chief Counsel for General Law. The Division has the lead in providing legal support to FMCSA relating to budget, fiscal, and financial management matters, contracts, grants, labor and employment, torts and ethics.

Duties:
As an Attorney-Advisor, you will be:

Providing advice, assistance and interpretations in the area on grants and cooperative agreements, appropriations issues, Title 31, U.S.C., OMB Circulars, Comptroller General Decisions, and other sources of internal and Federal finance law.
Preparing legal opinions and performing legal services in involving difficult issues concerning labor and employment, torts and ethics.
Providing review of technical assistance and other advice on new and proposed Federal legislation concerning grants, fiscal matters, FMCSA Budgets, acquisitions, and appropriations and the implementation of related new programs.
In areas of responsibility, directly advising senior officials of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Department of Transportation after receiving only generalized guidance from the Chief Counsel, the Deputy Chief Counsel, or the Assistant Chief Counsel for General Law.
Representing FMCSA at meetings with Federal officials, industry representatives, and members of the public.

The ideal candidate should have grants and fiscal law experience or labor and employment law experience, superior writing skills, and a desire to work with a team of seasoned attorneys. The individual's experience and knowledge in other general law areas such as acquisitions (contracts) torts, and ethics will also be considered.

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.
Government Travel Card: If the position requires travel, a government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
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.
Background Investigation: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.

Qualifications:
To qualify, your experience should include experience and education equal or equivalent to the following:
Grade 13 - A law degree, bar membership in good standing and either two years of professional attorney experience OR one year of professional attorney experience and a second professional law degree (LL.M) which requires one full year of graduate study.

You must have at least 2 years of equal or equivalent of experience in handling general law, employment, grants and/or fiscal law matters.

Grade 14 - A law degree, bar membership in good standing and at least three years of professional attorney experience.

You must have at least 3 years of equal or equivalent of experience in handling general law, employment, grants and/or fiscal law matters.
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.
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.
Writing (*) - Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience.
Contracting/Procurement - Knowledge of various types of contracts, techniques, or requirements (for example, Federal Acquisitions Regulations) for contracting or procurement, and contract negotiation and administration.
Labor Law - Representing the agency before the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Federal Labor Relations Authority or arbitrators selected under applicable collective bargaining agreements.

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-act0

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