Closing Date: 27th July, 2026

Description:

Summary:
The Volpe Center Chief Counsel and Director, Office of Legal Services reports to the Director of the Volpe Center. In this position you will be responsible for providing, either personally or through subordinate staff, legal services and representation in or for all aspects of the Volpe Center's operations and programs.

Duties:
As a Supervisory Attorney Advisor (General), you will:
Provides legal opinions and expertise and coordinates the delivery of legal services in support of all aspects of Volpe Center technical program operations and Center-wide administration.

Coordinates with legal staff at sponsor organizations and others as needed; establishes and maintains effective and collegial working relationships with functional counterparts within the Office of General Counsel, other DOT Operating Administrations, the Office of the Secretary of Transportation, other Government (federal, state and local) agencies. and private sector organizations; participate in DOT legal leadership teams.

Provides representation for formal proceedings before administrative tribunals, arbitrators, and other third-party decision makers and courts; prepares and presents the Volpe Center's legal and factual responses in litigation consistent with legal requirements and appropriate advocacy techniques.

Manage operations, logistics and financial planning. and directing work assignments and functions of the Office of Chief Counsel; supervises all staff Attorney Advisors to effectively achieve the objectives of the Center.

The ideal candidate possesses in-depth experience building relationships and coalitions to provide in an organization and providing comprehensive legal advice across areas such as acquisition, employee ethics, employment law, and intellectual property. Additionally, he or she demonstrates proven expertise in managing a legal office while actively participating in leadership teams, leveraging an expansive professional network to manage complex relationships and resolve issues both internally and externally with other stakeholders (i.e. federal, state, local, and private sector clients).

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.
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.
Government Travel Card: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
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: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
You must be a U.S citizen
Applicants must have a Law Degree (J.D. or equivalent) from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school AND be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Proof Of Bar Membership

Qualifications:
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

The specialized experience must be equivalent to the work performed at the next lower grade level (GS-14) for this occupation.

Experience providing a full range of legal advice and services directly or through subordinate attorneys for an organization related to one or more of the following: acquisition, appropriations, employee ethics, employment law, and intellectual property to ensure compliance with statutes and regulations.
AND
Applicants must have a Law Degree (J.D. or equivalent) from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school AND be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

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:

Communication: Knowledge of and experience in providing legal guidance, analysis and advice in a manner that promotes legal compliance across the Center; build effective relationships with individuals and groups across the organization, inside and outside the agency; explain, advocate and express legal concepts, facts and ideas in a compelling manner.
Legal Advisory: Experience providing a full range of legal advice to an organization and serving as its representative in complex employment issues or alternative dispute resolution proceedings and knowledge of state and Federal employment laws, regulations, guidelines, and legal precedents related to hiring practices, equal employment opportunity, and wage and hour restrictions.
Litigation/Representation: Experience serving as an organization's representative in complex employment issues and alternate dispute resolution (e.g., before the EEOC, FLRA, MSPB, or Federal courts)
Supervision/Management: Experience in supervising and developing staff, acquiring human resources, rendering objective performance evaluations, and promoting and leading an attorney's workforce, and managing the operations, logistics, and financial planning of an office.

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.

Transcripts - Transcripts are REQUIRED as there is a stated education requirement for the series. The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - click here. (https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ed.gov%2Finternational%2Fusnei%2Fus%2Fworkrecog.doc&data=05%7C02%7Crochelle.james%40dot.gov%7Cae113e0118784bd4d5c608dc28b1dbcb%7Cc4cd245b44f04395a1aa3848d258f78b%7C0%7C0%7C638429991555020619%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Eu7Zzyt%2FIm%2FiKmdDchH5HZECa3eUaXpmLMIaOVbuQ54%3D&reserved=0)

Additional Information:
Interview Process: Applicants who are invited to advance to a later stage of the hiring process may be afforded one or more interviews and asked to complete a practical exercise and/or provide a writing sample. The results of the interview(s), practical exercise, and writing sample will be considered in the hiring process.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public in