Office of the Secretary of Transportation
Supervisory Attorney Advisor
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Summary
To qualify, your experience should include experience and education equal or equivalent to the following: To qualify for the GS-15, you must have at least one year of experience equal to or equivalent to the GS-14, it must include: Be a graduate of an accredited law school with a LL.B., J.D., or have completed a structured, multi-year apprenticeship under the supervision of a practicing attorney or judge equivalent. Be an active member in good standing of the bar in a state or territory of the United States or the 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: 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. Administrative Law: Knowledge of state and Federal administrative laws, including procedures, regulations, guidelines, and precedents related to case preparation and settlements. Compliance: Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance. Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, considering the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Written Communication: Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience. 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.
Major Duties
The Supervisory Attorney Advisor: Assists the Assistant General Counsel for Federal Financial Assistance, Acquisition, and Fiscal Law in monitoring and overseeing the Federal Financial Assistance, Acquisition, and Fiscal Law activities of the Department. Aids in the supervision of all aspects of work performed by the attorneys and administrative staff in the Office of Federal Financial Assistance, Acquisition, and Fiscal Law, as well as any temporarily assigned honors attorneys, law clerks, and interns. Under the supervision of the Assistant General Counsel for Federal Financial Assistance, Acquisition, and Fiscal Law, the Supervisory Attorney reviews and assigns projects, directs, and evaluates performance, acts on recommendations, furnishes advice and assistance, approves, or overrules proposed actions, and exercises all other appropriate supervisory functions. Ensures that the Office of Federal Financial Assistance, Acquisition, and Fiscal Law renders effective legal advice and recommends the most appropriate way to develop or to implement new or amended departmental policies. The Supervisory Attorney is also responsible for ensuring that these policies are consistent with the intent of the law and are administratively sound, efficient, and economical in operation. Performs legal research and analysis, conducts necessary conferences and consultations prepares memoranda and opinions and maintains continuing contact with Departmental officials and others affected to assure understanding of the legal and policy positions involved. Renders expert written or oral counsel, opinions, or decisions on the legal aspects of matters within the purview of the Office of Federal Financial Assistance, Acquisition, and Fiscal Law. The ideal candidate is highly motivated, self-reliant, and skilled individual willing to work in a challenging, fast-paced environment with experienced professionals committed to ensure that our nation has the safest, most efficient and modern transportation system in the world. This individual should have a keen interest in the broad range of legal issues involving the department's administrative operations including appropriations, fiscal law, acquisitions and federal financial assistance. The ideal candidate can handle multiple projects, cases, and issues simultaneously. The ideal candidate exercises a high degree of initiative and must be creative and imaginative in coping with exceptionally difficult legal and policy problems and must have the ability to set priorities in the exercise of assigned responsibilities.
Requirements
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, part 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, part 2634. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
Required Documents
The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position. Please review each of the following sections to determine which documents you need to provide with your application. RESUME: In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application. These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages. Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience. For assistance with the resume builder, please visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/ COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE. PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP: 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. WRITING SAMPLE: If selected for an interview, a writing sample may be requested. VETERANS: Department of Transportation attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Transportation considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in the attorney hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with supporting documentation, e.g., SF15, DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation. Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
How to Apply
You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting. Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire. You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/ If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at [email protected].