Summary
This position is in the Office of General Counsel (OGC), Pesticides and Toxic Substances Law Office (PTSLO). About: OGC Please see the duties section for more details about PTSLO. This is an office-centered position--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.
Duties
PTSLO provides legal counsel to EPA Headquarters and regional offices on a diverse set of issues arising under several federal environmental statutes governing pesticides, toxic substances, and pollution prevention, including the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). More specifically, PTSLO supports the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) within OCSPP, and the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) on legal and enforcement-related issues that arise in the context of administering the TSCA, which provides EPA with broad authority to regulate, among other things and through a variety of mechanisms, new and existing chemical substances. PTSLO also supports OCSPP, the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) within OCSPP, and OECA on legal and enforcement-related issues that arise in the context of administering the FIFRA and the FFDCA, under which EPA registers pesticides and establishes tolerances for pesticide residues in or on food. Finally, PTSLO supports OCSPP, OPPT, and OECA on legal and enforcement-related issues that arise in the context of administering Section 313 of EPCRA, which is otherwise known as the Toxic Release Inventory. At the highest advertised grade, you will: Initiate contact with program officials and other persons having knowledge of the facts involved in the problem or case under study; obtain information and/or legal references pertinent to the problem under study; study legal precedents; and prepare oral and written recommendations for review by supervisors, as appropriate. Research, interpret and analyze policies, procedures, regulations, statutes, court decisions and administrative rulings; research legal authority for use by higher-graded attorneys in the preparation of documents conveying legal counseling advice, or alternatively legal briefs and motions in connection with pending litigation; and identify and assess overlapping legal issues to ensure a consistent, coherent, and sound approach to legal counseling. If you are hired at a lower grade level, your duties will be less complex and you will have more supervisory oversight. You may be promoted to more complex duties and work more independently, as your career progresses. NOTE: Career ladder promotions are not automatic, and all eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met in order to progress to the next grade level. One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.
Requirements
#LI-Onsite You must be a U.S. citizen. If you have not yet passed the bar exam, offer of employment will be contingent upon admission to the bar and licensure/authorization to practice as an attorney. You must self-certify annually and in writing that you hold an active bar membership. If you are selected, you may be required to complete a trial period (two years if you are not a preference eligible; one year if you are a preference eligible). This position is designated as High Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date. REAL ID requirements became effective on 05/07/25. If you are selected for this position and plan to use your driver's license or identification card during the onboarding process (i.e., for employment eligibility verification or to obtain your EPA identification card), the document must be a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver's license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking, or must be an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL). You will receive information about alternative acceptable documents (e.g., passport) prior to onboarding. For more information about REAL ID, see Dept. of Homeland Security and REAL ID FAQs. If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter.
Education
You must: (1) possess a J.D. or LL.M. degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university or equivalent apprentice experience as allowed per state law; and (2) be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any state, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia; and (3) be an active member of the bar of any U.S. jurisdiction in good standing. NOTE: Bar membership and licensure are not required at the time of application, but you must be admitted to the bar and obtain your license before entry on duty. For information about accreditation requirements, visit Accreditation.
How you will be evaluated
Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses (if applicable) to all assessments required for this position. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13030604 If you are eligible for consideration, a panel of subject matter experts will review your application package, including your resume, transcripts, and writing sample, to determine how well your background demonstrates the competencies required for successful performance in this position (see the Qualifications section for a list of the critical competencies being evaluated). If you pass the application review, you will be referred for a first-round structured interview, in which one or more subject matter experts will ask you a set of standard questions and evaluate your responses to determine how well they demonstrate the required competencies. If you pass the first structured interview, you will be referred for a second-round structured interview, in which an additional panel of subject matter experts will ask you a set of standard questions and evaluate your responses to determine how well they demonstrate the required competencies. Only applicants who meet the requirements at each stage of the process will advance to the next phase of evaluation. NOTE: Cheating (including the use of a consultant or an AI tool to assist you) on any assessment may result in your removal from consideration for this job. If you are referred for consideration, you may be subject to additional assessments by the selecting official (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.). Veterans' preference is considered as a positive factor in the selection process. When appropriate documentation is submitted to confirm a claim of preference eligibility (see Required Documents section), the veteran is preferred over other applicants with substantially equal qualifications.