Summary
The Office of Development Law supports national goals of infrastructure modernization and network expansion by counseling FRA's Office of Railroad Development on legal requirements for project delivery and infrastructure investment. Staff attorneys manage complex portfolios including federal financial assistance, environmental compliance (National Environmental Policy Act/National Historic Preservation Act), and the agency's comprehensive legal relationship with Amtrak.
Duties
As an Attorney Advisor (Development Law), you will advise on: Financial Assistance and Project Delivery: Draft and negotiate grant agreements and advise on legal requirements for federal funding, including 2 CFR Part 200 and Buy America provisions and fiscal law matters. Liaise with the Build America Bureau on federal loans. Environmental & Historic Preservation: Provide counsel on NEPA, NHPA, and related regulations for infrastructure projects. Amtrak Portfolio Support: Advise on FRA's interests in Amtrak, including lien holdings, and grants for operating and capital needs throughout the country. Legislative Support: Provide technical assistance regarding intercity passenger rail legislation and railroad development grant programs. Litigation: Represent the agency in litigation and administrative matters related to the Development Law portfolio. The ideal candidate should have knowledge of and experience in a wide range of legal practice areas affecting the transportation industry, including specifically: administrative law; financial assistance programs, including grants; legislation and regulations; and environmental and historic preservation laws, regulations, and guidance. *PLEASE NOTE: This announcement establishes an open continuous (1 year) vacancy announcement. Given our continuing need for top professionals in this field, we will review applications after the first 21 days of the vacancy opening for early consideration. Then after, applications will be reviewed on an as needed basis.
Requirements
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You will 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.
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.
How you will be evaluated
DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements. Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official. The answers you select in the on-line process must be substantiated in your application package. If upon review, it is determined that your described work history, competencies, and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, you may not be referred to the selecting official. Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers. You may preview questions for this vacancy.