Summary
Chief Counsel, Regulations Division: Responsible for providing legal counsel on regulatory law, security standards, compliance matters, and the interpretation and application of statutes, regulations, policies, and agency requirements.
Duties
This Public Notice for Attorney Advisor (Direct Hire) position is located in Chief Counsel, Regulations Division, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to: Provides expert legal guidance on administrative law, including regulatory and security standards and compliance, to TSA and external stakeholders on varied, complex, and sensitive issues affecting homeland security and TSA's mission. Advises policymakers and managers on the development, implementation, and compliance implications of new or sensitive policies, programs, regulations, and security standards. Communicates legal advice and agency positions clearly and effectively, tailoring messages to varied audiences and incorporating stakeholder input as appropriate. Proposes preventive actions and innovative legal approaches to ensure TSA regulations, security standards, policies, and practices remain legally sufficient and compliant with evolving statutory, regulatory, and administrative requirements. Recommends legally supportable solutions to complex regulatory and security standards issues where existing precedents or prior interpretations must be adapted to emerging legal interpretations or changing operational needs. Serves as a primary legal authority on major, high-profile regulatory law, security standards, and compliance issues affecting the transportation industry. Develops briefings and legal analyses to communicate TSA's strategic regulatory and security standards positions to internal and external stakeholders and decision-makers. Supports policymakers in coordinating legally sound regulatory, compliance, and security countermeasures with appropriate Federal departments, agencies, and instrumentalities. Drafts and reviews regulatory and security standards documents and related legal actions, including documentation of policy decisions, legal sufficiency of the administrative record, Memoranda of Understanding, Privacy Impact Assessments, Paperwork Reduction Act documents, System of Records Notices, legal opinions, guidance documents, and other regulatory requirements. Serves as a lead legal advisor to executive-level staff on questions of regulatory law, security standards compliance, and administrative policy involved in developing policies, strategies, and plans addressing threats to transportation security. Preferred Qualifications: The ideal candidate will possess a combination of legal training, subject-matter knowledge, and practical experience with rulemaking, compliance, enforcement, and administrative procedures. Familiarity with the Administrative Procedure Act, Federal Register process, and agency rulemaking procedures is highly desired. Effective communication skills in advising clients across all levels of an organizational structure. Extensive experience with the regulatory drafting and review process in a federal agency, emerging technologies, cybersecurity, and implementing administration priorities is highly valued. Please note: The major duties described reflect the full performance level of this position. Typically, the lower pay bands perform the same duties but will receive more guidance and training; and/or projects/work assignments may be less complex.
Requirements
You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National. You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application. You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI). Selective Service registration is required. You must obtain and maintain a Secret clearance level. Must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. Must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association You must submit a copy of your law school transcript. (Submission of an unofficial copy is sufficient, but official copy must be submitted prior to appointment). You must submit a certificate of bar membership and proof of good standing. If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for TSA to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.
Education
This position has a basic education requirement listed under the Qualifications section of this announcement. For positions requiring positive education requirements, or if you are using education to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or an itemized list of college courses from an accredited college or university, which includes equivalent information from the transcript (course title, semester/quarter hours, and grade/degree earned) in your resume. The information must be provided with the application by the closing date of the announcement. If selected, the applicant must supply a transcript or certification of degree.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated based on a comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of the experience and/or related education as reflected in your resume and supporting documentation. You are encouraged to ensure work experiences clearly show possession of the competencies required for this position. When an applicant list is requested, all applications received by that request date will be reviewed to determine if the basic qualifications for this position, and grades applied to, are met. Applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official(s) for further review and consideration. From that point on the selecting official determines all aspects of the hiring process. If they wish to contact you for an interview or for selection, they will do so directly. Equal consideration will be given to all applications received. Direct Hire Authority: This announcement is issued under the direct-hire authority to recruit for positions for which there is a critical need. Veteran's preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this public notice. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork **The specific competencies assessed may vary by band level. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.