Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. This position is in the Excepted Service. For information on the Excepted Service, please visit: Excepted Service Appointing Authorities@ https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/excepted-service/

As a Deputy Assistant General Counsel, you will:

• Supervise the work performed by attorneys and other staff in the Office on complex and high-profile litigation and enforcement matters, including by directing courses of action, acting on recommendations, furnishing advice and assistance, approving or overruling proposed actions, and exercising other appropriate supervisory functions.
• Assist the Assistant General Counsel with the overall strategic leadership of the Office, including by refining the vision for the Office and rolling out new initiatives. For example, the Deputy plays a leading role in developing the Office’s enforcement initiatives and in working with the Operating Administrations (“OAs”) to set expectations about the roles of the Office and the OAs in litigation.
• Aid in the supervision of all aspects of work performed by staff by preparing performance appraisals and updating performance plans for attorneys and other staff in the Office, identifying needs for skill development and training opportunities that will meet those needs, and assisting with the hiring of new attorneys.
• Assist in ensuring that the Office renders effective legal advice and effective participation in proceedings raising major transportation issues with respect to programs of the Department and the Administration, and that the Office effectively works with the OAs and Department leadership on enforcement matters.
• Perform legal research and analysis, conducts conferences and consultations, and prepare memoranda, briefs, motions, regulatory filings, and letters to the Department of Justice expressing the Department of Transportation’s views and legal analysis relating to litigated matters involving DOT, and regulatory filings. Maintain continuing liaison with the Department of Justice, including the Office of the Solicitor General, with other executive branch departments, with offices within the Department of Transportation and with others affected by or with an interest in litigation concerning the Department.

The ideal candidate will have extensive litigation experience and will be familiar with DOT’s programs, its governing statutes and regulations, and the legal doctrines that are frequently invoked in our litigation. The candidate will be able to exercise sound, independent judgment and will be a self-starter who identifies issues and formulates solutions without awaiting instruction. The candidate will have the ability to think strategically and formulate a vision. The candidate will thrive in a fast-paced work environment, will have excellent written and oral communication skills, and will be committed to aggressively pursuing the goals and policies of the President and the Secretary.

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.
• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify, your experience should include experience and education equal or equivalent to the following:

GRADE 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:

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
To receive full credit during evaluation, your assessment responses must explicitly point back to your resume, as HR cannot make assumptions about your experience. You must write your narrative answers in full paragraph format, beginning each response with the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full-time/part-time, average hours worked per week, and federal series/grade (if applicable) as listed on your resume. Within the paragraph, clearly describe your specific individual duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes to prove your level of expertise. HR will cross-check your narrative against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every detail and timeframe claimed in your written response, the claimed experience will be disallowed, which may result in an ineligible determination.

You will not be considered for the position if any part of the application or supporting documentation is incomplete. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or adverse action after hiring.

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 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.

Next steps