Duties

Incumbent provides oral and written legal advice, guidance, interpretation, opinions and assistance on a wide range of legal and policy matters; performs legal research; determines implications of novel and complex legal issues; develops factual, legal, and precedent-setting positions on disputed matters.

Responds to inquiries from the Division, Bureau, and/or Commission leadership as well as from other components of the Commission and other government agencies, Congress, and the public; addresses novel legal questions pertaining to CCR issues involving communications reliability issues; prepares memoranda or opinions outlining the facts and legal issues involved in disputed matters, and fully justifies conclusions and recommendations.

Interfaces with interdisciplinary teams of attorneys, engineers and specialist and synthesizes complex technical and legal matters.

Reviews and evaluates proposed legislation, regulations and policies to analyze their effect on existing laws and regulations and on Division/Bureau programs, policies, regulations and overall operations.

Identifies facts, applies analysis, develops policy, and prepares rule making orders and decisions assuring that documents adhere to Division/Bureau/Commission policy while evaluating objectives and clearly identifying all available options. Ensures that Commission-level documents submitted for review are: legally and demonstrably supported by accurate facts, comprehensive and internally consistent, and in conformance with existing policy, precedent, decisions, processes and procedures.

Develops potential projects to address the need for communications networks to be reliable, resilient, and secure within the purview of the Division by recommending establishing new policy, or by altering or clarifying established policy and/or established legal precedents.

Resolves legal questions and addresses issues that may have no precedents or no clearly applicable precedents, requiring significant, independent legal research and coordination, and determining when to brief matters to CCR leadership. Identifies major policy issues requiring interpretation by higher legal authority and develops and prepares recommended interpretation outlining the facts and applicable law.

Performs extensive research; determines implications of novel and complex legal issues; develops factual, legal, and precedent-setting positions on disputed matters. The scope of legal problems encountered is broad, highly complex and technical.

Draft rules, regulations, and policies, including those pertaining to communications reliability, such as cybersecurity and supply chain security, network outage reports, disaster information reporting and 911, as well as and public safety, homeland security, national security, disaster management, and related issues.

Represents CCR leadership at meetings, hearings and conferences to: (1) gather facts, investigate circumstances and events, and formulate the best legally supportable course of action for resolving complex issues, often in coordination with technical and other Commission staff with regard to alleged violations of statue or regulations; and (2) coordinate with Bureau/Commission offices on policy issues requiring interpretation and developing and preparing recommended interpretation outlining the facts and applicable laws.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• US Citizenship.
• Suitable for employment as determined by a background investigation.
• Serve a trial period of one year, if applicable.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
• Financial disclosure statement may be required upon assuming the position.
• Bar Membership Documentation Required Upon Selection.
• Education-Transcripts Required Upon Selection.
• Current FCC employees must provide SF-50 verifying grade & status.
• Current/former federal employees must provide SF-50 to verify grade, status

Please note your resume must thoroughly support your responses to the vacancy questions. Your resume is an integral part of the process for determining if you meet the basic qualifications of the position and determining if you are to be among the best qualified.

ALL CURRENT/FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND CURRENT FCC EMPLOYEES MUST provide a legible Personnel Action, SF-50, that verifies your status and highest permanently held grade. If an SF-50 is not submitted, the application will be rated as ineligible.

CURRENT FCC EMPLOYEES-To request a copy of your SF-50 please send an email to PersonnelRecordsRequest@fcc.gov

Qualifications

Applicants must meet eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Professional law experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

In order to be deemed as "BEST QUALIFIED," candidates must meet both the educational requirements AND the Specialized Experience.

A. Education

You must meet the minimum basic educational requirements for Attorney positions. Education requirements include: a professional law degree JD, LL.B., and/or LL.M.

NOTE-If you do not provide a transcript at the time of application, a transcript will be required to be provided at the time of selection.

AND

B. Specialized Experience

To Qualify for the GS-14: Applicant must possess at least three years of professional law experience and at least one year of the experience must be specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service performing the following:

Examples of specialized experience include: 1) conducting legal research and preparing legal documents; 2) developing research strategies for complex legal issues; 3) writing complex documents such as briefs, issue papers, orders, rulemaking items, and report summaries with analyses and recommendations; 4) making oral presentations, communicating legal research results, and defending legal positions; and 5) experience providing legal guidance to attorneys and other professionals.

To Qualify for the GS-15: Applicant must possess at least four years of professional law experience and at least one year of the experience must be specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service performing the following:

Examples of specialized experience include: 1. Experience interpreting communication laws, statutes, regulations and/or rule making documents; 2. Experience analyzing legal issues, identifying potential problems and proposing solutions; 3. Experience preparing legal documents (e.g., briefs, issue papers, and report summaries with analysis and recommendations; 4. Experience communicating legal issues/positions while representing the bureau in meetings with both internal stakeholders for the purpose of providing, receiving, persuading or negotiating legal positions; and 5. Experience providing advice, guidance, direction and leadership to other attorneys or professionals in meetings, discussions, or legal proceedings.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: 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.

Education

Refer to Educational requirements outlined within the "Qualifications" section.

Additional information

EEO Policy Statement

Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement

Veterans Information

Legal and Regulatory Guidance

Other:
- Before hiring, an agency will ask you to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. The agency will also ask you to sign and certify the accuracy of all the information in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or you may be fined or jailed. If you are a male over age 18 who was born after December 31, 1959, you must have registered with the Selective Service System (or have an exemption) to be eligible for a Federal job.

- If applicable, you will be required to serve a trial period of one year.

- In order for you to be employed at the FCC, there are certain Commission and Federal laws governing the financial interests of you and members of your immediate family. If selected for the position, you must submit a financial disclosure statement upon assuming the position.


*NOTE-This position is in the bargaining unit. The exclusive representative is NTEU Chapter 209.