Duties

Summary

The Office of the Chief Counsel (AGC) provides legal services to the FAA Administrator and all agency organizations worldwide. Their primary functions are providing legal advice, reviewing agency action for legal sufficiency, and providing representational services.

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Responsibilities

The Assistant Chief Counsel for Airports & Environmental Law is located in the Office of the Chief Counsel. The Assistant Chief Counsel oversees all aspects of legal services supporting the Agency's activity on airports, airspace design, commercial space and environmental compliance programs including these relationships with state and local governments as well as provides executive leadership and oversight of the FAA's legislative program.

Principal Responsibilities

• Oversees all legal aspects of FAA's Airports & Environmental Law management programs in both headquarters and the regions, including litigation, training, policy direction, and evaluation of services provided by those offices.
  
• Directs planning, policy development, and execution of all legal aspects relating to Airports & Environmental Law programs. Directs and coordinates legal sufficiency review of programs and policies to ensure program activities are consistent with the priorities of the FAA Administrator and Chief Counsel.
  
• Renders opinions and interpretations of FAA's airports and environmental authority and policies consistent with government statutes, Executive Orders, and applicable Department of Transportation and FAA policies.
  
• Implements legal aspects of airports management, related strategic and organizational initiatives, and goals to include tracking and monitoring their completion. Provides expert legal advice regarding all aspects of Agency policies relating to Airports, including the Airport Improvement Program, Passenger Facility Charge Program, Airport Compliance Program, airport noise and access restrictions, and other airport policy initiatives.
  
• Implements legal aspects of environmental management, related strategic and organizational initiatives, and goals to include tracking and monitoring their completion. Provides expert legal advice regarding all aspects of Agency policies relating to assessments of the environmental impact of airport development projects; airspace redesign, performance based air traffic procedures, and military special use airspace; and commercial space launch site (spaceport) and launch/reentry operator license.
  
• Establishes objectives and strategies for subordinates in support of the Airports & Environmental Law Division goals of the FAA. Directs the work of subordinate managers and staff attorneys working within the Airports & Environmental Law Division.
  

Travel Required

25% or less - The job may require up to 25% travel.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
NA

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• US Citizenship is required.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Designated or Random Drug Testing required.
• This position has a positive education requirement. Transcript(s) required.

Qualifications

As a basic requirement for entry into the FAA Executive System, you must provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level management capability; and that is directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the Leadership and Technical Requirements listed below.

LEADERSHIP REQUIREMENT: Do you have experience in achieving operational results? If so, provide examples of ways you have exercised leadership to deliver significant results. Explain how you established goals, assessed outcomes, and improved products and services. Indicate how you identified and met customers' requirements and addressed the needs of stakeholders. Include examples of complex problems you solved or difficult obstacles that you overcame as a leader. Your description should include (1) the size and complexity of organizations you have led, (2) the scope of programs you have managed, and (3) the impact of your results on customers and other stakeholders.

LEADERSHIP REQUIREMENT: Do you have experience leading people? If yes, describe the size of the organization and number and types of positions you have managed. Discuss ways that you have established and maintained positive work environments and prevented or eliminated discrimination or harassment. Describe ways that you have mentored and developed employees and built individual and team performance. Discuss how you have established and led teams to deliver products and services. Include in your description experience in leading others in a matrix environment across organizations.

LEADERSHIP REQUIREMENT: Do you have experience building relationships? If yes, describe (1) the types of individuals with whom you routinely collaborate; and (2) the purpose and outcomes of the communication. Discuss your experience in communicating and cooperating with others to achieve goals. Provide examples of how you have built relationships to achieve consensus and how you were able to obtain the cooperation of others with competing priorities and perspectives. Describe how you effectively communicate information within and outside of your organization.

LEADERSHIP REQUIREMENT: Do you have experience leading strategic change? If yes, describe examples of strategic changes that you led for your organization; describe the entities that the change affected (agency, industry, organizational components). Discuss obstacles you encountered and how you overcame them to the benefit of the agency. Include in your description ways that you applied long range vision, developed strategies, and applied innovative ideas and techniques.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENT: Demonstrated experience in federal airports and environmental law, airport and environmental litigation, and federal legislative programs.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcripts(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcement to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. You may upload these documents with your application in USAJOBS or fax it to fax number provided in the announcement (please include announcement number on each page).

Failure to do so will result in loss of consideration.

Schools must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation may be verified at the following website: www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html .

Foreign education must be evaluated by a private professional organization specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials or an accredited U.S. educational institution in terms of equivalence to a degree acquired at an American college or university. A copy of the evaluation results must be included, otherwise your foreign education will not be considered.

This position has a positive education requirement: In order to qualify for this position, candidates must have at least a Juris Doctor from an American Bar Association accredited law school, be admitted to practice before the bar of any U.S jurisdiction and be an active member of that bar. You must provide a copy of your official (or unofficial) transcript and an official certificate demonstrating you are an active member in good standing of a state bar at the time of application and by the closing date of announcement to verify qualifications. If you are selected for this position, you will be required to submit an official transcript.

Failure to submit required documents by the closing date of the announcement will result in loss of consideration.

Preview Job Questionnaire
Make sure your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications and answers to the job questionnaire.

Additional information

Position may be subject to a background investigation.
A one-year probationary period may be required.
Veterans preference does not apply to the FAA Executive System.
The person selected for this position may be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of entry on duty. FAA policy limits certain outside employment and financial investments in aviation-related companies.

This position is covered by the Department of Transportation's Drug and Alcohol Testing Program. Any applicant tentatively selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment or pre-appointment drug screening. Persons occupying a "testing designated position (TDP)" will be subject to random drug and/or alcohol testing.

This is not a bargaining unit position.

Links to Important Information: Locality Pay , COLA

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

IMPORTANT: Applicants may be rated on the extent and quality of experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position(s). All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated. Ensure that your application package/resume supports your responses.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

1. A resume
2. An attachment individually addressing the Leadership and Technical Requirements if you do not address them in the
answer blocks within the application.
3. Proof of Education which includes a copy of:
-Transcripts (official or unofficial) and
-Proof of good standing before bar association in a U.S. jurisdiction.
4. A Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SESCDP) certificate if you are claiming noncompetitive status based on your completion of an SESCDP program.
Note: Please do not submit additional materials (e.g. DD Form 214, performance plans/evaluations, letters of recommendation); they will not be considered as part of the application package.

This position has a positive education requirement; college transcripts are required for ALL candidates newly appointed to the FAA in the 905 series.

College transcripts must be submitted from current FAA employees applying for internal vacancies if they have never held a position in the, 905 series with the FAA.

College transcripts are not required from current FAA employees who are currently occupying a 905 series.

If selected, official transcripts are required prior to employment.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.