Duties

Summary

If you are ready to begin your new career or are looking for a place to make an impact, what better place than a top ranked agency in the federal government? We are looking for the best and brightest to join our team of dedicated professionals here at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), where we are ranked number one among mid-size agencies in the Best Places to Work in the federal government rankings!

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's role is to oversee various aspects of the energy industry, including transmission of electricity, natural gas and oil. We also analyze proposals to build liquefied natural gas terminals and interstate natural gas pipelines and license hydropower projects. To help support the modernization of the electric system here in the U.S., we are focusing on issues associated with a smarter grid. Join us and help make a difference!

Major Duties:

The Associate General Counsel for Energy Markets reports directly to the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel and is responsible for leading one of the two Energy Markets sections of the Office of the General Counsel (OGC). These sections provide the Commission legal services to implement regulatory responsibilities relating to rates, terms and conditions of service provided by electric public utilities, natural gas pipelines and oil pipelines, and to corporate regulation of electric public utilities.

Additional responsibilities:

--Oversees the analysis of legal matters related to: the rates, terms and conditions of wholesale sales of electric energy in interstate commerce by public utilities and transmission in interstate commerce by public utilities; the rates, terms and conditions of transportation in interstate commerce by natural gas and oil pipelines; the sale, lease, merger or disposition of electric-related jurisdictional facilities by public utilities; interlocking directorates involving public utilities; issuances of securities by public utilities; reliability of the bulk power system; certification of qualifying co-generation and small power production facilities; exempt wholesale generator determinations; and Federal power marketing administration rates.

--In conjunction and cooperation with appropriate technical office counterparts, oversees the preparation and review of memoranda, notices, opinions, orders and rulemakings involving Commission-jurisdictional matters arising under Part II of the Federal Power Act, the Natural Gas Act, the Natural Gas Policy Act, the Interstate Commerce Act, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, and the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Coordination Act. Oversees the initial preparation of legal memoranda and analyses involving the above statutes or other statutes that may affect or relate to the Commission's responsibilities.

--Oversees the formulation of legal and policy positions of OGC and the Commission on issues involving the Commission's regulatory responsibilities under the above statutes.

--Advises the Office of Energy Market Regulation, the Office of Energy Policy and Innovation, the Office of Electric Reliability, the Office of Energy Projects, the Office of Enforcement, and other sections within OGC on legal issues relating to electric rate regulation, natural gas and oil pipeline regulation, and the other subject areas within the section's expertise.

FERC has a certified SES Performance Appraisal System. The salary range for each SES position is determined by the level of responsibility and duties of the incumbent.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Some travel required.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
ES

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must meet specialized experience.
• One year probationary period may be required.
• A background investigation is required.
• Must meet mandatory technical and executive core qualifications.
• Must upload transcripts at time of application.

Your resume must clearly document how you meet the specialized experience in order to meet the minimum qualification requirements for this vacancy. Transcripts must be submitted at time of application. All required documents must be received by the closing date of this announcement. If you do not submit a required document (e.g. transcripts, etc.) your application will be considered incomplete and you will not receive further consideration.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: If selected for this position, you will be required to: - Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment. - Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Fund Transfer. - Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program ( E-Verify ). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify .

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must address the following Mandatory Technical Qualifications questions.

Mandatory Technical Qualifications:

1.) Demonstrated experience with issues related to FERC's authority under sections 205 and 206 of the Federal Power Act, including both: (a) the transmission of electricity in interstate commerce, and (b) the wholesale sale of electricity in interstate commerce, covering both organized wholesale markets and bilateral markets.

2.) Demonstrated experience with issues related to FERC's authority under section 203 of the Federal Power Act with respect to public utility mergers and other corporate transactions.

3.) Demonstrated experience with issues related to FERC's authority under the Interstate Commerce Act with respect to rates, terms and conditions of service for the transportation of oil by pipeline in interstate commerce.

For this position, specialized experience is defined as: You must have specialized experience at a level close to the work of this job that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform. This level of experience must demonstrate progressively responsible experience in the leadership/executive and technical areas.

Applicants for an initial SES career appointment must also clearly demonstrate that they possess the broad executive core qualifications needed to succeed in the SES. A summary of the key characteristics for the Executive Core Qualifications can be found at this link: http://opm.gov/ses/recruitment/ecq.asp

Education

You must be a graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the above educational requirements. Inadequate or illegible information could result in non-qualification and loss of consideration. You must be a member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar. You must be a US Citizen. All job offers are contingent upon successful completion and adjudication of a background investigation.

The United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has not issued qualification standards for Attorney positions. Both the quality and the amount of experience determine the qualifications for Attorneys. All Attorney positions have a minimum requirement of completing a J.D. or LL.B. from an accredited college or university, and possessing an active bar membership and specialized experience for this position.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - http://www.ed.gov/international/usnei/us/workrecog.doc. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

Additional information

FERC is ranked number one among mid-size agencies in the Partnership for Public Service's Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings! FERC is currently number one Work/Life Balance, for the sixth year in a row. As a leader in Work/Life Balance FERC is proud to offer telework flexibilities in accordance with agency policy. Telework is not guaranteed and is offered on a case-by-case basis. FERC does not currently have any 100 percent telework positions.

You must submit all required information by the closing date. The materials you send with your resume will not be returned. Before entering on duty, you may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, SF-278. You will need to provide the information annually. Relocation expenses will not be paid.

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience will be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination. Please use the following link for additional information: Mythbusters of Federal Hiring Policies .

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Applicants will be evaluated on their resume, Mandatory Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications to determine the best qualified candidates. Applicants are required to submit a narrative statement for each Mandatory Technical Qualification (MTQ) and each Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) listed. You will be evaluated on the ECQs in addition to the MTQs. When describing your technical qualifications, please give examples and explain how often you used your skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of people you interacted with, the sensitivity of the issues you handled, etc.

Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): In order to be considered for the position, applicants must submit a narrative statement separately addressing each of the five ECQs. Each statement should contain at least two examples describing experiences and accomplishments/results specific to that ECQ. As a guideline, 1-2 pages per ECQ is sufficient. Applicants for an initial SES career appointment must clearly demonstrate that they possess the broad executive core qualifications needed to succeed in the SES. A guide to assist with writing the ECQ narratives can be found at this link: http://opm.gov/ses/recruitment/ecq.asp

In order to properly review your qualifications, please ensure that your resume clearly indicates evidence that you qualify for the Senior Executive Service position and that you possess the Mandatory Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). Please give a complete and detailed answer for each qualification. Please keep in mind each ECQ and MTQ are unique qualifications. Therefore, duplicate responses are not sufficient in determining if you meet that specific qualification. Do not enter "Refer to Resume" to explain your answer. Applications directing the reader to search within the application or to "See Resume" are considered incomplete and WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Failure to submit a narrative statement or address any of the ECQs and/or MTQs is also considered incomplete and WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. As a result, you will be rated as "INCOMPLETE".

If you are currently serving under a career Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into SES, or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) approved by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and had your ECQs certified by OPM, then you only need to address each MTQ, and you do not need to submit an ECQ narrative. All other applicants are required to respond to all ECQs and MTQs, addressing each ECQ and MTQ separately.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness , National security

Required Documents

Please note that if you do not provide all required information by the closing date of the announcement, as specified in this announcement, you will not be considered for this position.

Current and former Federal employees must submit their most recent SF-50. At time of application, applicants must submit their resume, transcripts, Mandatory Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications.

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.