Duties

Summary

The Office of Chief Counsel, the largest tax law firm in the country, is looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our team and gain valuable experience in a legal environment. Our mission is to serve America's taxpayers fairly and with integrity by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the internal revenue laws and the highest quality legal advice and representation for the Internal Revenue Service.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Associate Chief Counsel (Finance & Management) supports the administrative, financial, and managerial programs of the Office of Chief Counsel and Deputy Chief Counsel on all management matters for the organization nationwide. The Labor and Employee Relations Division (LER) provides guidance and representation to management in all labor relations matters with the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), as well as all employee relations matters. This means that LER handles all union contract interpretation issues, and all employee discipline and conduct issues.

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-13. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

• Provides technical interpretation and advice to managers on the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the Office and the Union. This work involves understanding the background issues relating to the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (including representation issues and unfair labor practices).
• Investigates employee and union grievances and complaints and makes recommendations to managers for resolution. The work also involves understanding how the background work in the grievance process comes into play if a grievance is appealed to arbitration.
  
• Investigates allegations of misconduct and assists management in determining what level of discipline is appropriate and makes appropriate recommendations. Assists and guides managers in delivering the discipline to employees.
  
• Advises managers about all performance-related matters, including compliance with union contract rules on appraisals.
  
• Prepares drafts of misconduct-related discipline letters ranging from cautionary emails up to suspensions or removals.

Please note this is not an all-inclusive list of duties.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - A limited amount of travel is required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizens and U.S. Nationals.
• Please refer to "Conditions of Employment".
• Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• Subject to a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
• Must successfully complete a Public Trust background investigation.
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
• Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds 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.
• Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
• Undergo an income tax verification.
• The employment of any candidate, including a current employee or a new hire, selected for this position may be conditional upon classification and/or audit of federal tax returns. This audit may include up to two years of returns.
• Because of its tax-related mission, the Office of Chief Counsel requires fingerprinting, tax verification, and a background security investigation as part of the pre-employment process.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement:

GS-12: You must have one year of specialized experience at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes experience that includes: Administering and interpreting portions of a union contract and (with assistance) advising managers; general knowledge about federal unions and stewards; working on grievances in conjunction with others; and working on misconduct and discipline matters in conjunction with others.

GS-13: You must have one year of specialized experience at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes broad experience in labor relations and employee relations that includes: Handling multiple grievances independently, including attending grievance meetings on behalf of management, working with management on resolutions to grievances, and writing draft grievance responses; handling discipline or conduct matters ranging from minor discipline to suspensions or removals; ability to identify misconduct or performance issues, preparing draft discipline letters and being present and assisting managers in investigatory interviews, discipline-related meetings, oral replies and/or arbitration or MSPB hearings; interpreting a union contract and advising managers on how to comply with the rules in the union contract or other negotiated agreements; and experience working with union representatives in an effective manner.

The experience may have been gained in the public, private sector, or Volunteer Service . One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis.

To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following, if applicable:

GS-12: You must have been at the GS-11 level for 52 weeks (time-in-grade requirement).
GS-13: You must have been at the GS-12 level for 52 weeks (time-in-grade requirement).

Education

Additional information

• We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill three or more vacancies.
• This is a non-bargaining unit position.
• We offer opportunities for telework.
• We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
• Your salary will be adjusted based on the post of duty to which you are located.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position, failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: 1) Knowledge of federal labor relations theories, principles and practices which includes interpreting the statute and Federal Labor Relations Authority precedents and provisions in master collective bargaining agreements. Ability to advise managers about labor relations matters, handle grievances and work with union representatives; 2) Knowledge of employee relations principles from the statute, regulations and Merit Systems Board precedents. Knowledge about how to identify performance or conduct problems, work with a manager to investigate facts and administer discipline; and 3) Ability to communicate both orally, and in writing to convey information in a diplomatic and persuasive manner with individuals and groups of varying organizational levels, backgrounds and agendas.

Your application will be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) ), you must receive a score of 85 or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

A complete application includes 1) A resume, 2) Vacancy question responses, and 3) Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view resume tips .

CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES -- Documentation Relating to Your Federal Employment
Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade and competitive service. (The "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should should a "1" or "2".

Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held. If this grade is different from your current grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade.

Submit a copy of your most recently signed and completed annual performance appraisal which includes the final rating. If it is not dated within the last 12 months or if you have not received a performance appraisal, please explain why in your application.

Land Management Eligibles must provide all required documentation to verify eligibility, prior performance, and qualifications for the target position. You can find information on the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act and eligibility HERE . Land Management Eligibles must compete under competitive merit promotion procedures and meet all applicable requirements as such (time-in-grade restrictions do not apply).

CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION
If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.

SPECIAL HIRING AUTHORITIES DOCUMENTATION
If you are applying under a special hiring authority, submit a copy of proof of your eligibility.

VETERANS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ACT (VEOA) DOCUMENTATION
If you are applying under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) , you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge. Ten-point preference eligibles must also submit an Application fo r 10-point Veteran Preference, SF-15 , along with the required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form.

Documents for Auto-Request:

• Cover Letter
• DD 214
• ICTAP/CTAP letter
• Letter from VA for 10 pt veterans preference
• Other
• Performance Appraisal
• SF-15
• SF-50
• Special Hiring Authority Documentation

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.