General Attorney (Open Continuous) (GS-12/14)

Summary

Join the team! This position is located in the Division of Regulatory Affairs of the Office of General Counsel at the Headquarters Office of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The Office of General Counsel provides advice and legal counsel to the Commissioners and the organizational components of the Commission on matters of law arising under the Acts administered by the CPSC, related statutes, and any other statutes or regulations pertaining to the functions of the CPSC.

Duties

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT that will remain open until March 5, 2027. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis, and positions will be filled when the need arises or as vacancies occur to meet immediate and future hiring needs. This announcement may be amended to extend the deadline or close early without prior notice at the discretion of the agency, based on administrative or operational needs. Candidates are encouraged to submit their materials promptly. The duty location is Washington, DC. This is not a remote position. The General Attorney for the Regulatory Affairs Division is responsible for: Drafting substantive and procedural regulations in accordance with applicable laws; Furnishing legal opinions, both written and oral, to the Commissioners, Commission leadership and staff, and outside parties, particularly with regard to jurisdiction and procedure; Providing legal review of standards, rules and regulations issued by the Commission and other documents, particularly those involving legal matters of a precedential nature relating to issues under the Acts administered by the Commission; and Engaging in planning regulatory policy and strategies.

Qualifications

In addition to the mandatory education requirement, all applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: GS-12: 1) experience researching and analyzing legal or factual issues involving statutes or regulations; 2) experience drafting legal documents; 3) experience providing oral and written legal advice related to statutory or regulatory authorities; and 4) knowledge of administrative law. GS-13: 1) experience researching and analyzing difficult legal or factual issues involving statutes or regulations; 2) experience drafting legal documents; 3) experience providing oral and written legal advice on difficult matters related to statutory or regulatory authorities; and 4) experience with administrative law. GS-14: 1) experience researching and analyzing particularly complex legal or factual issues involving statutes and regulations; 2) experience drafting complex legal documents; 3) experience providing oral and written legal advice on particularly complex matters related to statutory and regulatory authorities; and 4) experience with complex issues of administrative law. Evidence of the above specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of duties performed in positions held. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or based on job titles alone. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). 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. Applicants must meet the qualifications for this position by the closing date of this announcement.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen. This is a Public Trust Position. Employment in this position requires a background investigation. If you are selected and cannot meet the criteria requirement for the pre-employment waiver and/or a favorable suitability determination within a reasonable period of time due to disclosed or undisclosed background issues, the employment offer may be withdrawn. If you are a male born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Please see http://www.sss.gov for more information. Selectees will be required to complete a "Declaration of Federal Employment", (OF-306), prior to appointment and the appropriate background investigation forms to determine suitability for Federal employment. False statements or responses on these forms can jeopardize your employment opportunity and subject you to disciplinary action, including removal from Federal service. The selectee will be required to complete a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the I-9 Form. We will compare information provided on the I-9 Form to records available from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The system confirms employee's identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, if converted, you will be required to serve a two (2) year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the CPSC; whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the CPSC or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

Basic Requirement: All applicants must possess a J.D. or LL.B. degree and be an active member of the bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. All applicants are required to provide proof of current, active bar membership/good standing. GS-12: In addition to the basic requirement and qualifying specialized experience, applicants must have either: (1) two years of experience as a practicing attorney); OR (2) one year of experience as a practicing attorney and a second professional law degree (LL.M). GS-13: In addition to basic requirement and qualifying specialized experience, applicants must have three years of experience as a practicing attorney. GS-14: In addition to basic requirement and qualifying specialized experience, applicants must have four years of experience as a practicing attorney. ALL applicants must also submit proof of successful completion of education requirements. This proof may consist of a law school transcript or other documentation which provides clear and specific proof of education, such as a diploma. A copy of an SF-50 only is not adequate proof of meeting the education requirements. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. You MUST provide transcripts with your application to support your educational claims. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of this announcement. All education claimed by applicants will be verified.

How you will be evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your resume and supporting documentation will then be reviewed by a Subject Matter Expert. This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until March 5, 2027. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be November 13, 2026. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. Applications will be evaluated roughly every two weeks. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13104965 RESUME: All applicants are required to submit a resume limited to two (2) pages (i.e., 1 page that is double-sided or 2 pages that are one-sided each) showing all relevant experience. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney positions in the excepted service; however, CPSC considers veteran's preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, duties performed for each position, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level/pay band.

How to apply

Candidates may be referred simultaneously on multiple certificates for which they are interested, eligible, and within reach. Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. Upon application, you may be provided a testing window to complete additional assessments. This testing window may stipulate a completion deadline before the announcement closes. It is your responsibility to complete the additional online assessments within the timeline provided to remain in consideration for this vacancy announcement. Failure to complete the online assessments within the testing window for this announcement will not preclude you from being considered for and completing the online assessments during a testing window on a future announcement. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. If you are having trouble with USAJOBS (searching for jobs, account password/profile issues, or Resume Builder): please visit the USAJOBS Help Center. If experiencing any difficulties with the online application process (anything after you have clicked the 'Continue to Agency Site' button): please email recruitapps@cpsc.gov between normal business hours (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET; except federal holidays). If receiving any kind of error message, please provide a screenshot or at a minimum, the error message text number.

Other information

CPSC provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact the Human Resources Specialist listed in this vacancy announcement. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information) Payment of relocation expenses is NOT authorized. This appointment requires completion of a two year trial period unless you have previously successfully completed a trial period that meets the following: 1) in the same agency, 2) in the same line of work (as determined by the employee's actual duties and responsibilities) and 3) contains or is followed by no more than a single break in service that does not exceed 30 calendar days. All the information you provide will be verified by a review of the work experience and/or education as shown on your application, by checking references and through other means, such as the interview process. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempts to conceal information may be grounds for not hiring you or for firing you after you begin work. Additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement. A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. As a condition of employment, the selectee must reside in the local commuting area of the duty station listed in this announcement. Proof of residence may be required. Must meet the criteria requirement for the pre-employment waiver and/or a favorable suitability determination within a reasonable period of time, otherwise the employment offer may be withdrawn. CPSC employees will be relocating to 441 G Street NW, Washington, DC. This position will transition to the new location upon completion of the move. The transition is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Applicants should be aware that acceptance of this position includes the requirement to report to the new location.