ASSISTANT GENERAL COUNSEL
About This Position
The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) is seeking a Supervisory General Attorney (Assistant General Counsel) in the General Litigation and Administrative Practice Group. As an Assistant General Counsel (Oversight and Investigations), you will advise and assist the Commission in preparing for and responding to oversight inquiries and investigations by the U.S. Congress, the Government Accountability Office, and the SEC Office of Inspector General and conduct internal investigations.
Qualifications
Applicants are responsible for confirming all required materials are submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Please check the How You Will Be Evaluated and Required Documents sections carefully, as missing documents will render the application incomplete and ineligible for review. Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector.
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. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENT: All applicants must possess the following: J.D.
OR
LL.B. degree --AND-- Active membership of the bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (Note: proof of bar membership will be required before entry on duty. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT:
In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must also meet the minimum qualification requirement. SK-17: Applicant must have four (4) years of post J.D. work experience, three (3) years of which includes: Providing legal advice (both written and oral) to senior officials on legal issues involving congressional oversight, inquiries, investigations, and legislative engagement; AND Managing workflow for congressional oversight matters such as request intake, issue interpretation, deadline negotiation, and review of legally compliant responses; AND Preparing senior officials and subject-matter experts for congressional briefings, hearings, transcribed interviews, or depositions to ensure factual and consistent representation; AND Supervising, leading or providing guidance and direction to subordinate staff. *Investigative experience as Congressional or committee staffer is desirable* ACCOMPLISHMENT RECORD COMPETENCIES: Your Accomplishment Record narratives should address the following competencies. See the How You Will Be Evaluated section below for more information: Critical thinking - Considers a variety of factors, general and subject matter-specific, when making decisions and determining next steps in a case.
Workload Management - Prioritizes workload in a way that accommodates unforeseen developments and achieves successful outcomes. Legal Analysis and Advice- Utilizes expert legal knowledge to apply relevant law to the facts of each matter and effectively communicates advice based on that analysis. Developing and Managing Others - Ability to recruit, develop and manage the workforce to meet organizational goals, with little or no guidance.
Major Duties
This position is in the Oversight and Investigations subgroup, a component of the Litigation and Administrative Practice Group in the Office of the General Counsel. The subgroup is primarily responsible for providing advice and assistance in responding to Congressional correspondence, negotiating the scope of Congressional oversight inquiries and preparing witnesses for congressional hearings, providing advice on responding to inquiries and investigations by the Government Accountability Office and the SEC Office of Inspector General, and conducting internal investigations. As an Assistant General Counsel, you will: Advise the Commission, its members, and senior leadership on matters involving congressional oversight, inquiries, investigations, and legislative engagement affecting the agency's mission, operations, and regulatory priorities.
Primary subject areas include congressional investigations; committee requests; interrogatories; briefings and depositions; legislative proposals; and the handling of sensitive or non-public information during oversight matters. Represent the agency in interactions with congressional committees, including negotiations of deadlines, scope, and accommodations. Oversee the legal review of all congressional and oversight-related responses to ensure legal sufficiency, accuracy, consistency, and compliance with statutory disclosure obligations, agency policies, and the Constitutional accommodation process.
Provide advice on responding to inquiries and investigations by the Government Accountability Office and the SEC Office of Inspector General. Manage and direct the work of attorneys engaged in congressional and oversight activities by planning, assigning, and supervising their work to ensure timely, accurate, and high-quality products. Establish priorities, direct workflows, and provide guidance on handling complex legal and strategic issues, while keeping senior leaders apprised of significant developments or challenges.
Education
You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. If you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you must submit a copy of your unofficial transcripts or equivalent by the closing date of the announcement.
Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Internal Applicants: OHR will verify education qualifications for internal applicants using documents in the Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF).
If required transcripts or certificates are not present in your eOPF, you will be required to provide them to OHR. If selected, a start date will not be established until official transcripts are received. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs.
For more information, click here.
Applicants may also find the following helpful: National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) is an association of 19 credential evaluation services with admission standards and an enforced code of good practice. Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE) is an association of 10 credential evaluation services with a board of advisors and an enforced code of ethics.
How You Will Be Evaluated
Your resume and application package will be reviewed to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements outlined in this announcement.
Your qualifications will be assessed through a two-step screening process: Minimum Qualifications Resume Review Accomplishment Record Review If you are found minimally qualified through the minimum qualifications review, a rating panel will review your resume and Accomplishment Record narratives. Accomplishment Record narrative should clearly demonstrate your proficiency in the competencies listed in the Qualifications section. Submitting a Performance Appraisal does not fulfill the requirement for an Accomplishment Record.
Click here for help with writing your Accomplishment Record.
Your resume must provide evidence that supports the claims made in your Accomplishment Record narratives; both documents must effectively showcase your qualifications. Each competency narrative should detail one specific, relevant example from your training or experience. Please limit each response to a maximum of 300 words, as any text beyond this limit will not be considered during the evaluation.
You will upload one document with your narrative responses addressing each of the competencies.
Your responses must be in the below format: Competency Title Position title and dates from your resume that this experience was obtained Describe the situation (i.e., the challenged faced, the problem solved) Describe the specific actions you took State the outcome, results, or long-term impact of your accomplishment Name and email address of someone who can verify this information Basis for Rating: The rating panel will evaluate applicants' accomplishment records and resume, then place them into one of the following categories: Highly Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and has extensive skills and experience in most of the job related competencies. Well Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and has a moderate amount of skills and experience in most of the job related competencies. Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but may have a limited amount of experience in several of the job related competencies.
Top ranked applicants will be referred to the hiring office for further review and consideration. The hiring office may directly contact recommended candidates for interview(s). To preview the Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12945159
Additional Information
Supplementary vacancies may be filled
in addition to the number stated in this announcement and may be filled from any division or office within the agency. SEC COMPENSATION PROGRAM: Total salary (base pay + locality) is dependent upon duty location. The overall salary range listed above is provided for informational purposes; a selectee's initial pay will be established below the maximum rate of the range.
The pay for current SEC employees will be determined according to the procedures specified in the agency's policy. Please click here for a compensation overview. Disability Employment: For information on disability appointments, click here.
Reasonable Accommodation: If you are an applicant who needs a reasonable accommodation to participate in the SEC application process due to a medical disability, please contact [email protected]. For religious-based accommodations, please contact [email protected] . Please be sure to submit your request at least 5 business days in advance of the date you need the requested accommodation.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Information for SEC Job Applicants: For more information, please click here. The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged non-compliance by contacting the Legal and Policy Office in the Office of Human Resources at [email protected].
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. No additional documentation will be accepted after the closing date of the announcement. To begin, click Apply to access the online application.
You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package.
You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position.
Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Required Documents
You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes: Required: Your responses to the Questionnaire. Required: Resume - Resumes should include relevant work experience, with specific employment dates, that demonstrates qualifications for the specialized experience and competencies as outlined above. If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.
Resumes that exceed two pages will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration. For resume writing tips, visit USAJOBS and the SEC careers page. Required, if applicable: Veteran's documentation (DD-214, member 4 copy or other documentation containing dates of service and character of discharge.) Required: Accomplishment Record - The Accomplishment Record is a set of narrative responses that demonstrate your proficiency in the competencies listed.
These narratives support your resume by providing specific examples from your training or experience. For each competency, you must provide a 300 word or less written narrative (text only) describing one example of competency-related experience. Text beyond this limit will not be considered.
This document must be uploaded to the application under Accomplishment Record. An accomplishment record submitted outside the USA Staffing system will not be accepted. Failure to provide the Accomplishment Record in the correct format will result in an ineligible rating.
Required: Unofficial Transcripts/Registration/License - If education is a qualification for this position, you must submit a copy of your unofficial transcripts with your application. If you are selected for the position, you will need to provide an official transcript along with your certificate of good standing.