General Counsel

Position description

The General Counsel is the chief law officer of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). In this capacity, the General Counsel must be an expert in administrative, competition, and maritime law. The General Counsel's responsibilities include:

• Supervising the day-to-day activities of Office of the General Counsel staff and ensuring superior legal work product;
• Furnishing legal advisory and consultative services to the Chairman, Commissioners, and staff of the FMC with respect to questions of law arising under the authorities and regulatory responsibilities of the FMC;
• Developing and drafting new or amended legislative proposals of the FMC and preparing FMC comments on proposed or pending legislation;
• Providing counsel on Congressional matters such as budget authorizations, committee oversight, and FMC reauthorizations;
• Leading FMC rulemaking activities implementing the FMC's statutory authorities;
• Working closely with Commission policy offices on review of agreements and activities related to regulated entities; 
• Representing the FMC in matters before the United States District Courts, Courts of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court;
• Administering and coordinating the international affairs function of the FMC; and
• Participating in meetings with FMC executive leadership.

Qualifications

Conditions of Employment

 

• You must be a U. S. citizen to qualify for this position.
• Subject to completion of SF-278, Financial Disclosure Report.
• Must complete a 1-year SES probationary period, if not previously completed.
• Drug testing may be required upon selection and the incumbent may be subject to random drug testing while occupying the position. 
• Entrance on duty is contingent upon completion of a preliminary security clearance. You will need to successfully complete a background security investigation and be able to obtain/maintain a Top Secret security clearance for retention in this position.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see www.sss.gov).

 

Qualifications

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

As a basic requirement, applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level management capability and possess experience that is directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) listed below. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the GS-15 grade level in the Federal service or its equivalent with state or local government, the private sector, or non-governmental organizations. 

FAILURE TO MEET THE BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT AND ALL EXECUTIVE AND MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS DETERMINATIONS WILL ELIMINATE YOU FROM FURTHER CONSIDERATION. 

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS: 

ECQ 1: LEADING CHANGE - This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. This ECQ requires the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment. Competencies required: Creativity and Innovation; External Awareness; Flexibility; Resilience; Strategic Thinking; and Vision. 

ECQ 2: LEADING PEOPLE - This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. This ECQ requires the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. Competencies required: Conflict Management; Leveraging Diversity; Developing Others; and Team Building. 

ECQ 3: RESULTS DRIVEN - This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. This ECQ requires the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. Competencies required: Accountability; Customer Service; Decisiveness; Entrepreneurship; Problem Solving; and Technical Credibility. 

ECQ 4: BUSINESS ACUMEN - This core qualification requires the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. Competencies required: Financial Management; Human Capital Management; and Technology Management. 

ECQ 5: BUILDING COALITIONS - This core qualification requires the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. Competencies required: Partnering; Political Savvy; and Influencing/Negotiating. 

MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS: These factors are required and must be addressed for the incumbent to perform the duties of the position. The applicant is to provide a separate narrative statement for each of the following mandatory technical qualifications that describes fully, but concisely, how their experience supports each of the following qualifications. The combined narrative statements should total no more than 6 pages. 

FAILURE TO ADDRESS THESE SPECIFIC QUALIFICATIONS IN A SEPARATE NARRATIVE STATEMENT WILL ELIMINATE APPLICANTS FROM CONSIDERATION: 

MTQ 1: Demonstrated experience serving as a legal authority for a regulatory or competition agency/organization and interacting with Federal regulatory and legislative agencies, Congress, or international competition agencies. 

MTQ 2: Thorough knowledge of Federal law and legal principles with respect to two or more of the following: Administrative Procedure Act, Government in the Sunshine Act, Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act, Paperwork Reduction Act, and the Civil Service Reform Act. 

MTQ 3: Thorough knowledge of economic and policy issues affecting freight transportation as well as demonstrated experience collaborating with economists and industry experts on investigations or cases. 

A strong background in economics and/or experience in Federal court litigation would be beneficial. 

Education

In order to be considered, you must meet the following education requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 

• Minimum educational requirements include a professional law degree (J.D., LL.B, or LL.M) from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school. NOTE: Applicants who have completed part or all of their education outside of the U.S. must have their foreign education evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that the foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. An ABA-approved law school may allow students to receive credit for law study or activities at a foreign institution and grant credit for the J.D. degree if those studies or activities are approved in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and Criteria adopted by the ABA's Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

• Current active membership in a bar of any State, territory, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia. Active bar association and a certificate that the member is in good standing will be verified prior to appointment and employees must maintain active bar membership in good standing while employed as an attorney with the FMC.

Application instructions

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