General Attorney

About the role

This General Attorney position is located at the Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA), Headquarters Office, Office of General Counsel (OGC), and primarily practices Federal administrative law, reporting to the General Counsel. Assignments are given without accompanying instructions in terms of broad general policy or arise from the day-to-day SWPA/DOE problems.

What you will do

• Reviews documents drafted by SWPA's program offices for legal sufficiency.
• Offers advice, opinions, and recommendations to all levels of SWPA management and supports leadership and staff.
• Identifies areas of special legal significance and independently confers with appropriate SWPA/DOE, or other federal agency employees to arrive at workable solutions to complex problems.
• Leads SWPA legal proceedings before administrative bodies such as the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, Federal Labor Relations Board, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
• Lays the groundwork for the Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys in preparation of the government's arguments in litigated cases involving Federal Administrative Law issues.
• Collaborate with DOJ by delineating SWPA's legal and policy positions.
• In administrative trials and hearings, and with DOJ in Federal court, prepare pleadings, exhibits and other necessary documents, interviews and deposes witnesses, and engages in discovery.
• Prepare contracts and discuss the legal implications of proposed courses of action.
• Exchanges information, provides legal counsel, persuades others to adopt views and take specific actions, and represents SWPA during administrative and judicial trials and hearings.
• Represents SWPA in Federal power marketing law matters, providing legal advice, case preparation, and/or litigation.
• Reviews SWPA's program offices documents for legal sufficiency.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• A trial period of up to 2 years for the purpose of assessing the ability of an individual to adequately perform in an attorney position will be established for appointments under these authorities.
• Previous Federal experience in like positions MAY count toward the completion of this requirement.
• In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire.
• Answers to these questions are not scored or rated.
• Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
• Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages.
• If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.
• Security clearance and associated requirements - High Risk.
• The position requires admission to a State or the District of Columbia Bar.
• Admission to the State Bar in any state within the U.S. or the District of Columbia or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is required.
• You must submit written documentation that you are a current member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or your application will not be considered.
• You may be required to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) upon entering the position and each year thereafter.
• You may be required to serve on rotational assignments to provide representation between and among various SWPA program or region offices as needed.
• Other Requirements: Overtime may be required on short notice to include nights, holidays and weekends in support of mission requirements.

Education

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.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.

DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents.

Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.

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.

How you will be evaluated

Once the application process is complete, the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications.

Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Office will review the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications. USAHire: To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly Your qualifications will be evaluated 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 Referral: Since this is an Excepted Service position, a non-rated method of evaluation will be used.

We will evaluate your application by comparing your description of your work experience, level of responsibility, and accomplishments with the requirements of the position to determine whether you meet all the qualification requirements.

Although competitive examining rules for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply, veteran's preference will be considered as a positive factor. Candidates who meet all the qualification and other eligibility requirements will be referred to the selecting official for consideration and possible interview.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified".

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (11/13/2026) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click *** How You Will Be Evaluated continued in Additional Information including Reasonable Accommodation Requests for the USA Hire Assessment.

Documents you must provide

• duties performed; full name and address of the each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
• Active Bar Membership: You must submit evidence of an Active Bar Membership as described in the Qualifications Section of this announcement.
• If applicable: Transcripts, if specific educational requirements are indicated in this job announcement.
• Unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable.
• It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements.
• Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable, DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; current active duty members- certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.
• For more information visit the USAJOBS Help Center & OPM CHCOC website for VOW information.
• Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition.
• Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.
• It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

What to expect next

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. The status of your application will be updated in USAJOBS as it is evaluated. You can check the status by logging into USAJOBS.

You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application changes by logging into your USAJobs Account and editing the Notification Settings. You will be contacted directly if an interview is required.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE. For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: *** Applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) when applying or competing for a job due to a medical condition or to exercise religious beliefs.

If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this vacancy announcement. Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level. Upon reporting, and annually thereafter, the selectee may be required to file one or more financial statements and/or a procurement integrity certification.

These certifications may be subject to public disclosure. The selectee for this position may be eligible to receive a recruitment or relocation incentive. You will need to sign an employment agreement to be eligible for this incentive.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs are not authorized. This position may be eligible for creditable service towards annual leave. Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee.

DOE may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

Salary negotiation may be available for those candidates who are new to Federal service. Salary: General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

Continued from How You Will Evaluated - Reasonable Accommodation 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 reasonable accommodation in your online application.

Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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.

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 Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.