Senior Attorney Advisor (Presiding Official)

About the role

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), headed by the Administrator of PHMSA, is within the Department of Transportation, responsible for transportation-related programs, including hazardous materials safety and pipeline safety.

This is a senior attorney-advisor, on the staff of the Chief Counsel, serving as a presiding official on pipeline safety enforcement cases, under the direct supervision of the Deputy Chief Counsel.

What you will do

• Preside over informal administrative hearings involving parties represented by counsel and conduct pre-hearing conferences to improve efficiency and narrow disputed issues.
• Manage proceedings from the initial hearing request through preparation of draft decisions for review and issuance by the Associate Administrator.
• Conduct legal research and analysis to interpret applicable statutes, regulations, and agency precedent related to pipeline safety and compliance.
• Prepare draft decisions based on the administrative record, resolving complex issues of fact and law, determining operator compliance, and ordering corrective actions where necessary.
• Maintain case files and manage the hearing docket to ensure timely case progression while addressing matters with significant public safety, property, and environmental implications.
• The ideal candidate for this position will have strong enforcement and litigation experience and understand the legal and procedural aspects of the administrative prosecution of enforcement cases, and the ability to analyze, interpret, and apply laws, regulations, orders, court decisions, and other legal documents.
• PLEASE NOTE: Given our continuing need for professionals in this field, we will routinely review applications and refer the top candidates for potential interviews multiple times during the open period of the announcement.
• Reviews and referrals of applications will be completed on a monthly basis.

Requirements

• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals.
• Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: If the position requires travel, a government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• TRIAL PERIOD: This is an Excepted Service position.
• This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service.
• Applicants selected for an excepted service position may be subject to a two-year trial period.
• ETHICS/CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT: All employees are subject to the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 2635, including restrictions on owning financial interests that may conflict with performance of their duties.
• Some employees, like those involved in contracting or regulating non-Federal entities, are subject to Executive Branch Financial Disclosure requirements set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 263.

Education

MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: In order to qualify for this position, candidates must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have a professional law degree, and must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.

How you will be evaluated

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.

WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination.

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, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements.

Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official. The answers you select in the on-line process must be substantiated in your application package.

If upon review, it is determined that your described work history, competencies, and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, you may not be referred to the selecting official. Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers. You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Documents you must provide

• The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position.
• Please review each of the following sections to determine which documents you need to provide with your application.
• RESUME: In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application.
• These should be legible and in a readable font size.
• A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages.
• Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles.
• If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level.
• The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.
• For assistance with the resume builder, please visit: *** COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE.
• PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP: Must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.
• TRANSCRIPTS - Transcripts are REQUIRED as there is a stated education requirement for the series.
• The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements.
• A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - click here.
• WRITING SAMPLE: If selected for an interview, a writing sample may be requested.
• VETERANS: Department of Transportation attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service.
• There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Transportation considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in the attorney hiring process.
• If you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with supporting documentation, e.g., SF15, DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.
• Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position.
• Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents.
• Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system.
• You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

What to expect next

You may check your application status by logging into USAJobs.com (Select "My USAJobs" and click "Applications". Within two weeks of the closing date, a Human Resources Specialist will evaluate your application. Qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.

Appropriate veteran's preference will be applied. If you are selected for an interview, the hiring agency will contact you directly. Once the position is filled, we will notify all applicants of their final status.

Additional information

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 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 agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your 2-year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment.

In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, ***.

To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.