Summary

TTB's mission is steeped in America's history, from the time of the Whiskey Rebellion to the work of agents like Eliot Ness. We are a nationwide team dedicated to collect alcohol, tobacco, firearms and ammunition excise taxes and ensure that alcohol beverages are labeled, advertised and marketed by law. We ranked 35th of 432 (top 10%) on agency subcomponents of 2022's Best Places to Work.

This job is open to

• The public
  
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

U.S. citizens or U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.

Duties

This position is located at Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Office of the Chief Counsel - Field Operations Division.

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-15. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

• Complete legal work of an administrative nature for civil, criminal, and administrative cases arising in connection with laws administered by the Bureau by: analyzing, researching, and reaching conclusions on the factual, legal and policy issues; applying the pertinent laws, regulations, and other precedents when available; and reviewing cases involving tax, criminal, and civil matters, as well as administrative adjudications involving the denial, suspension, or revocation of permits.
• Prepare legal opinions, both written and oral, for the guidance of Bureau officials and employees, often on very short notice to meet pressing deadlines; review and prepare recommendations on offers in compromise of tax and other liabilities, petitions for remission or mitigation of forfeitures; and other cases involving important legal issues or significant amounts of money.
• Provide litigation support to DOJ in defense of TTB, as well as prepare recommendations to DOJ for prosecution of criminal cases within the jurisdiction of TTB's authority.
• Represent TTB in alcohol and tobacco permit proceedings before an Administrative Law Judge and the TTB Administrator; in litigation cases, prepare all necessary documents, conduct discovery and motion practice, represent TTB at the hearing and prepare post-hearing briefs, appeals or responses.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Key Requirements:

1. Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
2. Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National

Qualifications

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

Specialized experience for the GS-11: You must be a law school graduate with a J.D. degree and be admitted to the bar. In addition, you have to have one of the following:- One year (52 weeks) of experience as a practicing attorney at the GS-09 level, or equivalent level of difficulty in the Federal service demonstrating outstanding written and analytical work;OR

- Held a judicial clerkship; OR

- Have an LL.M. degree that required one full year of graduate study; OR

- Have superior law student work or activities.

Specialized experience for the GS-12: You must have a minimum of one year (12 months) of professional legal experience at the GS-11 or equivalent level. The experience must include acting as an agency or client representative in administrative or judicial proceedings, preparing drafts of legal briefs for court proceedings, drafting legal memoranda regarding effects of proposed legislation or regulations, or drafting briefing papers on legal issues for senior government officials or private sector clients.

Specialized experience for the GS-13: You must have a minimum of one- and one- half years (18 months) of experience practicing as a licensed attorney. The experience must include one year of experience at the GS-12 level or equivalent in the Federal service or private sector including acting as a lead agency or client representative in administrative or judicial proceedings, preparing drafts of legal briefs for court proceedings, drafting legal memoranda regarding effects of proposed legislation or regulations, or drafting briefing papers on legal issues for senior government officials or private sector clients.

Specialized experience for the GS-14: You must have a minimum of two years (24 months) of experience practicing as a licensed attorney. The experience must include one year of experience at the GS-13 level or equivalent in the Federal service or private sector including acting independently as a lead agency or client representative in administrative or judicial proceedings, preparing drafts of legal briefs for court proceedings, drafting legal memoranda regarding effects of proposed legislation or regulations, and drafting briefing papers on legal issues for senior government officials or private sector clients.

Specialized experience for the GS-15: You must have two years (24 months) of experience at the GS-14 level, or equivalent level of difficulty in the Federal service or private sector, that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Examples of such experience might include independently handling cases involving sensitive or highly visible issues that may contain facts which are difficult to develop and prove or matters of a precedent-setting nature.

Education

To be qualified for this position, you must meet the basic educational and/or work experience requirements for Attorney-Advisor positions in the federal government. Applicants must:

(1) Be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D.;

(2) Be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and

(3) Meet all specialized experience requirements as described in the vacancy announcement.

The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

Additional information

• We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
• This is a non-bargaining unit position.
• We offer opportunities for telework.
• We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (CONTINUED):

• A one year probationary period may be required.
• Must successfully complete a background investigation.
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
• Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
• Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
• File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
• Undergo an income tax verification.
• This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time. For more information about individual rights, Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights - FBI, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI, and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov).

Our comprehensive benefits are very generous. Our benefits package includes:

• Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, competitive salaries, bonuses and incentive awards.
• Eleven paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year.
• Access to insurance programs that may be continued after you retire.
• A wide choice of health insurance plans, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting periods. We pay a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums.
• A retirement program which includes employer-matching contributions.
• Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated among others regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position.

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.Competitive examining rules for rating and ranking do not apply. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference are encouraged to include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214 or other substantiating documents) to their submissions.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration.

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  
  A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).Please ensure all required documents, including any required work samples, narratives, or other materials as stated in this announcement, are attached to your application package.
  
  All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips.
  
  EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION:For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses showing title, number of credits, grade, and date of completion. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.
  
  COVER LETTER: Provide a cover letter explaining why you are interested in the Attorney-Advisor position within the Field Operations Division of TTB's Office of the Chief Counsel.
• How to Apply
  
  TTB has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
  
  The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
  
  The Bureau provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
  
  • 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 résumé 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 (USAJOBS Login). A list of announcements in which you have applied is at the Welcome screen.
  
  -Under "application status," click "Track this application" and you will be taken to the agency website where you can check your application status.
  
  For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/
  
  If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to your application. No updates can be made once the announcement has closed.
  
  Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
  
  For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.
  
  The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of the Treasury and its bureaus 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 the Treasury by email at, FairChanceAct@treasury.gov.
  
  To learn more, please visit our page at: Treasury.gov/fairchanceact.
  
  To preview the assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12445649
  
  Agency contact information
  
  Applicant Call Center
  
  Phone
  
  304-480-7300
  
  Email
  
  TTBINQUIRIES@Fiscal.treasury.gov
  
  Address
  
  Office of Chief Counsel - Field Operations Division
  
  Administrative Resource Center
  
  Parkersburg, WV 26101
  
  US
  
  Next steps
  
  Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your résumé and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct any required suitability and/or security background investigation.
• Fair and Transparent
  
  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  
  
  • Criminal history inquiries
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Financial suitability
  • New employee probationary period
  • Privacy Act
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Selective Service
  • Signature and false statements
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).Please ensure all required documents, including any required work samples, narratives, or other materials as stated in this announcement, are attached to your application package.

All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips.

EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION:For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses showing title, number of credits, grade, and date of completion. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

COVER LETTER: Provide a cover letter explaining why you are interested in the Attorney-Advisor position within the Field Operations Division of TTB's Office of the Chief Counsel.

How to Apply

TTB has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.

The Bureau provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

• 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 résumé 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 (USAJOBS Login). A list of announcements in which you have applied is at the Welcome screen.

-Under "application status," click "Track this application" and you will be taken to the agency website where you can check your application status.

For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/

If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to your application. No updates can be made once the announcement has closed.

Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of the Treasury and its bureaus 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 the Treasury by email at, FairChanceAct@treasury.gov.

To learn more, please visit our page at: Treasury.gov/fairchanceact.

To preview the assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12445649

Agency contact information

Applicant Call Center

Phone

304-480-7300

Email

TTBINQUIRIES@Fiscal.treasury.gov

Address

Office of Chief Counsel - Field Operations Division

Administrative Resource Center

Parkersburg, WV 26101

US

Next steps

Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your résumé and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct any required suitability and/or security background investigation.

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request