Assistant Chief Counsel

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Leave

Sick Leave

Holidays

Health Benefits

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

Federal Long Term Care Insurance

Life Insurance

Job summary

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration seeks a principal assistant to the Chief Counsel, focusing on rulemaking work and acting as a primary legal adviser to the Chief Counsel and senior NHTSA leadership in Washington, DC. The role emphasizes interpretation of complex regulations, coordination with senior staff, and mission-driven legal support for safety policy.

Candidates should demonstrate extensive experience in regulatory law and executive-level guidance within federal

Qualifications

• Demonstrated legal experience drafting and interpreting complex regulations of national reach, significance, economic impact, and controversy, and engaging in senior level coordination on sensitive aspects affecting diverse stakeholder interests while appropriately operating within constrained legal and procedural parameters.
• Demonstrated executive experience directing complex administrative law strategy under the Administrative Procedure Act and statutory mandates, including evaluating notice-and-comment rulemaking, anticipating high-stakes litigation risks, and advising senior leaders legally defensible, high-impact regulatory frameworks.

Job description

This position serves as a principal assistant to and representative of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator's Chief Counsel, with particular emphasis on rulemaking work. The Assistant Chief Counsel serves as a primary legal adviser to the Chief Counsel, administrator, the Deputy Administrator and other key NHTSA officials.

Our benefits package offers: Annual Leave (paid vacation), Sick Leave, and Holidays - You will earn 26 days of annual leave and 13 days of sick leave per year. In addition, the Federal Government observes 11 regular paid holidays each year. Health Benefits - Employees and family members are eligible for health benefits at reasonable rates with no required medical examinations or restrictions because of age or physical condition. Flexible Spending Account (FSA) - You may choose to participate in the FSA Program. This program allows you to set aside money, on a pre-tax basis, for certain kinds of out of pocket medical expenses or dependent care costs of a child or parent Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program - You may elect to participate in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program. Life Insurance - You may participate in the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance program. The program offers employees an opportunity to acquire life insurance protection at group rates with a government contribution toward the cost of basic insurance. For more details on the various health and life insurance benefits offered to most Federal Employees click here

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Technical Qualifications (TQ) related to this position within your resume - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page 2 or may be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s). If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications.
TQ 1. Demonstrated legal experience drafting and interpreting complex regulations of national reach, significance, economic impact, andcontroversy, and engaging in senior level coordination on sensitive aspects affecting diverse stakeholder interests while appropriatelyoperating within constrained legal and procedural parameters.

TQ 2. Demonstrated executive experience directing complex administrative law strategy under the Administrative Procedure Act and statutory mandates, including evaluating notice-and-comment rulemaking, anticipating high-stakes litigation risks, and advising senior leaders legally defensible, high-impact regulatory frameworks.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECqs):In addition to the Technical Qualification Requirements listed above, all new entrants into the Senior Executive Service (SES) under a career appointment will be assessed for executive competency against the following five mandatory ECQs. If your 2-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs and TQs, you may not receive further consideration for the position.
There are five ECQs:

• ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding – This core qualification requires a demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.
• ECQ 2: Driving Efficiency -This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.
• ECQ 3: Merit and Competence -This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.
• ECQ 4: Leading People -This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization’s vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable.
• ECQ 5: Achieving Results -This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

Note: If you are a member of the SES or have been certified through successful participation in an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP), or have SES reinstatement eligibility, you do not need to respond to the ECqs. Instead, you should attach proof (e.g., SF-50, Certification by OPM’s SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB)) of your eligibility for noncompetitive appointment to the SES.

There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations. Please read and retain these documents:

• Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights, for those who undergo an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history record check for personnel vetting, which includes Rap Back,
• FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI (this is the same statement used when your fingerprints are submitted as part of your background investigation), and
• SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov), (applicable to those who hold a sensitive position or have eligibility for access to classified information)