Attorney-Advisor (Employee and Labor Relations)

Summary

As an Attorney-Advisor (Employee and Labor Relations), you will be part of the Employee and Labor Relations Division, Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO), U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). If selected, you will advise management on employee and labor relations matters and ensure agency programs, policies, and practices comply with federal employment and labor laws, merit system principles, prohibited personnel practices, and EEOC anti-discrimination guidance.

Duties

Proactively ensures that all agency personnel programs, policies, and practices comply with applicable laws, rules, and regulations, including merit system principles and prohibited personnel practices set forth in 5 U.S.C., sections 2301-2302. Provides legal advice and counsel to agency management and human resource staff regarding the full range of employment matters, including, but not limited to, hiring, personnel policies, and disciplinary and other adverse personnel actions. Represents agency managers in administrative proceedings in connection with EEO complaints prior to the adversarial stage, including advising on preparation of declarations, statements or affidavits, and responses to information requests. Maintains contact with the OCHCO Division Directors, officials at the Office of Personnel Management's Employee and Labor Relations Network, and other federal agencies. Performs special projects in the areas of performance improvement and labor and employee relations, which may require leading ad- hoc project teams and analyzing and evaluating critical and sensitive problem areas. Works proactively with managers and employees to informally resolve employment-related disputes. Attends staff meetings, ad-hoc or special committee meetings, etc. in order to ascertain and/or keep abreast of program needs and requirements, particularly in the area of performance improvement and employee conduct. Serves as the agency's representative in litigation and other administrative proceedings before arbitrators, mediators, and the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA). Defends the agency in: unfair labor practice claims; negotiability petitions; grievance/arbitration cases, which may be followed by exceptions proceedings; and bargaining disputes. Advises internal agency clients, including senior agency officials, on a wide range of labor issues, such as bargaining obligations, contract interpretation and application, representation law, and other labor relation topics. Conducts personnel misconduct investigations and prepares findings, reports, and recommendations for management action.

Qualifications and evaluation

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed 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 Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13029006 Equal Employment Opportunity The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.

Education

This position has a basic education requirement listed under the Qualifications section of this announcement.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/21/2026 to receive consideration. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: Your Resume (NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES) showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed. Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page 2 or may be disqualified. If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of your qualifications, you will not receive consideration for the position. This position has a basic education requirement; you must submit a copy of your official or unofficial law school Transcripts for further consideration. An official transcript is required before being appointed. Proof of current and active BAR Membership in good standing. During the initial review of applications, the Agency will accept photocopies of BAR Membership Cards or screenshots providing proof of active membership in a BAR Association that reflects the bar's jurisdiction or territory, the attorney's full name, bar number, date of admission, and bar status (i.e. active, inactive, retired, etc.). Copy of one recent Legal Writing Sample, not to exceed 10 pages. Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable. Current or Former Federal Employees (if applicable) - please provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" which preferably shows your current title, series and grade (do not submit an Award SF-50). If your current grade is not your highest permanent grade held, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing your highest grade held. Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.) Current or Former Political Appointees (if applicable) - The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently or have been a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch within the last 5 years, you must disclose this in your application package. Failure to submit documents required may result in loss of consideration.

Additional information

Relocation expenses will not be paid. You will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across the EEOC. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, please refer to the agency contact information. Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the EEOC considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their application submission documentation. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see: https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration) All employees of the Federal government are subject to the conflict of interest statutes and regulations including the Standards of Ethical Conduct that govern activities with outside organizations and reporting financial holdings. This position may require the incumbent to complete a confidential financial disclosure report within 30 days of appointment. 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 the EEOC. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow the EEOC to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) 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 RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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, based on your adjudication decision. 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 RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. TTY users may contact us via the Federal Relay Service, 1-800-877-8339.