Head of Ethics and Employment Law

Summary

The Head of Ethics & Employment Law/Deputy General Counsel provides legal and advisory services to the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Chief of Law & Policy/General Counsel, and all subordinate organizational components of SSA. These services reflect the Agency's attorney role as a full participant in program development to administer the Agency's benefit program responsibilities.

Duties

• The Head of Ethics & Employment Law/Deputy General Counsel provides a full range of legal and advisory services to the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, Chief of Law & Policy/General Counsel (Chief), and all subordinate organizational components of the Social Security Administration in connection with the operation and administration of the Agency. These services reflect the Agency's attorney role as a full participant in the process of program development to administer the Agency's benefit program responsibilities, in the drafting of the legislation to establish these programs, and in the counseling of program and administrative managers and other senior officials whose responsibility it is to develop and carry out these programs. The Head of Ethics & Employment Law/Deputy General Counsel is responsible for the following: Advising the Chief concerning all aspects of programs managed, their interrelationships and their relationships with other Agency programs/operations. Collaborating and sharing responsibility with the Chief and the Head of Program Policy & Data Exchange for all functions of Law & Policy including planning, formulation, and execution of policies, objectives, and goals. As required, the incumbent may represent the Chief and the Agency at meetings or on workgroups with various Federal or private sector counterparts/organizations. Assisting the Chief by providing legal services in matters relating to general law, program law, and labor management and employee relations. The incumbent has oversight and responsibility for all legal practice areas and direct oversight of Ethics & Employment Law, and assists in the oversight of Program Litigation; Labor Management & Employee Relations; Program, Fiscal & Disclosure Law; and Privacy & Disclosure Policy practice areas. Serves as the Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO) and provides legal services on ethics and standards of conduct and SSA's confidential reporting system regarding financial interests and outside activities, and liaison with the Office of White House Counsel and the Office of Government Ethics. Participates with the Chief in the resolution of the most difficult and important legal problems submitted to the component. The incumbent may be required to perform confidential and sensitive assignments for the Chief. Developing, directing, and overseeing litigation strategy for the most complex and difficult employment cases, including challenges to statutes, regulations and/or administrative policies, as well as complex procedural (e.g., jurisdictional) and substantive (e.g., statutory and/or constitutional) issues, and may be responsible for conducting and overseeing the conduct of such litigation in administrative and court tribunals. Leading the development and implementation of critical infrastructure protection, security measures, and other controls to prepare for and mitigate negative consequences.

Qualifications

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. The application process used to recruit for this position is RESUME BASED. It is important that your resume be complete and thorough, following the requirements outlined below. As a basic requirement, to meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, applicants MUST demonstrate progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level managerial capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under Executive Core Qualifications and Mandatory Technical Qualifications within their 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. Separate narrative statements addressing the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) or the Mandatory Technical Qualifications (TQs) will not be reviewed or considered. To be considered minimally qualified for this position, candidates must have had responsible professional experience at a senior level (equivalent to the GS-15 in either the General Schedule (GS) or a comparable pay plan). Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the GS-15 grade level in the Federal service or its equivalent with state or local government, the private sector, or non-governmental organizations. Failure to meet this basic qualification requirement and all executive and technical qualification factors automatically disqualifies an applicant. NOTE: If you are (1) a member of the SES, (2) have been certified through successful participation in an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP), or (3) have SES reinstatement eligibility, you must attach proof (e.g., SF-50, Certification by OPM's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB)) of your eligibility for noncompetitive appointment to the SES. TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications. 1. Membership in the bar of the court of a State, Territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 2. Experience leading legal teams/offices providing legal advice and counsel to senior officials in the majority of the following relevant areas of law: Federal employment law advice and litigation Federal privacy and disclosure law and policy Federal fiscal law including contract and procurement law Labor-management and employee relations Ethics law and policy Criminal fraud litigation Federal program law and litigation 3. Experience providing legal advice and counsel, orally and in writing, to senior officials of a large government agency at the Federal level on a wide variety of legal issues in the majority of the following relevant areas of law: Federal employment law; Experience in federal privacy and disclosure law and policy Experience in federal fiscal law including contract and procurement issues for a federal government agency Experience in federal labor law including union contract review and bargaining DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS (DQs): None 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 - 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 - 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 - Demonstrated knowledge, ability, and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality; ECQ 4: Leading People - 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; and ECQ 5: Achieving Results - Demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors. **Note for Current and/or Former Political Appointees: OPM must authorize any employment offers we make to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-Career SES employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office within your application package.

Requirements

To be considered minimally qualified for this position, candidates must have had responsible professional experience at a senior level (equivalent to the GS-15 in either the General Schedule (GS) or a comparable pay plan). Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Subject to a 1-year supervisory probationary period (unless already completed). Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency 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. May be subject to pre-employment and random drug tests Must file a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report OGE-278e within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on. You may be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal. 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).

How to apply

To be considered for this position, you must submit a complete application no later than 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on the closing date of the announcement - 09/25/2026. If you fail to submit a complete application prior to the closing time, the application system will not allow you to finish. Requests for extensions will not be granted, so please begin the application process with enough time to finish before the deadline. To apply for this position, you must complete this application and submit any required documents specified in the Required Documents section and submit by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. 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 and upload your resume and/or other required 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. It is applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and uploaded, (i.e., resume and other required documents) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application. Application packages will NOT be accepted via mail.