Special Counselor
Department: Department of Education
Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia
Salary Range: $151661 - $228000 Per Year
Job Summary: The incumbent serves as Special Counselor in the Office of the Secretary, working on cases or legal issues of a highly complex nature and providing independent legal advice to, and drafting final agency administrative appellate decisions for, the Secretary of Education. The incumbent also serves as the Department's Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO), conducting program management and overseeing legal interpretation and policy development for the agency ethics program.
Major Duties:
- The Office of the Secretary's Special Counselor provides independent legal advice and factual analysis to the Secretary regarding administrative appeals of adjudicatory proceedings conducted by the Department's Office of Hearings and Appeals and by other officials throughout the Department. The proceedings arise from throughout the United States and include, but are not limited to, various actions and findings related to Title IV student financial aid programs, recognition of accrediting agencies, state compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, state Impact Aid funding, and institutional compliance with the Clery Act. The Secretary acts as an independent tribunal in these administrative appeals under various statutory authorities, including the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended; 20 U.S.C. § 1080 et seq.; and 42 U.S.C. § 2751 et seq. The incumbent evaluates legal arguments, adherence of government actions to statutory requirements, and the legal soundness of decisions rendered by the Department's Administrative Law Judges and other hearing officers, heads of program offices, and other subordinate staff of the Department. The incumbent also provides confidential briefings and legal analysis, establishes prioritization of matters, protects against ethical conflicts, and is empowered to perform all other necessary duties to ensure the proper and efficient working of the Secretary's appeal process. Furthermore, the incumbent drafts the final agency decisions for the Secretary's review and issuance. In addition, the incumbent must possess a wide degree of knowledge and experience with regard to the conduct of administrative appeals, including various proceedings under Titles 5, 20, and 29 of the United States Code. Among other things, responsibilities in appeals include: Protecting against conflicts for senior officials in the decision-making chain, including the Secretary, to the maximum extent possible before appealable matters come before the Secretary; Advising public-facing staff in providing appropriate responses to private parties, government agencies, counsel, and members of the public in matters under appeal or which are anticipated to be appealed; and Managing the appeals process and the Secretary's docket of pending appeals, including providing confidential briefings for senior staff, collaborating with senior staff, drafting final decisions, and ensuring timely and proper processing of appeals. The employee is walled off from the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) on the Secretary's appeals work; however, as DAEO, in consultation with OGC, the incumbent: Provides formal and informal legal advice on all ethics issues, including the laws and regulations applicable to employee conduct; Provides legal and policy guidance on identifying and evaluating conflicts of interest and maintaining a high level of objectivity among Department contractors, peer reviewers, and grantees; Provides legal advice and policy guidance to the Secretary on the Secretary's responsibilities under applicable laws and regulations; Plans and manages the Department's ethics program in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, including management of: (1) the Department's financial disclosure reporting system for both public and confidential financial disclosure report filers; (2) an employee education and training program; and (3) an employee counseling and advice program; Provides leadership and direction to ethics support staff, ensuring that the services provided are of high quality and provided in a timely manner; Advises senior leaders on systemic weaknesses in Department procedures that create vulnerabilities for ethics-related problems and implements steps to correct identified weaknesses; Provides legal advice and policy guidance to the Office of the Secretary on all legal and ethical issues related to the Secretary's travel and acceptance of speaking engagements and invitations to events; Performs periodic audits of the Secretary's travel records to ensure there are no ethics problems; Provides legal advice and policy guidance to Department officials and employees on difficult and sensitive issues in connection with ethics laws and the conduct of employees; Drafts guidelines and options memoranda for the Secretary on possible choices in carrying out Government-wide ethics authorities; Represents the Department in government conferences and meetings on ethics, including meetings chaired by the Office of Government Ethics, the Office of Counsel to the President, and the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel; and Reviews and certifies financial disclosure reports of Presidential nominees that must accompany nominations to the Senate and consults with the Office of Counsel to the President and Office of Government Ethics on these reports.
Qualifications: To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications related to this position within your resume. Resume should NOT EXCEED 2 PAGES, with the font size no smaller than 10 points. Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page 2. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualifications. There is NO requirement to prepare a narrative statement specifically addressing the Executive Core Qualifications or the Technical Qualifications. EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): In addition to the Technical Qualification Requirements, 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 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) There are two TQs: TQ 1: Demonstrated knowledge, skills, and experience in the areas of Federal ethics laws and regulations, including the Hatch Act, criminal statutes, and Office of Government Ethics Standards of Conduct, with experience in: 1) the development and administration of federal ethics programs, including policies related to financial disclosure; 2) preventing and addressing conflicts of interest; and 3) applying the law to complex factual circumstances related to federal sector ethics. TQ 2: Demonstrated knowledge, skills, and experience in managing a docket and providing independent legal advice, factual analysis, briefings, and draft decisions for high-level stakeholders on legal cases or proceedings that arise under various education-related statutes such as findings related to Title IV student financial aid programs, recognition of accrediting agencies, state compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, state Impact Aid funding, and institutional compliance with the Clery Act.
How to Apply: 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.
Application Deadline: 2026-05-21