Supervisory Employee Benefits Law Specialist

Summary

EBSA plays a vital role in protecting the retirement health and other job-based benefits of Americas workers retirees and their families. We issue effective regulations offer comprehensive education and assistance to workers plan sponsors fiduciaries and service providers and rigorously enforce the law. We serve workers families and the broader employee benefits community by protecting the security and integrity of the nations benefit systems.

Duties

Major duties for this position include but are not limited to the following:

• Track and analyze proposed legislation regulations and public policy affecting employee pension health and welfare benefit plans under ERISA COBRA HIPAA FERSA and related authorities.
• Provide authoritative technical assistance and legal/policy advice to EBSA Departmental leadership Executive Branch officials and Congressional staff on employee benefits law and related legislative matters.
• Develop legislative analyses policy recommendations hearing testimony and related questions for the record justifications and supporting materials addressing the impact of proposed initiatives on employee benefit plans EBSA programs and regulated stakeholders.
• Provide expert analyses and advice on ERISA and related retirement and health benefits laws including participant rights and employer and plan official obligations.
• Formulate legislative and public policy strategies aligned with EBSAs mission organizational objectives and long-range program goals.
• Evaluate legislative and policy options and recommends strategic courses of action to senior leadership on technical and sensitive employee benefits issues.
• Organize and prioritize work assignments and determine resource needs for legislative analysis policy development technical assistance and related program activities.
• Establish short- and long-term goals objectives and strategies for the offices legislative and public policy functions in support of EBSA priorities.
• Prepare and deliver briefings testimony and presentations for senior officials on legislative regulatory and policy matters affecting employee benefit plans.
• Respond tactfully and effectively to sensitive inquiries differing viewpoints and high-visibility issues involving internal and external stakeholders.

All other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Candidate required to obtain and maintain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
• Requires a supervisory probationary period if the requirement has not been met.

Qualifications

You must meet the IOR ( Individual Occupational Requirement) and Specialized Experience to qualify for the Supervisory Employee Benefits Law Specialist as described below.

For GS-15: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-14 in the Federal Service.

Individual Occupational Requirements:

Education:
Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study in one or a combination of the following fields - finance banking business administration economics mathematics accounting or auditing pension plan administration law industrial relations public administration or other related fields.

OR

Experience:
Progressively responsible experience that demonstrated the ability to perform work in the field of pension and welfare plans. Such experience may have been gained in (1) management administration development analysis audit financial management or termination of such plans or their funds; or (2) in closely related work such as taxation securities and investments. Specialized experience may have been gained in government a welfare and pension plan administration or consulting firm law firm actuarial or accounting firm labor union welfare and pension association or research service banking trust department or investment firm. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Analysis and application of fiduciary reporting and disclosure bonding funding vesting administration and termination provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and related laws regulations court decisions and precedent rulings.
• Development of proposals for new or revised pension or welfare plans petitions for exemptions or requests for rulings under governing law.
• Legal work a substantial portion of which required interpretation of Federal laws and legal requirements concerning welfare and pension plans or in such related fields as taxation securities real estate corporations trusts bankruptcy and investments.
• Auditing or accounting work that involved determining compliance with Federal and State laws governing welfare and pension plans securities banking insurance or corporations.
• Analysis of Federal laws or regulations development of policy and drafting of proposed changes in an employee welfare and benefit plan or a related function.

For the GS-15 grade level: In addition to meeting the requirements above applicants must demonstrate 52 weeks of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal service. A pplicants must meet at least 3 out of the 5 statements below :

• Experience analyzing technical laws regulations and policy proposals related to employee benefit plans including ERISA and assessing their impact on agency programs employers and plan participants.
• Experience developing policy recommendations legislative analyses briefing materials testimony or other written products for senior agency officials executives or policymakers.
• Experience providing technical advice and consultation to internal leadership other Federal agencies or external stakeholders on employee benefits retirement health tax insurance or related regulatory issues.
• Experience coordinating with multiple organizations or stakeholders to review issues develop proposals and support regulatory legislative or policy initiatives.
• Experience managing multi-layered projects or assignments involving research analysis scheduling coordination and preparation of reports or official documents for high-level review or decision-making.

Education

There is no substitution of education for the specialized experience at the GS-15 level for this position.

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers improve working conditions expand high-quality employment opportunities and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities systems information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

This position is Outside the Bargaining Unit.

For more information Click here for Career Ladder Promotion Information

You may not be aware but in the regulations for agency ethics programs there are requirements for supervisors. Section 2638.103 of Title 5 of the CFR states: Every supervisor in the executive branch has a heightened personal responsibility for advancing government ethics. It is imperative that supervisors serve as models of ethical behavior for subordinates. Supervisors have a responsibility to help ensure that subordinates are aware of their ethical obligations under the Standards of Conduct and that subordinates know how to contact agency ethics officials. Supervisors are also responsible for working with agency ethics officials to help resolve conflicts of interests and enforce government ethics laws and regulations including those requiring certain employees to file financial disclosure addition supervisors are responsible when requested for assisting agency ethics officials in evaluating potential conflicts of interest and identifying positions subject to financial disclosure requirements.

Supervisory Financial Disclosure: This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). Therefore if selected you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest(s) and your prospective position with DOL. This information will be required annually.

For more information click Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.

Based on agency needs additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click here for Additional Information.

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicants criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agencys complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act such as law enforcement or national security positions.

All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

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.

Required Experience:

Manager