Attorney Advisor, Write Your Own Oversight Team (2 Positions)

PLEASE READ THE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS CAREFULLY. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING THOSE WITHOUT A COVER LETTER, WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Job Announcement

Federal Emergency Management Agency, Office of Chief Counsel

Position Title: Attorney Advisor, Write Your Own Oversight Team (2 Positions)

Duty Station: FEMA Headquarters (Washington, DC)

Grade: GS-13/14 | Job Series 0905

OPENING DATE: October 7, 2026

CLOSING DATE: October 29, 2026

POSITION TITLE AND LEGAL DIVISION:

Attorney Advisor, Write Your Own Oversight Team (WYOT), FEMA Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), Resilience Legal Division (RLD). There are two (2) vacancies being filled by this announcement.

SERIES, PAY PLAN, GRADE, SECURITY CLEARANCE, AND TRAVEL:

Both positions are in the job series 0905-Attorney-Advisor, to be filled as a GS-13 or as a GS-14. An individual hired at the GS-13 level may later be promoted to the GS-14 level. This position has a full performance level of GS-14.

These are public trust positions and do not require a security clearance.

Occasional travel may be required.

DUTY STATION LOCATION AND REMOTE WORK ELIGIBILITY:

These positions have a duty station at FEMA HQ in Washington, DC. These positions are not eligible for remote work, as defined by FEMA policy. These positions are eligible for limited telework only pursuant to FEMA policy.

POSITION TYPE:

These are Permanent Full Time (PFT) Attorney positions. These positions are being announced under FEMA’s General Schedule (GS) program. These are Excepted Service positions and will be filled at the GS-13 or GS-14 level (2 positions).

POSITION SUMMARY AND IDEAL CANDIDATE:

RLD seeks qualified applicants for two (2) Attorney Advisor positions for the WYOT. The WYOT is responsible for the oversight of all litigation filed against Write Your Own Insurance companies who participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

The ideal candidates possess strong research, writing, and communication skills. The ideal candidate must effectively represent the agency’s interests when overseeing WYO NFIP litigation which involves the expenditure of Treasury Funds. The ideal candidates possess strong moral character and excellent interpersonal skills.

Specialized legal experience in Federal court litigation, an in-depth understanding of federal court rules and practice including federal preemption, the NFIP or equivalent insurance litigation experience is preferred but not required.

While prior experience litigating NFIP claims is preferred, it is not required.

DUTIES OF THE POSITION INCLUDE:

• Working with dedicated and talented team of attorneys assigned to the WYOT.
• Thinking quickly to respond to a sudden change of information.
• Independently analyzing and interpreting FEMA’s statutory authorities, including the National Flood Insurance Act, NFIP regulations, and case law interpreting same.
• Providing solution-oriented, articulate, legally sufficient, and timely written and oral legal advice on a wide range of NFIP matters involving complex legal or factual questions.
• Participating in the annual Financial Control Plan Operation Review.
• Reviewing and adjudicating of Case Plans & Budgets, Invoices, and requests for settlement concurrence.
• Participating in meeting with WYOs and their counsel.
• Responsible for oversight of multiple WYO lawsuits and ensuring compliance with the WYO Company Litigation Manual and all NFIP policies and procedures applicable to WYOs and their counsel.

Candidates must also have strong research, writing, and communication skills; the ability to work independently; excellent team building skills, and the ability to represent the agency at a high level both internally and externally.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED/SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

Applicants must meet the qualifications requirements for the grade level to which they are applying by the closing date of this announcement.

Minimum Requirements include:

• U.S. Citizenship,
• Ability to successfully pass a background investigation (public trust),
• Ability to obtain and maintain a government travel card,
• Selective Service registration for males born after 12/31/59,
• A graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association,
• Membership in good standing of the Bar of a State, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and
• Agreement with Every Employee is an Emergency Manager requirement.

Minimum Experience:

You qualify for this position at the GS-13 level if you possess the following experience by the closing date of this announcement:

• Applicants must have at least two (2) years of full-time legal experience. Legal experience means experience in which the candidate’s job duties required the provision of legal advice or representation, and which required the candidate to be an active member in good standing of the Bar of any state or territory, or the District of Columbia.
• Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience that is directly related to the line of work of this position, which has equipped the applicant with knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. At least one of the two years of specialized experience must be at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the GS-12 level.
• Attorneys at a GS-12 level are relatively junior attorneys that perform substantive work on basic to moderately complex assignments; have solid writing skills, conduct original research, and demonstrate strong legal analysis; have effective communication skills; contribute to decisions about legal strategy; and require supervision and review of written product by a supervisor or higher-grade attorney.
• Specialized experience for this position includes:
• Independently analyzing and interpreting federal and state statutes, regulations, and policies; Executive Orders; and judicial and administrative decisions while rendering advice.
• Working in one or more of the following areas: administrative law, personnel law; fiscal law; procurement; grants management; environmental law; floodplain management and hazard mitigation; disaster response and recovery; environmental and historic preservation laws, and emergency preparedness. Experience providing legal advice and/or representation on complex administrative law, personnel law; fiscal law; procurement; grants management; environmental law; floodplain management and hazard mitigation; disaster response and recovery; environmental and historic preservation laws, and emergency preparedness.

You qualify for this position at the GS-14 level if you possess the requisite specialized experience and other qualifications:

• Applicants must have at least three (3) years of legal experience. Legal experience means experience in which the candidate’s job duties required the provision of legal advice or representation, and which required the candidate to be an active member in good standing of the bar of any state or territory, or the District of Columbia.
• Applicants must have at least two (2) years of specialized experience that is directly related to the line of work of this position, which has equipped the applicant with knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. At least two of the four years of specialized experience must be at a level of difficulty and responsibility to that of an attorney at the GS-13 level.
• Attorneys at a GS-13 level are mid-level attorneys that perform substantive work on moderately complex, novel, or significant matters; have excellent writing skills, conduct demanding legal analysis, draft and review motions, subpoenas, complaints, memoranda, and comparable legal documents; possess strong communication skills; contribute to tactical and legal policy decisions; be able to assume some supervisory role over legal interns, and GS-11/12 attorneys, or non-attorney staff on a project-specific basis; and require only moderate level of supervision or review of written work product.
• Specialized experience for this position includes:
• Independently analyzing and interpreting federal and state statutes, regulations, and policies and judicial opinions.
• Working in one or more of the following areas: litigating in federal court, NFIP, insurance litigation, reviewing and analyzing insurance claims, reviewing invoices, and developing and implementing litigation strategy in a timely and cost-effective manner and alternative dispute resolution experience.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

At time of application, the applicant must submit a:

• Resume (no more than 2 pages), and
• Cover letter.

Prior to tentative job offer, the applicant must also provide:

• Proof of current bar admission
• Law school transcript from an American Bar Association accredited law school

OCC LEGAL AFFAIRS CADRE AND EMERGENCY MANAGER ASSIGNMENT:

In addition, every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee’s official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter to Miya McLean at View email address on click.appcast.io by the closing date of this announcement. The subject line of the email should refer to the title of this position. Please let us know in your email or cover letter where you saw this announcement.