Hiring Organization
Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD)
Hiring Office
Environmental Defense Section
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Permanent
Job ID
ENRD-26-036-EXC
Location:
150 M Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002 - United States
Application Deadline:
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
About the Office
The Environmental Defense Section (EDS) is seeking to hire an experienced attorney for the position of Assistant Section Chief for the petition for review practice. This practice area within EDS consists of challenges to rules and other final EPA actions under the major pollution-control statutes (e.g., the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, etc.) that are filed as petitions for review in the courts of appeals.
One position will be filled in Washington DC or Denver.
Job Description
The Assistant Section Chief, along with the section's Senior Counsel for Appellate Matters, supervises the work of dozens of the section's staff attorneys on petition for review matters. These cases run the gamut from complex, multi-party challenges to high-profile national rules, to more limited challenges to regional, state and facility-specific actions. Historically, over fifty percent of Section petition for review cases have arisen under the Clean Air Act. While these petitions for review are filed in all the courts of appeals, the majority are typically filed in the D.C. Circuit.
The Assistant Section Chief's responsibilities include: direct supervision of the section's Senior Counsel for Appellate Matters; assigning legal casework to EDS staff attorneys; assuring appropriate staffing on each petition for review matter; providing legal, strategic and other guidance; ensuring compliance with all relevant Department of Justice policies; reviewing written briefs and other court filings for substantive accuracy and for consistency with positions in other litigation; determining settlement positions; and preparing attorneys for oral argument. The Assistant Section Chief may also work on select high profile petition for review matters directly. The Assistant Section Chief also provides advice and consultation to client agencies and DOJ leadership on significant environmental and administrative law issues and works closely with the Office of the Solicitor General on cases involving rehearing en banc and certiorari.
The Assistant Section Chief is responsible for annual attorney progress reviews and ratings, mentoring attorneys at all stages of their careers, and promoting the professional development of EDS attorneys. Responsibilities also include assisting the EDS Section Chief on non-litigation and administrative matters, and with overall management of the section.
Qualifications
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and be a U.S. citizen or national. Applicants must have a minimum of 6 years post-J.D. or post clerkship litigation experience that includes significant federal litigation experience or substantive familiarity with the Administrative Procedure Act and natural resource statutes within the Section's jurisdiction.
The ideal candidate will have significant federal appellate litigation experience including the defense of agency actions under the Administrative Procedure Act; superior writing and editing skills; in-depth knowledge of the Clean Air Act and other pollution control statutes; expertise in the Administrative Procedure Act, the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and other administrative law issues; ability to mentor and manage a legal and administrative staff to produce high-quality work under tight time frames; the ability to work cooperatively and effectively with EPA and other client agencies, other DOJ components, and opposing counsel; and a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards. Experience leading or supervising attorneys in appellate litigation and experience with D.C. Circuit litigation is highly desirable.
YOUR RESUME MUST provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating.
Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered
Application Process
How to Apply
You must apply online through USAJOBS. Click on the APPLY Online button. Follow the prompts to answer a few questions and submit all required documents by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.
Applicants must submit a current resume, cover letter with brief statement of interest, writing sample, law school transcript, and DD-214 (if applicable).
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login ), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/
Internet Sites: For more information about the Environment and Natural Resources Division, visit the web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd .
This and selected other legal position announcements can be found on the Internet at: https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veteran preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran preference must include that information in their resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions.
Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes the following:
Resume (not to exceed two pages) demonstrating relevant experience and month/year the experience was obtained
Cover letter with brief statement of interest
Writing sample
Copy of J.D. degree transcripts
DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation, if applicable
Your resume MUST include full employment information such as periods of employment with month/year started and ended, title of position(s), part time hours worked, and description of duties. If you have Federal employment, you must include the grade of the position(s).
Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
Salary
The possible salary range for Washington D.C. is:
GS-15 ($169,279 - $197,200)
The possible salary range for Denver is:
GS-15 ($164,956 -$197,200)
