Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, is looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our team and gain valuable experience in a legal environment. Our mission is to serve America's taxpayers fairly and with integrity by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the internal revenue laws and the highest quality legal advice and representation for the IRS. It is a great place to work with an excellent benefits package and family-friendly atmosphere.

Duties

As a key member of the executive staff and member of the Executive Committee of the Chief Counsel, the Associate Chief Counsel (Financial Institutions and Products) is responsible for coordinating and directing all activities of the Financial Institutions and Products (FIP) organizational component of the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Comprising a staff of more than 50 professional and support employees in Washington, D.C., the Associate Chief Counsel (FIP) provides legal advisory services that support uniform interpretation, application, enforcement, and litigation of tax laws involving banks, thrift institutions, insurance companies and products, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, annuities, original issue discount obligations, and numerous other types of financial instruments and entities. In addition, the incumbent works closely with Treasury officials, IRS Division Commissioners, and other Associate and Division Counsel on program matters such as identifying and prioritizing emerging issues and developing published guidance needs. Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to: Serves as the principal legal advisor to the Internal Revenue Service and the Office of Chief Counsel on matters relating to financial institutions and products, publishes public and other technical guidance on such issues, and shares responsibility with the Division Counsel for the direction and oversight of the Counsel-wide litigation program involving financial institutions and financial products. Represents the IRS and Treasury on sensitive and controversial issues related to these areas. Formulates and directs programs and policies with respect to litigation of FIP issues in the U.S. Tax Court, and together with the Division Counsel (DC), makes determinations as to which of such cases should be tried, settled, or conceded. Assures IRS-wide consistency of approach in FIP tax litigation; consults with the DC as to the defense or settlement of FIP cases pending in U.S. Tax Court (including the preparation and approval of Chief Counsel decisions) and, together with the DC, reviews and coordinates pleadings, briefs, settlement documents, notices of appeal, and other materials prepared in connection with U.S. Tax Court litigation involving financial institutions and products. Except with respect to certiorari matters, the incumbent, in consultation with the DC, approves recommendations of acquiescence and nonacquiescence in adverse decisions and orders in such cases and suits and makes recommendations to the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding appeals, offers in compromise, or settlement in such cases or suits pending on appeal. In consultation with the DC, directs preparation of recommendations concerning defense, settlement, or concession, and authorizes or sanctions counterclaims, third-party complaints, or the commencement of collection suits with respect to refund suits pending in FIP cases in the U.S. District Courts or the Court of Federal Claims. Coordinates appellate litigation with the General Counsel and Commissioner of Internal Revenue, as appropriate. Provides executive direction to staff engaged in drafting revenue rulings, revenue procedures, announcements, and news releases to be published for the guidance of taxpayers and IRS personnel; issuing technical advice memoranda responding to questions raised by IRS examiners; issuing private letter rulings and general technical information letters in response to requests from taxpayers; and preparing legal opinions for other Chief Counsel and IRS functions with respect to legal questions raised in litigation and IRS programs. Works with Treasury officials to coordinate recommendations for legislation that particularly affects financial institutions and products; directs IRS participation in this aspect of the legislative process, including the furnishing of advice and guidance with respect to the development of new or revised legislative proposals; oversees IRS participation with legislative staffs in the drafting of such legislation and committee reports. Also directs the preparing and reviewing of proposed regulations and Treasury Decisions, assessing public comments and conducting public hearings on proposed regulations, and managing the movement of regulations through the review process within the IRS and the Department of the Treasury.

Requirements

• Refer to "Additional Information"
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• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National

Qualifications

To qualify for this position of Associate Chief Counsel (Financial Institutions and Products) you must meet the following requirements: Possess at least the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; AND Applicants must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; Desired Education/Experience: An LL.M. in Taxation is desired but not required. 7 years of professional legal tax experience is desired. As a basic requirement for entry into the SES, applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level managerial capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the GS-15 grade level or its equivalent in Federal service. Applicants must possess the following technical and executive core qualifications: A) Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): Unless you are currently serving under a Career Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment, or eligible for reinstatement into the SES, you must address the ECQs. Applicants must provide a narrative statement (not to exceed a total of 10 pages) that clearly documents and demonstrates possession of the competencies in the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) as established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The following five ECQs provide the focus for certification of executive core qualifications for initial career appointment to the Senior Executive Service. Leading Change - Ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment. Leading People - Ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. Results Driven - Ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. Business Acumen - Ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. Building Coalitions - Ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. Additional information on ECQs is available at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/executive-core-qualifications/ . Applicants are strongly encouraged to follow the Challenge, Context, Action and Results model outlined in the guide. It is recommended that you draft your ECQs in a Word document and then upload into the system. B) Mandatory Technical Competencies (MTQs): In addition to the Executive Core Qualifications, all candidates must show evidence of the following mandatory technical competencies in order to meet basic qualifications for this position. The narrative statements should demonstrate your specialized knowledge and technical competence. Please give concrete examples of your experience and demonstrate the complexity of the knowledge and skills you possess. You should address each MTQ separately, with the total narrative not exceeding ten pages. Mandatory A thorough and comprehensive legal knowledge and a broad technical knowledge of tax laws, legal administration, and functions of the Internal Revenue Service, with an emphasis on the tax laws affecting financial institutions and products (e.g., banks, thrift institutions, insurance companies and products, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, annuities, original issue discount obligations, and other types of financial instruments and entities). Graduation from an ABA accredited law school and current possession of a bar membership which permits the practice of law in the United States are required. Demonstrated experience in managing all aspects of a large-scale law program that involves significant human and fiscal resources. Experience includes planning, directing, budgeting for, staffing, and evaluating such programs, as well as effectively managing equal employment opportunity initiatives. Demonstrated ability to review and evaluate programs for the purpose of assessing their effectiveness against overall organizational goals and objectives, and the ability to design and implement program improvements as necessary to enhance organizational performance. Demonstrated capacity for effective and decisive decision-making, as well as the ability to solve problems of substantial impact, sensitivity, and complexity. Desirable: A thorough understanding of the operations and organization of the Internal Revenue Service and Office of Chief Counsel, and a solid understanding of the Department of the Treasury and its Office of General Counsel, are desirable. (Note: Failure to address these factors will result in your application being disqualified.) Narrative responses to the Technical Qualifications and Desirable Qualifications should not be more than two pages for each. Please provide the Executive Core Qualifications, Technical Qualifications and Desirable Qualifications each on separate sheets of paper. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

Education

For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Office of Chief Counsel, IRS Staffing and Classification Branch 1111 Constitution Ave, NW Washington, DC 20224 US
• Name: Carrie Middleton
• Phone: 202-317-6578
• Email: [email protected]