This position will serve as an Employee Benefits Law Specialist within the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is committed to educating and assisting the millions of workers, retirees, and their families covered by private retirement plans, health plans, and other welfare benefit plans as well as plan sponsors and members of the employee benefits community. This position is Inside the bargaining unit.

Duties

Selectee(s) will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and be eligible for telework as determined by agency policy. This is not a remote position. The Office location will be in Washington, DC. Major duties include but are not limited to: - Provides advice and guidance to the Division Chief and the Office Director regarding the interpretation and application of the exemption provisions of ERISA and FERSA (i.e., sections 406, 407(a), and 408(a) of ERISA and sections 8477(c)(2) of FERSA) and section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code. - Conducts research (i.e., including the review of legislative history, existing law, trends in requests for individual exemptions, industry practices and concerns, administrative and judicial decisions, and public comments) to determine the policy, legal, economic, and enforcement implications of amending an existing class exemption or promulgating a new exemption. - Identifies and recommends classes of transactions for which conditional relief from the provisions of ERISA, FERSA, and/or the Internal Revenue Code may be appropriate, and which should be the subject of deregulation initiatives; drafts resulting proposed and final class exemptions encompassing ap roved policies. - Leads efforts involving the analysis, formulation, and issuance of extremely complex, precedent setting individual exemptions which may have industry-wide ramifications and/or potential for class exemption relief. - Recommends the need for and conducts public hearings for the purpose of gathering information, negotiating exemption conditions, and presenting Agency proposals and justifications pertaining to class and individual exemptions. - Reviews and analyzes factual, regulatory, and policy issues raised by regulatory, legislative, policy, and exemption initiatives proposed or taken by other Federal agencies (e.g., IRS, SEC) to assess their potential impact on the provisions of EBSA and FERSA and exemptions already issued and proposed. Coordinates these reviews with other OED components and EBSA offices. - Recommends positions to be taken by EBSA or DOL in relation to other Agency initiatives which impact employee benefit plan operations, application of exemptions generated by EBSA, and EBSA/DOL programs. Through Division Chief, provides memoranda and options papers to key OED and EBSA managers. - Provides on-the-job training and coaching to new professional, Division employees, providing guidance regarding (1) research and the development of analyses; (2) use of relevant source materials; (3) exemption provisions, policies, and procedures; (4) legislative history, case law, and precedential materials; and (5) Division work methods. In cooperation with other EBSA offices, prepares and updates training manuals and technical materials. - Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

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

Qualifications

You must meet the Basic Requirements listed in the Education Requirements section and the Specialized Experience to qualify for Employee Benefits Law Specialist, as described below. For GS-14: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-13 in the Federal Service. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Qualifying specialized experience for GS-14 is defined as: Progressively responsible experience that demonstrated the ability to perform work in the field of employee benefit plans and/or health insurance. Such experience may have been gained in (1) management, administration, development, analysis, audit, financial management, or termination of such plans; or (2) in closely related work, such as health insurance. Specialized experience may have been gained in government, employee benefit plan administration or consulting, a law firm, an actuarial or accounting firm, a labor union, a relevant trade association or research service, or an insurance company. 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.

Education

There is no educational requirement at the GS-14 grade level.

Contacts

• Address Employee Benefits Security Administration 200 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20210 US
• Name: Sheree Grant
• Phone: 202-693-7627
• Email: [email protected]