Supervisory Attorney Advisor (Division Chief)

Hiring Organization

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

Hiring Office

Office of Public and Governmental Affairs

Attorney Appointment Type

Attorney Permanent

Job ID

27-PGA-EXC-13080209-CLG

Location:

99 New York Avenue North East

Washington , DC 20226 - United States

Application Deadline:

Friday, November 27, 2026

About the Office

This position is located in the Office of Public and Governmental Affairs, Information and Privacy Governance Division administering the disclosure provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) and formulate programs and policies concerning the collection and release of official records.

Responsible for serving as the principal legal advisor to ATF's Executive Staff and Senior Management officials on all matters relating to the public disclosure of records.

Job Description

The major duties of the Supervisory Attorney Advisor (Division Chief) position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Supports the mission of the Office of Public and Governmental Affairs (PGA), and its mission is to administer the disclosure provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA).
• Formulates programs and policies concerning the collection and release of official records.
• Responsible for serving as the principal legal advisor to the Bureau Executive Staff and Senior Management officials on all matters relating to the public disclosure of records.

Qualifications

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements described in this announcement by the closing date.

To qualify at the GS-15 level, applicants must have at least six years of specialized experience as a practicing attorney.

Must possess a J.D. degree and hold an active bar membership.

Specialized Experience is experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the position.

• Interpreting, applying, or advising on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Privacy Act (PA), or closely related federal disclosure and administrative-law requirements in complex matters; AND
• Analyzing complex legal and factual records to identify governing authorities, evaluate competing arguments, assess litigation or appeal risk, and recommend legally defensible courses of action; AND
• Preparing or substantively reviewing legal opinions, memoranda, declarations, Vaughn indexes, appeal analyses, litigation support materials, policy documents, or other complex written legal products; AND
• Providing legal advice, briefings, or counsel to senior officials, program personnel, attorneys, requesters, or other stakeholders on complex disclosure, privacy, litigation, or information-governance issues; AND
• Negotiating or resolving complex matters with requesters, opposing or litigating counsel, other agencies, public-interest organizations, media representatives, oversight entities, or comparable sophisticated stakeholders; AND
• Planning and prioritizing staff work assignments, evaluating staff performance, and advising staff on technical and administrative matters of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA).

Application Process

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement November 27, 2026.

It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation to prove you possess the required

specialized experience for this position.

IF YOU OMIT ANY OF THE REQUIRED INFORMATION, YOU RUN THE RISK OF BEING FOUND INELIGIBLE FOR THE POSITION.

Resume - All Applicants

You must submit a resume (strictly two pages or less) that serves as the primary evidence of your qualifications. To demonstrate that you meet the specialized experience requirements, your resume must comprehensively and explicitly link your career history to the specialized experience competencies of this role.

To reduce possible disqualification due to a lack of verifiable information, you should include all six of the following elements for every job entry listed in your employment history.

If any element is omitted, the HR Specialist may be unable to determine your eligibility, resulting in your removal from consideration with an ineligible rating:

• Official Position Title: State your exact federal or corporate title to establish the professional level of your experience. For example, Division Chief, Group Supervisor, etc.
• Employer Name and Contact Information: Provide the company/agency name and a valid phone number or email address for verification purposes.
• Start and End Dates: List the exact month and year for both the start and end of each employment period to verify you meet the time-in-grade and minimum duration requirements for specialized experience.
• Hours Worked Per Week: Explicitly indicate if the position was full-time or state the exact number of hours worked per week if part-time. (Specialized experience is credited based on a 40-hour work week; failure to provide hours means your experience cannot be quantified or credited.)
• Pay Plan/Series/Grade: For all federal positions held, you should explicitly state your Pay Plan (i.e., GS, GL, etc.), Series (i.e., 1811, 1801, 2210, etc.) and Grade (e.g., GS 01-15). It should be expressed as following example GS-1811-14). If a position was in the private sector or was volunteer work, explicitly state "N/A - Private Sector" or "N/A - Volunteer" so the HR Specialist can accurately assess your equivalent level of experience.
• Duties Performed and Accomplishments: Provide a targeted list of responsibilities and measurable achievements. This section must directly mirror and provide evidence of the specialized experience outlined in the qualifications section of this announcement. Use action-oriented, quantifiable bullets to demonstrate your mastery of the required skills.

Showing relative permanent and volunteer work experience, education, and training. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations.

Additional Documents that must be uploaded

• Legal writing sample (no more than 15 pages)
• Law school transcript official or unofficial showing degree conferred by closing date of the announcement (Note: If you're selected for this position, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day.)
• Active bar membership.

Current or Former Political Appointees

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees.

If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position title;
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
• Agency; and
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

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

$169,279.00 to $197,200.00 Per Year.