Associate General Counsel- Designated Agency Ethics Official

Summary

The Associate General Counsel- Designated Agency Ethics Official, reports directly to the Chairman and General Counsel, with day-to-day supervision by the Office of the General Counsel’s Deputy or Associate General Counsel. The incumbent is an attorney and is an expert in the field of Government ethics laws and rules and legal (Bar) ethics laws and rules, and in the management of ethics programs, office, and staff.

Duties

Particular duties include, but are not limited to:

• Exercises all authority of the DAEO with respect to the management of the ethics program in accordance with all applicable government and legal ethics rules and regulations.
• Develops and implements Agency-wide policies, protocols, processes, and systems to ensure effective accomplishment of the NLRB’s Ethics Program’s goals and a strong ethical culture.
• Determines the need for, and develops, Agency supplements to government-wide ethics regulations, and coordinates directly with OGE to ensure appropriate content and timely publication of supplemental regulations.
• Assesses all new NLRB programs and policies for conformance with legal and government ethics requirements and principles.
• Establishes policy and overall direction for an Agency-wide system for the collection, filing, review, and when applicable, public inspection of financial disclosure reports required by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 and by other applicable statutes, Executive Orders, and legal and government regulations.
• Personally advises, or supervises staff in advising, Section 278e Financial Disclosure Report filers on complying with all applicable rules and regulations.
• Establishes policy and overall direction for an Agency-wide system for ethics training as required by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, the Standards of Ethical Conduct for employees of the Executive Branch, the Hatch Act, other applicable statues, Executive Orders and legal and government regulations.
• Performs and supervises staff in performing research and preparation of appropriate documents to carry out the ethics program as required by individual employees’ circumstances.
• Coordinates appropriately with the Office of the Chairman, the Office of the General Counsel, and the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs in answering requests from media or Congressional offices relating to Agency ethics programs and policies or the ethical conduct of Agency employees.
• Represents the NLRB before the OGE, DOJ, and Congress, as appropriate, on legal and other issues concerning Agency ethics and conduct programs; acts as liaison with the same bodies and provides ethics program information to them.
• Ensure that all financial disclosure reports filed by employees are completed and effectively and consistently reviewed for conformance to all applicable statutes and regulations.
• Measures are implemented to correct violations or avert potential violations of the Agency’s standards of conduct and personnel consistently follow-up to verify that appropriate actions have been taken.
• Coordinates the certification and submission of financial disclosure reports, ethics pledges and any other related required documentation for all Presidential appointees requiring Senate confirmation.
• Maintains a cooperative relationship with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) with respect to ethical matters that implicate the functions of both offices.
• In particular, refers cases with potential violations of criminal conflicts of interest laws or ethics-related matters involving fraud, waste, or abuse to the OIG for investigation.
• When there are findings of violations of standards of conduct, advises the Chairman and/or the General Counsel, or other Agency leaders, as appropriate, on potential Agency administrative actions.
• Meets regularly with the Chairman, the General Counsel, or their respective designees, and other management officials as necessary, to update them on the operations of the Ethics Office and apprise them of any relevant developments, whether statutory, regulatory, policy-based, or case-related.
• Manages the provision of legal ethics advice and guidance concerning the Ethics in Government Act, the Standards of Ethical Conduct for employees in the Executive Branch, and the Hatch Act to all Agency employees.
• Counsels all employees on ethics and standards of conduct matters, including post-employment and outside employment issues.
• Researches the best practices internal and external to the Agency, developing benchmarks from public and private sector practices and techniques in order to champion modernization of the ethics program, processes and systems.
• The incumbent is responsible for, and exercises leadership in, the development and acquisition of modern systems and processes.
• Maintains a close working relationship with staff in OCFO, the Division of Administration, OEEO, OCIO, the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, the Division of Judges, and the Office of Special Counsel and Labor Relations to ensure that management throughout the Agency has the resources necessary to ethically manage the Agency’s operations.
• Periodically reviews/ recommends changes in delegated authority in running the Agency’s ethics program.
• Manages subordinate employees by ensuring that those who are delegated authority for ethics functions are qualified and that they receive guidance and training.

Education

Applicant must possess a J.D. or LL.B. degree and be a member of the bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The selectee will be required to provide proof of current bar membership prior to appointment. ALL APPLICANTS must submit proof of successful completion of education requirements.

This proof may consist of a law school transcript, copy of diploma from the applicant’s law school, or other documentation which provides clear and specific proof of education, such as a current SF-50 demonstrating that the applicant is currently occupying a position in the 905 series.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements for this position if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide such evidence by the closing date of the announcement.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted.

Rating and Ranking to determine “Best Qualified” applicants will be conducted by a panel of experts and will be based upon consideration of the degree to which applicants meet the mandatory knowledge, skills and abilities described in the ECQs and positive results from the assessment or structured interview process.

If you meet minimum qualifications, your Application Package will be further reviewed to determine if you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) listed above. ECQs must be thoroughly addressed within your two (2) page resume. Separate narratives will not be accepted or reviewed. Superior applicants may undergo one or more interviews and may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.

Upon selection, if not already a member of the SES serving under a career appointment, the individual selected must have his/her executive qualifications certified by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB) before appointment to this position.

The selected individual’s application will be forwarded to the OPM for review and certification by the QRB, unless the selectee provides evidence of their noncompetitive status (i.e., a current SES, OPM QRB certified SESCDP graduate, or SES reinstatement eligible). Upon QRB certification, the selected individual will be required to serve a one-year probationary period.

For more information regarding the SES, go to Hiring and Talent Development for the Senior Executive Service

Benefits

The National Labor Relations Board offers career opportunities that feature competitive starting salaries and the potential for performance-based increases, flexible hours, and the ability to achieve and maintain a balanced lifestyle.

You will enjoy a range of comprehensive and competitive employment benefits that include Work/Life Balance Programs (Alternative Work Schedules, Telework, Employee Assistance Program, and the Child Care Subsidy Program), the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, Flexible Spending Accounts, Life Insurance, Long-Term Care Insurance, Thrift Savings Plan, and the Transit Benefit Program.

Required Documents

In addition to your responses to the occupational questionnaire and your resume, you must submit the following additional documents specific for this vacancy:

• Your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire, Your resume; (Content of
• Resume: Your resume that you choose to describe your job-related experiences will be used to verify your qualifications.
• Therefore, it is important that the information be specific, detailed where appropriate, and complete.
• Your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present).
• If your resume does not contain this information, your application will be marked as incomplete and you will not receive consideration for this position.) SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (indicating highest grade level held, tenure group, promotion potential and salary.
• Reinstatement eligibles should submit their SF-50 documenting their career appointment to SES if applying for noncompetitive consideration).
• Most Recent Performance Appraisal (Current federal service employees: If performance appraisal is not dated within the last year or if you are unable to provide a performance appraisal, an explanation why must be provided).
• Proof of Active Bar Certification is required.
• All materials must be received by 06/18/2026 to be considered for this announcement.