Supervisory Employee Benefits Law Specialist

Summary

EBSA plays a vital role in protecting the retirement, health, and other job-based benefits of America's workers, retirees, and their families. We issue effective regulations, offer comprehensive education and assistance to workers, plan sponsors, fiduciaries, and service providers, and rigorously enforce the law. We serve workers, families, and the broader employee benefits community by protecting the security and integrity of the nation's benefit systems.

Duties

Major duties for this position include, but are not limited to the following: Track and analyze proposed legislation, regulations, and public policy affecting employee pension, health, and welfare benefit plans under ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, FERSA, and related authorities. Provide authoritative technical assistance and legal/policy advice to EBSA, Departmental leadership, Executive Branch officials, and Congressional staff on employee benefits law and related legislative matters. Develop legislative analyses, policy recommendations, hearing testimony and related questions for the record, justifications, and supporting materials addressing the impact of proposed initiatives on employee benefit plans, EBSA programs, and regulated stakeholders. Provide expert analyses and advice on ERISA and related retirement and health benefits laws, including participant rights and employer and plan official obligations. Formulate legislative and public policy strategies aligned with EBSA's mission, organizational objectives, and long-range program goals. Evaluate legislative and policy options and recommends strategic courses of action to senior leadership on technical and sensitive employee benefits issues. Organize and prioritize work assignments and determine resource needs for legislative analysis, policy development, technical assistance, and related program activities. Establish short- and long-term goals, objectives, and strategies for the office's legislative and public policy functions in support of EBSA priorities. Prepare and deliver briefings, testimony, and presentations for senior officials on legislative, regulatory, and policy matters affecting employee benefit plans. Respond tactfully and effectively to sensitive inquiries, differing viewpoints, and high-visibility issues involving internal and external stakeholders. All other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

You must meet the IOR (Individual Occupational Requirement) and Specialized Experience to qualify for the Supervisory Employee Benefits Law Specialist, as described below. For GS-15: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-14 in the Federal Service. Individual Occupational Requirements: Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study in one or a combination of the following fields - finance, banking, business administration, economics, mathematics, accounting or auditing, pension plan administration, law, industrial relations, public administration, or other related fields. OR Experience: Progressively responsible experience that demonstrated the ability to perform work in the field of pension and welfare plans. Such experience may have been gained in (1) management, administration, development, analysis, audit, financial management, or termination of such plans or their funds; or (2) in closely related work such as taxation, securities, and investments. Specialized experience may have been gained in government, a welfare and pension plan administration or consulting firm, law firm, actuarial or accounting firm, labor union, welfare and pension association or research service, banking trust department, or investment firm. 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. For the GS-15 grade level: In addition to meeting the requirements above, applicants must demonstrate 52 weeks of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal service. Applicants must meet at least 3 out of the 5 statements below: Experience analyzing technical laws, regulations, and policy proposals related to employee benefit plans, including ERISA, and assessing their impact on agency programs, employers, and plan participants. Experience developing policy recommendations, legislative analyses, briefing materials, testimony, or other written products for senior agency officials, executives, or policymakers. Experience providing technical advice and consultation to internal leadership, other Federal agencies, or external stakeholders on employee benefits, retirement, health, tax, insurance, or related regulatory issues. Experience coordinating with multiple organizations or stakeholders to review issues, develop proposals, and support regulatory, legislative, or policy initiatives. Experience managing multi-layered projects or assignments involving research, analysis, scheduling, coordination, and preparation of reports or official documents for high-level review or decision-making.

Education

There is no substitution of education for the specialized experience at the GS-15 level for this position. Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.