Employee Benefits Law Specialist
What you'd do
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.
Major duties
Duties include but are not limited to the following: - Develops, reviews, and implements regulations and guidance consistent with agency policies and legal standards, including conducting research, drafting rulemaking documents, analyzing public comments, and recommending agency actions. - Researches, develops, and writes complex interpretations, advisory opinions, variances, and other guidance applying ERISA and related laws to specific cases and broader issues. - Provides technical advice and interpretive guidance to EBSA, DOL components, other Federal and state agencies, and stakeholders on ERISA provisions. - Reviews and analyzes regulatory, legislative, and policy issuances from EBSA, DOL, and other Federal agencies for potential impact on ERISA, FERSA, and agency programs. - Serves as an authoritative ERISA resource for internal and external stakeholders, offering interpretive positions, participating in conferences, and supporting investigations and legislative initiatives. - Maintains liaison with other Federal agencies to coordinate interpretations, resolve policy conflicts, and support interagency regulatory projects. - Monitors developments affecting employee benefit plans and ERISA, and contributes to training for EBSA staff. - Reviews the work of lower-level specialists, ensuring legal sufficiency, sound judgment, and alignment with agency policy.
What you need to qualify
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Position titles alone cannot be used to determine if you are qualified. Please list dates in MM/DD/YY format. This is imperative in determining if whether you have at least one year of creditable specialized experience. Dates will not be assumed. You must meet the Basic Requirements and the Specialized Experience to qualify for Employee Benefits Law Specialist, as described below. Basic 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 Specialized 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. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, candidates must demonstrate specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience performing at least 2 of the following 3 duties: Experience providing authoritative technical advice and guidance on complex regulatory requirements, policy issues, and legal interpretations related to employee benefit plans to senior officials, stakeholders, or other interested parties, including explaining policy rationales and addressing controversial or sensitive matters during meetings, consultations, or interagency discussions. Experience conducting extensive legal and policy research, analysis, and evaluation involving ERISA, FERSA, or related laws, regulations, judicial rulings, and precedents to develop recommendations, resolve complex issues, or support regulatory, interpretive, policy, or legislative responsibilities affecting employee benefit plans. Experience drafting, reviewing, or developing complex regulatory and interpretive documents-such as regulations, advisory opinions, information letters, rulings, variances, issue papers, or other technical guidance-that apply statutory and regulatory provisions related to employee benefit plans. Note: Specialized experience must be clearly documented in your resume; merely copying this statement into your application does not demonstrate that you possess the required experience. Reference the Education Section for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.
Before you apply
Federal applications are different: your resume should be 3–5 pages and mirror the language of this announcement. Read our federal resume guide first — it's the #1 reason qualified people get screened out.
Don't miss the next one.
Get an email the moment a similar federal job opens — postings can close in as little as 5 days.