Legal Careers
Chief
The Civil Rights Division (Division) of the Department of Justice, created by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status, national origin, and citizenship status.
Mission
The mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights.
Organization
The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, created by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, is primarily responsible for enforcing federal statutes and executive orders that prohibit, among other things, unlawful discrimination in education, employment, housing, police services, public accommodations and facilities, voting, and federally funded and conducted programs. The laws that the Division enforces also prohibit conduct by law enforcement agencies, as well as conditions of public residential institutions, such as health care and correctional facilities, that violate the constitution.
This position is located in the Civil Rights Division (CRT) in Washington, DC. The Disability Rights Section protects the rights of persons with disabilities under Titles I, II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"). The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in over seven million places of public accommodation, including all hotels, restaurants, retail stores, theaters, health care facilities, convention centers, parks, and places of recreation (Title III), in all activities of over 80,000 state and local governments (Title II), and in all employment practices of state and local government employers with 15 or more employees (Title I).In addition, under Executive Order 12250, the Section coordinates and ensures consistent and effective enforcement of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination based on disability in federally assisted and federally conducted programs and activities. Enforcement of the ADA requires the Section to perform complaint investigations and compliance reviews. It is also responsible for the design and implementation of litigation under Titles I, II and III of the ADA.
As the Chief of the Disability Rights Section, the successful candidate will lead the enforcement of Titles I, II, and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), and associated federal civil rights statutes. The incumbent directs high-impact civil rights litigation, regulatory work, policy development, investigations, and outreach activities nationwide.
The Chief's core responsibilities include:
- Leading investigations and litigation under Titles II and III of the ADA, and litigation against public employers under Title I based on referrals from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the Attorney General's independent authority.
- Managing review and certification of state and local building codes for compliance with ADA Standards for Accessible Design.
- Coordinating enforcement of Title II across federal agencies and providing legal advice and counsel to federal partners on disability-related matters.
- Directing investigations and compliance reviews involving law enforcement, corrections, courts, public safety, and access to public services and programs.
- Overseeing issuance of regulations to implement Titles II and III of the ADA, including those related to architectural accessibility and reasonable modifications.
- Supervising the ADA Mediation Program, enabling efficient resolution of complaints from individuals with disabilities across the U.S.
- Managing the ADA Information Line and overseeing public education initiatives, including development of accessible resources and publications.
- Representing DOJ as a voting member of the Architectural Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, contributing to federal regulatory changes under Section 504.
- Reviewing and approving legal briefs, reports, and arguments to ensure alignment with Departmental policy and applicable precedent.
- Collaborating with senior DOJ officials, including the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, on major litigation, enforcement strategy, and policy development.
- Consulting with the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, and Associate Attorney General on complex legal and programmatic matters impacting civil rights.
- Supervising case development including complaint review, pre-trial litigation, discovery, motions practice, and appeals; and overseeing requests for FBI investigatory support when necessary.
- Establishing Section policy, determining enforcement priorities, developing internal processes, and overseeing budget and personnel planning.
- Ensuring consistent training for Section attorneys and non-attorney staff on evolving disability rights law, litigation strategy, and agency priorities.
- Leading outreach and education efforts with law enforcement, public entities, advocacy organizations, and other stakeholders to promote ADA compliance and systemic reform.
***READ THIS JOB OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT CAREFULLY AND IN ITS ENTIRETY. It contains detailed information regarding the necessary format and content of documents required to ensure you are appropriately considered for the position.***
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is required by law to review the executive qualifications of each new career appointee to the Senior Executive Service (SES) prior to appointment.
To be considered for this position, you must submit a written statement addressing each of the five (5) Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and three (3) Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) listed below. Written statements that include any form of "see resume" in an effort to satisfy the MTQ or ECQ requirement will result in removal from consideration for the position. Further, failure to address both the ECQs (as applicable) and MTQs separately as set forth below will also remove you from consideration for this position.
If you are a current Senior Executive Service (SES) career appointee, a former SES member having reinstatement eligibility, or an OPM-certified graduate of an approved SES Candidate Development Program you are not required to submit the ECQ narratives; however, you must submit the appropriate SF50 (showing SES status) or an OPM Qualifications Review Board certificate.
The ECQ narrative must have one-inch margins on all sides, using Times New Roman, 12 font, and is limited to no more than two pages per ECQ (the page limit includes any headers; therefore, it is recommended to use the Header/Footer section (in Word) for name, page number, ECQ title, etc.). If any ECQ(s) exceed the two-page limit, you WILL NOT receive consideration for this position. It is recommended you save files in Adobe Acrobat and upload pdf files to ensure Word files are not altered during the upload process. You must address how you have demonstrated progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level managerial capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined in this job announcement. Qualified candidates typically gain experience of this nature at or above the GS-15 grade level in the Federal service or its equivalent with state or local government, the private sector, or nongovernmental organizations. For examples and guidance on writing effective ECQ narrative statements that comply with the requirements above, you are strongly encouraged to review the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Guide to Senior Executive Service Qualifications. You must use the Challenge - Context - Action - Result (CCAR) model when describing your accomplishments.
You must also submit a separate narrative statement that summarizes your relevant and technical experience for each of the Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) specifically described in this job announcement. To ensure fairness and equality for all applicants, responses are limited to no more than one page for each MTQ. The page limit includes Name, any headers, spelling out the MTQ, etc. It is recommended you upload pdf files to ensure formatting is not changed during the upload process. MTQs must be written using Times New Roman, 12 font, with one-inch margins on all sides. If the MTQs do not comply with these instructions, you WILL NOT receive consideration for this position.
Mandatory Technical Qualifications:
MTQ 1 - Demonstrated expert-level knowledge of and experience with federal disability rights laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Must have a proven record of success in developing, directing, and managing complex civil rights enforcement strategies, litigation, or legal policy initiatives related to disability rights. This includes leading teams of attorneys and support staff, advising senior leadership, and coordinating with federal, state, or local agencies and stakeholders. The candidate must show the ability to apply legal and policy expertise to achieve systemic impact, uphold civil rights protections, and ensure compliance across varied sectors such as education, employment, health care, housing, and public accommodations.
MTQ 2 - Demonstrated experience managing a complex organization, a diverse workforce (including lawyers, non-lawyer professionals, and support staff), and challenging organizational issues while enforcing the law.
MTQ 3 - Demonstrated experience communicating effectively on complex legal and technical issues through oral and written communication, including the ability to advocate successfully with diverse stakeholders, external partners and individuals or groups having differing and often conflicting interests, on matters related to the successful execution of a large-scale organization's mission, programs and projects.
Executive Core Qualifications:
- Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.
- Leadership Competencies for ECQ-1: creativity and innovation, external awareness, flexibility, resilience, strategic thinking, vision.
- Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.
- Leadership Competencies for ECQ-2: conflict management, leveraging diversity, developing others, team building.
- Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.
- Leadership Competencies for ECQ-3: accountability, customer service, decisiveness, entrepreneurship, problem solving, technical credibility.
- Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.
- Leadership Competencies for ECQ-4: financial management, human capital management, technology management.
- Building Coalitions: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.
- Leadership Competencies for ECQ-5: partnering, political savvy, influencing/negotiating.
The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time Zone) on Wednesday, July 3, 2025
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package.
To apply for this position, see page at https://www.usajobs.gov/job/838800500?_gl=1*4ljhr9*_ga*NjY5MTU3NDA5LjE3NTA5NTM0Njc.*_ga_5222X8D281*czE3NTEwNDkyOTkkbzIkZzEkdDE3NTEwNDkzMjYkajMzJGwwJGgw
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.
150,160.00 to $207,500.00 Per Year
Department Policies
The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. To learn more, please visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.
It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.