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Supervisory Attorney Advisor (General)

Drug Enforcement Administration

Arlington, VAFull-time$169–197K/yrPosted 1 day ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$169–197K/yr
Location
Arlington, VA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Active Bar MembershipDoctorate

Job overview

These positions in the DEA Office of Chief Counsel serve as principal legal advisors to the DEA Administrator on legal issues arising from worldwide drug enforcement and intelligence efforts. The role directs a complex program segment, advises senior executives across a broad range of legal areas, supervises employees, and provides legal guidance on operational, administrative, and personnel matters to advance and protect DEA’s interests.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Legal AdviceResponding to InquiriesPlanning and OrganizingDirecting Section ActivitiesEnsuring Regulatory Compliance

Qualifications

Active Bar Membership4+ Years Post-JD Legal ExperienceJuris Doctor DegreeTime-in-Grade RequirementsTime After Competitive Appointment

Full job description

Summary

These positions are located in the DEA, Office of Chief Counsel These positions' primary purpose is to be principal legal advisors to DEA's Administrator on all administrative, domestic and international criminal, civil, intelligence, regulatory, and asset forfeiture related issues raised by DEA's worldwide drug enforcement and intelligence efforts.

Duties

As a your typical work assignments may include: Works under the general supervision of the appropriate Deputy Chief Counsel or higher. Directs a professional, highly complex program segment and provides authoritative legal advice to Senior Executives within DEA on an extremely broad spectrum of legal areas. Exercises supervisory and/or managerial authorities and provides occupational specific technical and administrative direction over subordinate employees performing the work and functions of the organization. Provides legal advice on numerous matters including procedures, operational issues, administrative, and personnel issues in legal matters to ensure that DEA's interests are advanced and protected. Qualifications

For more information on eligibility requirements see: DEA Employment Eligibility All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. All applicants must be an active member of a bar in good standing (any U.S. jurisdiction). Applicants applying for the GS-15 must have 4 or more years of post J.D. legal experience and meet the following specialized experience : 1) Providing legal advice on numerous matters including procedures, operational issues, administrative, and personnel issues in legal matters to ensure that DEA's interests are advanced and protected; 2) Responding to inquiries from the judicial, legislative and executive branches, officials and employees of DEA, other government agencies, private industry entities and/or the general public on matters of law, procedure, or on pending or potential litigation; and 3) Planning, organizing and directing section activities, and ensuring section employees comply with legal and regulatory requirements and meets agency or customer needs. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

A J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet these criteria, see www.ed.gov. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: ww.naces.org/members.php. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and assessment questionnaire. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. The assessment questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions which provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question in 200-words or less.? You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and have not used a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) candidates must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Candidates are considered well qualified if their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) exceed the minimum qualifications described in the announcement. ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE: You may preview the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13109368. Other Information

For reasonable accommodation at the Drug Enforcement Administration, please contact the Human Resources office listed in this announcement. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If an applicant is currently, or has been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, applicants must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office listed in this announcement. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Division/Office listed in this announcement. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.

How this job compares

Set against the 2,054 open Attorney jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 7, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$169–197K/yr
  • Virginia median$154–203K/yr30 salary ranges
  • US median$115–186K/yr1,346 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $183K, is close to the Virginia median midpoint ($183K) — in the middle half of Attorney salary ranges in Virginia.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 38 open Attorney jobs in Virginia and 2,054 across the US. 6% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Virginia
Experience
This posting asks for at least 4 years of experience; Attorney postings that state a minimum ask for 4 years at the median (1,426 postings).
Education
This posting asks for a doctorate or professional degree; 1,210 of the 2,054 open Attorney jobs (59%) ask for a doctorate or professional degree.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 7, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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