Director, Educational Opportunities Section

Summary

The Civil Rights Division (CRT or Division) is seeking an experienced attorney to serve as the Director, Educational Opportunities Section.

Duties

As the Director of the Educational Opportunities Section, the successful candidate: Directs and oversees Section operations, including litigation, investigations, policy development, outreach, and strategic planning. Leads enforcement of federal civil rights laws involving discrimination in educational settings based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability, and English learner status. Oversees complex and high-profile litigation and investigations involving systemic discrimination and constitutional or statutory violations. Reviews and approves litigation recommendations, settlement agreements, investigative findings, and legal memoranda. Advises Division and Department leadership on legal, policy, and operational matters affecting educational civil rights enforcement. Represents the Section and Division in meetings with federal agencies, educational institutions, advocacy organizations, congressional staff, and other stakeholders. Supervises attorneys, investigators, analysts, and administrative staff, including workforce planning, performance management, and employee development. Establishes Section priorities, allocates resources, and ensures compliance with Department policies and management requirements. Coordinates with United States Attorneys' Offices, Department components, and federal agencies on enforcement and policy initiatives. Qualifications

***READ THIS JOB OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT CAREFULLY AND IN ITS ENTIRETY. It contains detailed information required to ensure you are appropriately considered for the position.***The application process for Senior Executive Service (SES) is RESUME-ONLY. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Your resume file must be 5 MB or smaller. For best results, save and upload your resume as a PDF to preserve its formatting and page count. You may also upload files in GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, ODT, or Word (DOC or DOCX) formats. Do not upload PDF portfolios, as the system will not accept them. It is recommended that applicants use a clean, common font such as Lato, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, Roboto, or Noto Sans. Set margins to 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point font for section titles and 10-point font for the main text. The Resume Builder can also support these recommendations and uses information from your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. **Note: If you are a current SES career appointee, a former SES member having reinstatement eligibility, or an OPM-certified graduate of an approved SES Candidate Development Program and have had their ECQs certified by OPM, you must provide a copy of your certificate. Possessing an SES certification does not remove the requirement to address the position's MTQs. You must submit the appropriate SF50 (showing SES status) or an OPM Qualifications Review Board certificate. We recommend that your resume emphasize your level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of the programs managed, and your program accomplishments, including the results of your actions. You will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required of the position and on the extent your application demonstrates that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of theDirector, Educational Opportunities Section. Be sure to give concrete examples of your experience and demonstrate the complexity of the knowledge you possess. Applicants must clearly demonstrate their leadership abilities by addressing the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) in their resume. Make sure your accomplishments clearly show how you meet each qualification. ECQS 1. COMMITMENT TO THE RULE OF LAW AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDING. Demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the Rule of Law, and commitment to serve the American people. 2. DRIVING EFFICIENCY. Demonstrated ability to strategically and sufficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades. 3. MERIT AND COMPETENCE. Demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality. 4. LEADING PEOPLE. Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals; To drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. 5. ACHIEVING RESULTS. Demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to state goals from superiors. MTQs 1. Demonstrated expertise applying and enforcing federal civil rights statutes in the education context, including Titles IV and VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Experience includes providing authoritative legal analysis and guidance; developing and implementing enforcement strategies; and overseeing complex investigations and litigation. 2. Demonstrated experience managing a complex organization, a broad workforce, and challenging organizational issues while enforcing policies and law. 3. Demonstrated experience communicating effectively on complex technical issues through oral and written communication, including the ability to advocate successfully with broad stakeholders, external partners, and individuals or groups having differed and often conflicting interests, on matters related to the successful execution of a large-scale organization's mission, programs, and projects.

Education

Applicants must possess a J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and be a member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar. (Include in your resume the month and year in which you obtained your degree and the name of the College or University from which it was conferred/awarded.) How You Will Be Evaluated

Only experience obtained by the 11:59pm EST on the closing date 11/12/2026 of this announcement will be considered. After this announcement closes: An HR Specialist will review your resume and supporting (required) documentation. Applicants found minimally qualified will be referred to an Executive Resources Board (ERB). The ERB will evaluate applications to determine the best qualified applicants for referral to the hiring official. The hiring official may contact applicants to participate in an interview. Interviews may be in a virtual setting or in person at DOJ offices. The hiring official will make a selection, which must be approved by CRT's Assistant Attorney General. The selectee will receive a tentative offer from the agency; however, before an agency can appoint a new SES member, the selected individual will be subject further evaluation through a structured interview by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Review Board (QRB) as required by law. OPM must review the executive qualifications of each new career appointee to the SES prior to appointment. NOTE: You MUST address all MTQs as required above, but do not need to address the ECQs if you: Are currently serving under a career SES appointment; Are eligible for reinstatement into the SES; or Have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program and been certified by Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Proof of Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certification must be provided in your application. Other Information

Only experience obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. EEO Policy Statement: : The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factor. The complete DOJ EEO Statement/Policy is found at: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1394116/download. Reasonable Accommodation: Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. DOJ offers a comprehensive benefits package. Please see the "Benefits" area below for details. Legal and Regulatory Guidance Social Security Number - Your Social Security Number is requested under the authority of Executive Order 9397 to uniquely identify your records from those of other applicants who may have the same name. As allowed by law or Presidential directive, your Social Security Number is used to seek information about you from employers, schools, banks, and others who may know you. Failure to provide your Social Security Number on your application materials will result in your application not being processed. Privacy Act - Privacy Act Notice (PL 93-579): The information requested here is used to determine qualifications for employment and is authorized under Title 5 U.S.C. 3302 and 3361. Signature - Before you are hired, you will be required to sign and certify the accuracy of the information in your application. False Statements - If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or you may be subject to fine, imprisonment, or other disciplinary action. Selective Service - If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.