Description

Join CLDP’s Energy & Minerals team to advance U.S. commercial and national security objectives by building fair, transparent, and investment-ready legal frameworks around the world. You’ll partner with foreign governments, development finance institutions, and industry stakeholders to strengthen laws, regulations, and transactions across the minerals and power sectors.

Position at a Glance

Title: Attorney-Advisor (Energy & Minerals)

Organization: Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce

Portfolios: Minerals sector and Power sector (multiple vacancies)

Location: Washington, DC (headquarters-based; regular international travel)

Grade: GS-13 or GS-14, based on experience; promotion potential up to GS-14/10

What You’ll Do

•         Design and deliver technical assistance to improve commercial legal frameworks for trade and investment.
•         Advise on laws, regulations, and transactional instruments; comment on draft legislation and policy.
•         Facilitate programs in partner countries and host delegations for U.S.-based study tours.
•         Collaborate with U.S. government, foreign counterparts, DFIs, and private sector stakeholders.

Minerals Portfolio – Example Focus Areas

•         Lifecycle legal and regulatory frameworks: exploration, exploitation, operations, tailings, closure, brownfield, transport, and processing.
•         Investment and project finance; permitting/licensing; enforcement; insolvency; arbitration; taxation for energy and minerals.
•         Drafting, interpreting, and reviewing mining codes/regulations; mineral concessions and contracts; hydrocarbons laws; investment agreements; project finance documents.
•         Organize and deliver expert legal reform programs on the policies, laws, regulations, contracts, and standards for host countries to increase energy and/or mineral production, including those in critical minerals and materials supply chains

Power Portfolio – Example Focus Areas

•         Legal and regulatory structures enabling investment in generation, storage, and transmission infrastructure.
•         Drafting/review of power sector transactional documents: PPAs, PILOT agreements, ROWs for transmission, utility franchise agreements, host government instruments, and project finance documents.
•         Consult with senior foreign and Tribal government officials
•         Assess development needs and barriers to investment
•         Design, implement and evaluate legal reform technical assistance programs that meet the policymakers and regulators’ economic development needs and are in line with U.S. energy policy goals
•         Engage in general cutting-edge legal and regulatory reform work that would support investment in power generation, storage, transmission infrastructure to meet new demand, including from data centers in coordination with foreign and Tribal governments

What We Offer

•         Mission-driven international legal work with tangible impact on energy and minerals governance.
•         Collaborative, multidisciplinary team environment and professional growth opportunities.
•         Competitive federal compensation aligned to GS pay scales with locality pay, plus comprehensive federal benefits.
•         Learn more about the office, team, and programs on our website: https://cldp.doc.gov/about-cldp

How to Apply

•         Email your resume, cover letter, and law school unofficial transcript to: kweaver@doc.gov. AND
• Apply through USAJobs for energy and/or minerals portfolio:  https://www.usajobs.gov/job/856381200
• Apply through USAJobs for power sector portfolio:
• https://www.usajobs.gov/job/857444000
•         If your experience does not match every qualification below, we still encourage you to apply if you meet the baseline requirements above.

Requirements

Baseline Requirements (Must Have)

•         U.S. citizenship.
•         Active membership in good standing with a U.S. State or Territory Bar.

Qualifications

Minerals Sector (Highly Relevant Experience)

•         Prior legal experience in minerals, mining, energy, and/or related infrastructure and supply chains or industrial sectors.
•         Experience with enforcement, permitting/licensing, insolvency, arbitration, project finance, and/or taxation related to energy and minerals.
•         Hands-on experience with mining legal instruments (e.g., mining codes/regulations, concessions, contracts, project finance documents).

Power Sector (Highly Relevant Experience)

•         Prior legal experience in the energy sector—especially power generation and transmission.
•         Experience drafting/reviewing PPAs and other power sector instruments (PILOT, ROWs, utility franchise agreements, host government instruments, and project finance documents).
•         (For Tribal portfolio) Knowledge of U.S. federal and state regulations applicable to energy and power sector development on Tribal land

Cross-Cutting Preferences

•         Experience working with foreign and/or Tribal governments, development finance institutions, private sector (strongly preferred).
•         Willingness to travel internationally ~6–8 times per year (plus occasional domestic trips).
•         Additional language skills (preferred, not required).