Senior Congressional Relations Specialist

Duties

The Senior Congressional Relations Specialist is a key member of the Congressional Relations team responsible for establishing and maintaining effective relationships and communications with Congressional Members, staffs and Committees, for monitoring and advising on legislative activities, and for providing drafts, analyses, and comments on proposed legislation or other materials for Congress.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Please read this announcement in its entirety prior to submitting your application.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• You must be at least 18 years of age.
• All Federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. For additional information, see www.sss.gov.
• You must complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• You must go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. These documents must be unexpired originalor certified copies.
• You must successfully complete a background security investigation with favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet this requirement will be grounds for employment termination.
• Prior to employment, and in compliance with statutes 5 USC 3322 and 22 USC 2507b, Peace Corps will conduct a check of Peace Corps records for both Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and former Peace Corps employees.
• All new employees are required to certify and submit a state of understanding acknowledging adherence to the Peace Corps condition of employment prior to day 1 of employment with the Peace Corps.
• This position requires a public trust background investigation.
• This is not a bargaining unit position.
• A one-year probationary period is required.
• This position is eligible for additional reappointments, per 22 USC §2506 (a)(8). The initial appointment is a term of five years and subsequent reappointments are in terms of up to five years.

Qualifications

All qualification requirements must be met by 11/12/2024 (the closing date of the announcement). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. To ensure full credit for your experience, please indicate the start and end dates (month, day, and year) of employment, the number of hours worked per week, and the location of employment in your resume. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

Specialized Experience:

This vacancy is being announced at one grade level:

Specialized Experience at the FP-3 (GS-13): To be minimally qualified for this position at the FP-3 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression, FP-4 or GS-11/12 level which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience includes: expert knowledge of Congressional decision-making and legislative processes including organization, procedures, and practice.

Please note:

• Past experience that satisfies the Specialized Experience MUST be well documented within your resume. Failure to provide this information in your resume with corresponding start and end dates (month, day, and year) of employment, the number of hours worked per week, and location of employment may result in disqualification from further consideration.
• Specialized Experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector, or through volunteer work done with National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) or other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).
• One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis.
• Additional information on qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site.
• Peace Corps employees are employed using the Foreign Personnel (FP) pay scale. The FP pay plan does not follow the same structure as the GS pay plan. In the FP pay plan, as the grade-level numbers decrease the level/pay for the position increases. The FP-09 is the lowest entry-level grade and the FP-01 is the highest senior-level grade.

Additional information

The minimum and maximum salaries listed on this announcement include locality pay.

If you are a current federal employee, your agency may grant you reemployment rights in accordance with Section 310 of the Foreign Service Act, 22 USC 3950. You must request and be granted reemployment rights prior to separation from your current federal agency.

Peace Corps Information:

• This is a federal civilian job in the Excepted Service. Peace Corps employees are paid on the Foreign Personnel (FP) pay scale.
• Telework eligible positions do not guarantee telework. See Peace Corps Manual Section 623 for agency policy regarding telework.
• The Peace Corps uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
• This is a drug-free workplace and we promote a drug-free environment.
• Additional hiring needs may be filled through this vacancy.

Intelligence Background Information:

Peace Corps Manual Section 611 is applicable to this position:

• This prohibits the employment of certain persons previously engaged in intelligence activities or connected with intelligence agencies within the past 10 years.
• If you have ever worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), you are not eligible for employment at the Peace Corps in any capacity, and you should not apply for employment.
• Acceptance of employment with Peace Corps precludes employment by certain intelligence organizations for a specific period of time, determined by the employing agency, after Peace Corps employment ceases.

Applicants who are found to be otherwise qualified will be required to submit a completed Intelligence Background Questionnaire upon request, indicating whether the applicant has been involved in or has had any connection with intelligence activities or related work and, if so, the nature and dates of his or her involvement. Failure to meet this requirement will result in disqualification from further consideration. If you have any other type of possible intelligence connection, your application will not be further considered until you submit this form.

Except when the CIA or the National Security Agency (NSA) is involved (see below), if your connection with an Intelligence Agency involves an immediate family member who works or has worked in intelligence, the immediate family member should complete the form, not the applicant. Usually relying on memory is sufficient to answer most if not all of the questions.

If you have an immediate family member who works or has worked for the CIA, you should not give them this form to complete. Please contact your relative in person-not by phone, email, social networking, or any other means that is not in person- and ask him or her to contact the Office of General Counsel at the CIA.

If you or an immediate family member have been employed by or associated with the NSA, you or your family member must contact the NSA Prepublication Review Office at 443-634-4095.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applications will be reviewed once the vacancy announcement closes. We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants:

1. Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications
   • We will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if you are outside of the area of consideration (i.e., who may apply) or your application is missing any required documents. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated or falsified your qualifications, education, eligibility claims, and/or experience, this is cause for disqualification. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements.
2. Rating and Ranking
   • If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required experience by comparing your submitted resume and documents against your responses to the occupational questionnaire and the specialized experience at the grade level(s) for which you are applying. The occupational questionnaire is the list of questions in the automated system that you will have an opportunity to answer once you apply for the position. Based on the outcome of this evaluation, you will be assigned a numerical score (out of 100 possible). If your responses to the occupational questionnaire are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be disqualified from receiving further consideration.
3. Referral and Selection
   • If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• External Awareness
• Political Savvy
• Strategic Thinking

You may preview the questionnaire for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12590966

Help

Required Documents

Your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which establish your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide any of these documents, your application will be marked as incomplete and disqualified from further consideration.

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 11/12/2024 (the closing date of this announcement).

1. Resume:
   • All applicants must submit a detailed resume showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including job title and duties performed. Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support your qualifications. The following information must be provided in your resume:
     • Full name and address of the employer;
     • Official position titles;
     • Start and end dates of your prior employment (including month, day, and year);
     • Work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent);
     • Number of hours worked per week;
     • Salary;
     • If you are a current Federal employee or former Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series, and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09);
     • A detailed list of duties & accomplishments; and
     • Any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
   • TIP: A good way to ensure you include all essential information is to use the Resume Builder in USAJOBS to create your resume. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and disqualified from further consideration.
   • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, you will not be considered for this vacancy.
2. Proof of Eligibility to Apply:
   • Your application must include the documents which prove you are eligible to apply for the vacancy. You must meet the requirements of at least one of the authorities listed in the "Who May Apply" section of this announcement to receive further consideration.
     • Veterans Documents: If you are claiming a Veteran's Preference, you must attach all required documentation at the time of application. For more information regarding veterans' preference, please refer to FedsHireVets:
       • A DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) form, specifically the Member #4 Copy, indicating dates and character of service and discharge type.
       • If you are a Veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more, you must submit a copy of your SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference) AND a copy of your VA Letter stating your disability rating.
     • Transcripts: If you are using education as a substitute for some or all of the experience requirement or there a basic education requirement for this position, an official or unofficial transcript is required. While unofficial transcripts are acceptable for initial application, official transcript(s) will ultimately be required if you are selected for the position. Check the "Education" section of this announcement for more information