Confidential Assistant Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. VAR003256 Department Library of Congress
Salary $121,785.00 to $158,322.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 2/12/2026 Close Date 3/2/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is located in the Researcher and Collections Services (RCS) Service Unit of the Library Collections and Services Group (LCSG).

The position description number for this position is 436987.

The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustment for the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area.

This is a non-supervisory, non-bargaining unit position.

Relocation expenses will not be authorized for the person(s) selected under this vacancy announcement.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

Anyone may apply - By law, employment at most U.S. Government agencies, including the Library of Congress, is limited to U.S. citizens. However, non-citizens may be hired, provided that other legal requirements are met and the Library determines there are no qualified U.S. citizens available for the position.

Duties

Within the Library Collections and Services Group, provides administrative and operational support to the Associate Librarian for Researcher and Collections Services (AL-RCS). Serves as a central point of contact for the AL-RCS executive, communicating frequently with other LCSG senior leaders, directors, chiefs, supervisors, and senior leaders throughout the agency. Works closely with other LCSG confidential assistants to arrange schedules and prepare for meetings and travel. Collaborates with special assistants and other service unit staff on assignments, projects, programs and critical operational responsibilities. Initiates, establishes, and maintains professional relationships with all staff, in LCSG and throughout the Library, to share resources and information and effectively serve the Library’s best interests. Ensures that complete and confidential records are maintained for the activities in which the executive is involved.

Carries out a broad range of special, confidential, and/or sensitive tasks and assignments on behalf of the executive which involve administrative, policy, or operational matters. Manages administrative processes for the office of the Associate Librarian for Researcher and Collections Services, such as task management, routing documents for signature, calendar management, email correspondence, and meeting and travel arrangements. Manages information in written materials to ensure consistency and accuracy of sources of data.

Gathers background information and provides the executive with materials needed to prepare for meetings and respond to inquiries related to the Service Unit goals. Prepares final-form written materials in various formats, collecting, synthesizing and reviewing technical content for accuracy and thoroughness.

Provides advice and guidance on various issues concerning the executive’s administrative or operational workflows. Prepares guidance from management officials based on analyses of interrelated issues of effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of substantive mission-oriented programs. Advises LCSG management officials on the status of policy questions and initiatives currently being considered by the executive and on the executive’s interpretation of policies.

Provides expert analysis and advice on complex program issues based on operations and changing program requirements and identifies relevant issues. Collects relevant information from many varied sources, some of which are difficult to access.

Researches, coordinates and compiles information on variety of program data for briefing materials, talking points, and meeting report outs. Produces written materials in various formats (documents, presentations, online collaboration tools).

Researches, gathers, and compiles information on a variety of programs for briefing materials, talking points, annual or quarterly reports, and statistics. Identifies, and analyzes complex issues or problems impacting administration and operations in major agency organizational components, such as a service unit-wide system. Makes recommendations for and coordinates resolutions and improvements.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Conditions of Employment

Library of Congress employees are prohibited from using illegal drugs, including marijuana. The Library is part of the Federal Government and abides by federal law, so regardless of individual state or District of Columbia laws, marijuana use is illegal, considered criminal activity, and can affect your employment at the Library. In addition, past or current drug use and activities (e.g., selling or distributing) may deem you ineligible for employment.

Qualifications

Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision.

Ability to provide executive support.**

Ability to exercise judgement. **

Ability to write to an executive audience.**

Ability to present information. 

Ability to employ systems thinking.

Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous Federal service will generally be paid at step one of the grade.

The Library of Congress is an equal opportunity employer. 

Applicants must submit a complete application package that is received by the closing date of this announcement.

Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation. For more information, please see:Vetting Process

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please email ADA@loc.gov. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant’s college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application.  Certification from health care providers are not accepted. For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at 202-707-6024 or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.

The Library reserves the right to fill a lesser or greater number of vacancies indicated during the life of this vacancy announcement.

Initial permanent appointments to the Library of Congress require completion of a one-year probationary period. Probationary periods served at other Federal agencies do not count toward this requirement.

The Library of Congress may offer repayment for all or part of federally insured student loans. However, not all service units within the Library of Congress participates in the repayment of federally insured student loans. Therefore, determination to repay a federally insured student loan is subject to approval by the appropriate service unit.

Are you a veteran?  Please indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim.  Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214.  Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15 (click here for the form) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form.  If required supporting documentation is not attached, Veterans' Preference will not be considered in the application process.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

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

The Library of Congress evaluates applicants through an applicant questionnaire and a structured interview. Applicants may also be screened for some jobs through licensing, certification, and/or education requirements, a narrative/application review, and/or a preliminary telephone interview.

The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are marked with a double asterisk (**) in the vacancy announcement and the applicant questionnaire are considered the most critical for a position. To be considered for final selection, applicants must demonstrate fully acceptable experience in these designated KSAs in the narrative/application review, preliminary telephone and/or full structured interview.

The various assessment tools listed above are designed to verify or explore applicants' experience, knowledge, and training directly related to the job in order to identify the best qualified applicants for selection.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

  • Your resume should include relevant work experience, applicable education and your contact information. For current or previous federal employees, include the pay plan, series and grade.

Current or former federal employees must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent).

Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant’s college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application.  The program does not accept certification from health care providers. For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at 202-707-6024 or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

How to Apply

Please carefully follow all instructions under the How to Apply tab to ensure you are considered for the position.

Please note, there is no page restriction to your resume, and you are allowed to upload a resume longer than two pages in the resume section within the application process. When the application system prompts, please proceed to the agency site to complete your application.

You are required to apply online for this announcement. We are unable to accept mailed or emailed documents. You must complete the entire application process, including submission of all documents BEFORE this announcement closes. To do so, complete the following steps.

Step 1: If you do not already have one, create a resume and upload it to your profile in the "Resume" section. Although you must enter your Social Security Number for USAJOBS, this information will not be provided to the Library of Congress.

Step 2: Review the Job Announcement. We recommend you go to the end of the Qualification and Evaluation section of the job announcement to preview the online questions that you will answer in Step 4. You may wish to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions.

Step 3: Click on the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account. You will be redirected to the Hiring Management website to complete the application process. If this is your first time in Hiring Management, you will be asked to answer questions related to your eligibility for Federal employment. You will be able to update this information and save it to our account for future announcements.

Step 4: Once you have completed the eligibility questions, you will be taken directly to the vacancy application questions. Answer all questions honestly and thoroughly.

Step 5: Hiring Management offers one option that will electronically attach your documentation to your online application once you finish answering the questions in the job announcement.
You may electronically upload a document directly from your computer to your application. Be certain to review your complete application for confirmation of the document uploaded and click on "Finished" to be returned to USAJOBS.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have multiple documents of the same kind, e.g. 2 undergraduate transcripts from different schools or 2 SF-50s, etc., be sure that they are all in the same file on your computer. If you try uploading them individually, only the last one sent will be visible in our system. If you have any questions about this information, please contact the person on this announcement BEFORE the closing date.

Step 6: Click on "Finish" after you have completed your application. Once you have submitted your application, you can check your status online through your Hiring Management or MY USAJOBS account. Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation (e.g., SF-50, etc.) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. It is your responsibility to ensure that all documents are received on time and that the materials are readable. Failure to do so will result in your application being excluded from consideration for this announcement.

If you are experiencing any technical difficulty with the online process, you MUST CONTACT THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. For all technical issues please contact jobhelp@loc.gov , no later than 4:00pm EST of the Closing Date. REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.

Agency contact information

Job Help Desk
Phone
202-707-5620
Email
jobhelp@loc.gov
Address
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
101 Independence Ave SE
Washington, District of Columbia 20540
United States

Next steps

Please review our evaluation process under Evaluation. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My USAJOBS" tab and clicking on "My Applications." You will receive final notification via e-mail when the vacancy has been filled.