Congressional Affairs Contact Officer (CACO) Job in Fort Detrick, MD

Vacancy No. HQKF255851579704D Department Defense Health Agency
Salary $120,579.00 to $185,234.00 Grade 4 to 4
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/13/2025 Close Date 1/22/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Fort Detrick, MD


Summary

About the Position: MRDC is now part of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Research & Development (R&D). We are the medical materiel developer, with responsibility for medical research, development and acquisition. Our expertise in these critical areas helps establish and maintain the capabilities the military needs to remain ready and lethal on the battlefield. Please visit our website https://mrdc.health.mil/

Duties

  • Coordinate and prepare responses to congressional inquiries by receiving, reviewing, and interpreting the specific requirement.
  • Collaborate directly with all offices within the Defense Health Agency Research and Development, MRDC Headquarters or any of its Direct Reporting Units (DRU) to prepare responses to congressional inquiries. Lead and plan Congressional engagements.
  • Prior to releasing the response, ensure the response is routed for review and analysis to the Public Affairs Office (PAO), Security Office, as well as other offices as needed
  • Serve as primary point of contact for Army congressional liaisons to include Office of the Chief Legislative Liaison (OCLL) and the Secretary of the Army Financial Management-Budget Liaison Office (SAFM-BUL).
  • Serves as the primary point of contact for congressional inquiries with the Army Futures Command (AFC) and the Defense Health Agency (DHA).
  • Analyze all incoming congressional inquiries to determine the necessary actions to take in order to provide an acceptable response to the elected Members of Congress (MOC), their staff, or a Professional Staff Member (PSM).
  • Monitor and advise Medical Research and Development Command (MRDC) Headquarters staff and the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) on congressional activities and legislation.
  • Write information papers to collate vast amounts of information in order to present the most relevant information that specifically addresses a congressional inquiry.
  • Participate in the development and shaping of command messaging to Members of Congress (MOC) related to authorizations and appropriations for research, development, test and evaluation (RDT and E) programs.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • Must obtain and maintain Secret Security Clearance.
  • Two Year Probationary Period Required.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

DHA Research & Development (R&D) is participating in an alternative personnel system known as the Personnel Demonstration Project (PDP). The DJ-04 pay band is equivalent to the GS-13, Step 01 through GS-14, Step 10. In keeping with the Demonstration pay fixing policies, employees earning a salary that falls within this pay band, may not receive an immediate pay increase (promotion) if appointed to this position. Future pay increases within the pay band will be accomplished through the pay for performance management system.

In order to qualify, you must meet the education requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes (1) Experience developing policy and/or procedures for handling congressional matters (2) Experience initiating and refining congressional policies, procedures, and messages (3) Experience with coordinating and shaping congressional visits

This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (DJ-03/GS-12).


You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:
  • Administration and Management
  • Attention to Detail
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication

Education

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Additional information

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • Extended Probationary Period: The length of the probationary period for the Administrative and Management Occupational Family will be two years.
  • Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.

Benefits

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.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category.

  • Best Qualified. Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
  • Highly Qualified. Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
  • Qualified. Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for the announced position.
You may claim Military Spouse preference.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

  • Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
  • For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
2. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/22/2025 to receive consideration

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12649704).
  • Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
  • It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
  • Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Address
KF-DHA-DD60RA DHA R/D ACT-MRDC
DO NOT MAIL
Fort Detrick, MD 21702
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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