Director Congressional Relations Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. WWICS-25-DEU-Cong-RCS-01 Department Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Salary $167,603.00 to $195,200.00 Grade 15 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/17/2025 Close Date 1/31/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The incumbent of this position serves as the Director of Congressional Relations. The purpose of this position is to serve within the Office of Congressional Relations with primary responsibility for conducting critical portions of the Wilson Center’s Congressional outreach, especially with the Appropriations and Foreign Relations Committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate, with additional outreach to other Committees as needed.

Duties

Incumbent of this position will perform the following duties and similar unlisted duties in accordance with serving as the Director of Congressional Relations at the Wilson Center. In this role you will lead a team in maximizing the Wilson Center’s Congressional outreach.

  • Lead and manage the staff and budget of the Congressional Relations department at the Wilson Center as well as collaborate with programs offices and the Executive Office to execute the mission of the organization
  • Has authority to plan, assign and review work, and evaluate performance of contract and permanent staff
  • Manage the Center’s relationship with the Appropriations and Foreign Relations Committees as well as other relevant committees
  • Create new and maintain existing relationships in a nonpartisan and bipartisan manner with personal office staff and Committee staff
  • Identify and engage Members of Congress to advance the mission of the Center
  • Provide guidance and direction to the Center’s Foreign Policy Fellowship Program for Congressional staff
  • Maintain and expand the network of Congressional Foreign Policy Fellows who have completed the course through regular activities, informational briefings, and strategy for Wilson Center outreach to the Senate and House of Representatives, ensuring that Center programs and scholars can get their research, publications, and event announcements to the right congressional offices and staff on the Hill on a regular basis
  • Work with Program Directors and their teams across the Center to identify opportunities to expand and improve Congressional Relations opportunities to educate Congressional offices on foreign policy analysis conducted by Wilson Center experts
  • Assist and prepare program teams to brief Congress regularly pertaining to their specific and unique area of responsibility
  • Prepare and coordinate materials for reports to Congress as well as briefings to Congress, Congressional hearings, and other Congressional events
  • Monitor the Center's congressional appropriation and ensure a regular flow of information to relevant staff involved in the appropriations process

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen or National
  • You must complete a background investigation
  • Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable
  • You may be required to complete a one-year probationary period
  • You must maintain a bank account for direct deposit
  • All qualification requirements for this position must be met by the closing date of this announcement
  • Current and former federal employees within the General Schedule (GS) must meet the time-in-grade requirements outlined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the specialized experience and any Key Core Competencies which will demonstrate your ability to perform the major responsibilities of the position.

Specialized Experience- GS-15:

To qualify for the GS-15 Grade level, you must possess at least one year of demonstrated specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, your specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the Grade 14 level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. This experience could have been gained in public or private positions that demonstrate that you possess the following examples of specialized experience:

  • Develop and implement organizational Congressional outreach 
  • Identify and engage Members of Congress to advance the mission of the Organization
  • Plan, assign and review work, and evaluate performance of contract and permanent staff involved in Congressional/Congressional Relations work, with demonstrated result
  • Experience drafting correspondence and talking points to key Congressional Members and Committees and in representation of an organization
  • Knowledge of and experience with Congressional policies, priorities, and activities of the Foreign Policy Fellowship Program (FPFP), and the congressional calendar and agenda
  • Knowledge of and experience with Appropriations and/or Foreign Relations Committee process and the key Members and staff involved
  • Ability to Lead and manage budget and staff of organization involved with Congressional relations work assignments
  • Create new and maintain existing relationships in a nonpartisan and bipartisan manner with personal office staff and Committee staff

NOTE: THIS INFORMATION MUST BE SUPPORTED IN YOUR RESUME/APPLICATION DOCUMENTS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE POSITION 

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

For more information on the qualifications for this position OPM Qualification Standards 

Volunteer Experience: 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

Additional information

The work is primarily sedentary; although, requires moving around to offices and/or to similar areas for meeting to conduct human resources business. May require standing in conjunction with travel and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the worksite.

Work Environment

Work is performed in a typical office setting that is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. 

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the CIGIE with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your CIGIE component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. 

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.

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. Benefits Information

EEO Statement

Reasonable Accommodation Statement

Selective Service

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.

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 résumé and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your résumé 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.

Your application will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures using category rating. 

Your application will then be placed in one of three categories:

Best Qualified

Well Qualified

Qualified

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

  • Congressional Experience
  • Program Management
  • Written/Oral Communication
  • Relationship Building

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three," but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent or higher will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

Note: Failure to submit a resume or supporting documentation may result in elimination for further consideration.

The following documents are required and must be submitted by the closing date of this announcement.

1. Résumé/CV, which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year format, and indicate hours worked per week. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.
2. A complete Occupational Questionnaire (which may include narrative responses)

3. Veteran Preference Documentation:

  • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
  • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
  • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.

4. Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area. You must include: 1) Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above 85 on the rating criteria for this position.


Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

You must submit a complete application package by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of this announcement.

To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
* It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date of the announcement.

*To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. 

* To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

Wilson Center HR
Phone
000-000-0000
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
HRjobs@wilsoncenter.org
Address
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20004
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.


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


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