Government Affairs Specialist, GS-301-14 DE Job in Alexandria, VA

Vacancy No. OD-24-12639923 Department National Science Foundation
Salary $139,395.00 to $181,216.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/17/2024 Close Date 1/6/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Alexandria, VA


Summary

This Government Affairs Specialist, GS-301-14 DE is located in National Science Foundation. The primary purpose of the position is to lead ad hoc outreach and strategic planning, and to manage the Congressional Correspondence System, Congressional reporting requirements, and educational product development efforts.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Any U.S. citizen and ICTAP/CTAP eligible employees. This opportunity is also open to current/former competitive service employees or those with status only under announcement OD-24-12639922.

Duties

As a Government Affairs Specialist, GS-301-14 DE, you will perform the following duties:

  • Represent OLPA's congressional interests by assisting in NSF-wide projects, as budget planning exercises, Congressional hearings, Congressional relations strategies, and information dissemination mechanisms.
  • Develop and implement aggressive outreach strategies to a variety of communities, including the development of strategic outreach tools and products.
  • Develop budget and outreach materials, Congressional updates, fact sheets, information reports, multi-media presentations, official correspondence, position papers, testimony, and white papers in support of the Director, NSF, and senior leadership.
  • Assist in formulating strategy messages and preparing materials on legislative issues.
  • Conduct research and develop various agency-wide products, such as testimony, talking points, roll out plans and briefing memos.
  • Plan, develop, and implement strategic legislative goals.
  • Review NSF and OLPA products for accuracy, adequacy and conformance with agency legislative priorities, messages, policies, and procedures.
  • Perform limited supervision of 1 - 2 staff members as a minor duty.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  1. You must be a US citizen.
  2. Selectee will be required to have a background investigation prior to onboarding.
  3. Selectee may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period.
Additional Requirements

You must answer all job-related questions in the NSF eRecruit questionnaire & any external assessment that is included.

All online applicants must provide a valid email address. If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full/blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

Qualifications

To qualify at the GS-14 grade level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the federal government supporting the development, oversight, and execution of an organization's legislative strategy, ensuring that organizational interests are represented and disseminated.

In addition to meeting the specialized experience above, you must also possess the selective factor.

SELECTIVE FACTOR: I have experience identifying and analyzing science and technology policy issues, and formulating, planning, and executing legislative strategies in support of organizational goals.

Experience refers to paid/unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) & other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, & skills & can provide valuable training/experience that translates directly to paid work. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Education may enhance skills required for this position; however, no substitution of education for specialized experience may be made at this level.

Additional information

Relocation expenses will not be paid.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

It is NSF policy that NSF personnel employed at or IPAs detailed to NSF are not permitted to participate in foreign government talent recruitment programs. Failure to comply with this NSF policy could result in disciplinary action up to & including removal from Federal Service or termination of an IPA assignment & referral to the Office of Inspector General. Foreign Talent Definitions

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)
ICTAP and CTAP provide 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 or CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP or 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 meet the following: OPM qualification requirements for the position, all selective factors, where applicable; special OPM approved qualifying conditions for the position; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate, to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and receives a rating of at least "Very Good" on the questionnaire. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP or CTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.
Additional information regarding ICTAP or CTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources

Veteran's Preference:
If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency. For 5-point veterans' preference, please provide your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions. For 10-point veterans' preference, please submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, DD-214, and the VA letter or other required documentation as specified on the SF-15.

NSF has determined that all of its positions are eligible for telework. Work suitable for telework depends on job duties; therefore, employees must receive approval from their supervisor for telework and have a telework agreement in place. Entering into a telework agreement is voluntary.

This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the National Science Foundation.

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.

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.

Category rating procedures will be used to rank and select eligibles. Based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire, you will be assigned a score. Your score will determine in which of three categories you will be placed: Excellent, Very Good, or Good. Ratings will be assigned based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire which will rate the following competencies:

  • External Awareness
  • Legal, Government and Jurisprudence
  • Manages and Organizes Information
  • Organizational Awareness
  • Stakeholder Management
  • Strategic Thinking


In some cases, additional assessment processes may be used.

Under this process, veterans will be assigned to the appropriate category (without additional preference points) and then placed at the top of their category.

Veterans with service-connected disability of 10% or more will be placed at the top of the highest quality category.

The information contained in your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you meet the competencies required of this position. Please ensure you answer all questions accurately. Your responses are subject to verification. In support of your responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, your resume should include verbiage that describes your experience relative to the position for which you are applying and provide examples that show the depth of knowledge, level of skill, or degree of ability you possess. If your application does not support your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire or your application is not complete, this may result in adjustments to your score, or result in your name being removed from further consideration.

Applicants eligible for selection preference under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or CTAP must meet the agency definition of "well qualified." In NSF categories, this means at least "Very Good" with a score of 90.

To Preview the application questionnaire, click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12639923

Required Documents

All applicants should submit a resume/CV of their choice and may also submit a cover letter.

Additional Documents, if applicable, may include:

  • Veteran's Preference Documentation (DD-214, VA Letter, and SF-15): If you are eligible and claiming 5-point veteran's preference, you MUST submit a copy of your "member copy 4 version" DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veteran's preference, you MUST submit a copy of your DD-214, SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" and the VA letter or other documentation required by the SF-15. (Please note: An SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing veterans' preference will not be accepted as proof of entitlement.)
  • CTAP/ICTAP Documentation: If you are applying under CTAP or ICTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility under 5 CFR 330.602(a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible.
  • Performance appraisals and awards may be considered during the evaluation process if voluntarily submitted.
All uploading must be completed before 11:59 PM Eastern time on the vacancy closing date.

IMPORTANT NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, DATE OF BIRTH OR ANY OTHER PERSONAL IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION ON YOUR APPLICATION DOCUMENTS.

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

Applicants must complete and submit an application online at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) USAJOBS website at https://www.USAJOBS.gov. An account must be established at the OPM website following the instructions provided in order to apply for the position. Once you have completed the USAJOBS process, you will be re-directed to the USA Staffing system to complete your application process, answer the online questions, and submit all required documents. Applications submitted other than the USAJOBS online application WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED under this announcement.

  • Your application and all supporting documents must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. Applicants applying online for this position will be able to apply until 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. Please allow adequate time to complete your application.
  • If you encounter technical difficulties during the process, please submit a USA Staffing Help Ticket for assistance. If you have technical difficulties applying to the vacancy on the USAJOBS website, click on Contact USAJOBS. It is suggested that you do not wait until the last day to apply for a vacancy announcement. We will not accept applications other than those submitted through USAJOBS.
  • As the applicant, it is your responsibility to verify that information entered, uploaded, and submitted is received and is accurate. Ensure that your application includes the required documents listed under "Required Documents" and that they are uploaded in the appropriate fields.
  • If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of this application and hiring process, please notify the point of contact on this job opportunity announcement.

Agency contact information

Staffing and Classification Branch
Address
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
2415 Eisenhower Ave
Alexandria, VA 22314
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

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Applicants should click 'Track this Application' in the Applicant Dashboard to receive application updates.


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