Summary
This position is located in the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), Office of Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA). The selectee will perform House legislative liaison activities between the AOC, the Congress and external stakeholders on a broad range of AOC program activities.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
See Requirements section of this announcement for information on who may apply.
Duties
The Legislative Affairs Specialist, in support of the legislative program for the AOC, is responsible for legislative initiatives, active legislation, congressional correspondence, hearings, congressional visits, briefings and internal and external communication while staying abreast of legislative initiatives and congressional activity impacting or relating to the AOC.
The selectee has primary responsibility for enhancing the AOC's legislative and other interactions with congressional oversight committees and the congressional community. Identifies and maintains liaison with members of congress, their staff and other key stakeholders in the legislative process to enable the AOC to effectively interact on legislative issues of primary importance to the Architect.
MAJOR DUTIES (quoted at GS-13 level) include:
- Provides support in preparing, reviewing, editing, analyzing and coordinating congressional correspondence. Ensures that all congressional inquiries, written and verbal, are addressed within an adequate timeframe and the response is appropriate and in accordance with AOC policy.
- Tracks deadlines and execution of congressional reports transmitted to Congress. Ensures adequate record-keeping of all official agency communications with Congress through online file management system.
- Creates and coordinates monthly presentations to House oversight committees. Attends/participates in monthly oversight committee meetings. Ensures all related congressional inquiries, written and verbal, are promptly forwarded to supervisors. As needed and with approval from supervisors, responds to inquiries from congressional offices, e.g., individual members of the House and/or their staff and representatives of congressional committees.
- Researches and analyzes high visibility queries/challenges posed to the AOC. Responds to inquiries from congressional offices, e.g., individual members of the House and/or their staff and representatives of congressional committees.
- Supports the legislative program of the AOC, providing technical expert analysis and advice on all legislative matters affecting the AOC. Develops strategy and programs for improving the AOC’s process for proposing and strengthening legislative proposals. Integrates information that assists Congress in understanding the AOC’s policies, actions, operations, projects and requirements.
- Provides oversight and analysis of congressional activities, including analysis and status of significant legislation, rules and daily operations impacting the AOC’s missions and programs. Conducts in-depth research and detailed analysis of congressional marks, bills and reports of interest to the AOC. Determines the potential effect of significant legislation initiatives on the AOC. Tracks initiatives from early developmental stages through the entire legislative process. Analyzes trends and evaluates legislation in order to formulate the AOC legislative plan of action.
- Reviews and monitors a variety of periodicals, papers and journals in order to obtain information related to the AOC’s missions and activities. Verifies information through the Congressional Record for accuracy of verbatim remarks and debates; reviews the congressional schedule to determine and provide coverage for congressional hearings. Provides daily analysis and regular updates on significant activities for the Architect.
- Monitors congressional proceedings and reviews the Congressional Record in order to obtain information on member positions and statements as well as senior level testimony and official statements. Researches and prepares reports, fact sheets, information packets and position papers to disseminate throughout the AOC.
- Researches, analyzes and creates presentations, briefings and speeches. Prepares detailed analytical briefings and reports. Interprets the AOC’s vision to ensure the consistency of the message delivered to all audiences.
- Supports preparation of AOC testimony, budget book, newsletter articles, point papers and drafts briefings, memoranda and web content describing AOC policies, issues and programs. Collects information to help develop statements and build prep books. Schedules and arranges interactions with key external stakeholders such as briefings and tours.
- Directly prepares an agency principle to testify for a hearing.
- Is responsible for utilizing a thorough knowledge of and compliance with applicable AOC and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety rules and regulations.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must pass a drug test
- You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
- Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
- You must meet the Selective Placement Factor
To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet one of the categories below:
- A citizen of the United States;
- A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B);
- A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible;
- A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or
- A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.
Qualifications
You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the 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 at OPM qualification standards
Specialized experience: is experience that has 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 position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
For the GS-12:
Candidates for the GS-12 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-11) grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position is defined as the following: (1) Maintaining professional working relationships with members of Congress and congressional staff and/or congressional liaisons by utilizing congressional and legislative affairs principles and methods; (2) Managing congressional requests for information (promoting coordination and integration of agency requirements and program plans with congressional requests and responding to information requests on the organization's programs in written and oral form); (3) Preparing a variety of clear, cogent, accurate, and well-organized written products. Reviewing these products to ensure they achieved their objective, complied with an agency's or organization's communications policies, are logically constructed, and are written in concise, unambiguous language. Examples include: (a) briefing papers; (b) planning documents; (c) policies and procedures; (d) memoranda; (e) congressional testimony or other analogous high-level materials); (f) talking points; and (g) official correspondence; (4) Monitoring proposed legislative actions; and (5) Directly preparing a Member of Congress for a hearing or agency principle to testify before a hearing.
For the GS-13:
Candidates for the GS-13 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-12) grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position is defined as the following: (1) Maintaining professional working relationships with members of Congress and congressional staff and/or congressional liaisons by utilizing congressional and legislative affairs, principles and methods; (2) Managing congressional requests for information (promoting coordination and integration of agency requirements and program plans with congressional requests and responding to information requests on the organization's programs in written and oral form, often requiring detailed explanations made on the organization's activities or performance in a particular situation); (3) Preparing a variety of clear, cogent, accurate, and well-organized written products. Reviewing these products to ensure they achieved their objective, complied with an agency's or organization's communications policies, are logically constructed, and are written in concise, unambiguous language. Examples include: (a) briefing papers; (b) planning documents; (c) policies and procedures; (d) memoranda; (e) contract proposals; (f) congressional testimony or other analogous high-level materials); (g) talking points; and (h) official correspondence; and (4) Monitoring proposed legislative actions and providing advice on intent and scope.
Selective Placement Factor (All Grades): You must have broad knowledge and experience with legislative affairs that was attained through work performed while working for a Member of Congress in a legislative role or serving in a legislative affairs role in the private sector or serving as a member of a federal agency’s legislative team.
Education
No education substitution.
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 variety of health insurance plans; retirement system with investment options; paid holidays; paid sick and annual (vacation) leave; life insurance; incentive systems; subsidized transportation; training and development opportunities, etc.
The Architect of the Capitol offers eligible employees opportunity to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program.
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.
Review your resume and responses carefully. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your responses to job specific self-assessment questions.
Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement. The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies: [update KSAs for your position below]
- Thorough knowledge of writing, editing and research skills in order to develop comprehensive reports and information papers for the AOC’s senior leadership.
- Skill in analysis and evaluative techniques in order to assess the impact, sequence and timing of key congressional actions with respect to the AOC legislation.
- Skill in legal research, interpretation and critical analysis to enable the incumbent to recommend courses of action and draft legislative proposals designed to achieve AOC strategic objectives.
- Knowledge in the field of legislation and congressional relations in order to advise the Architect and senior leadership on the legislative process, congressional initiatives and the strategy for addressing critical issues.
- Knowledge of the details and protocols of the congressional review process.
- Knowledge of the principles, methods, practices, procedures and techniques of legislative initiatives, congressional hearings and mark-ups, congressional briefings and internal communications.
- Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing to produce and present briefings and other presentations to the AOC chain of command and to members of Congress and their staff.
Your responses to the self-assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating. You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions. Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter. Your resume must support your answers to the self-assessment questions. Falsifying your background, education and/or experience is cause for non-selection or disqualification from further consideration.
Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application). You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required Documents
The Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) job application process is designed to ensure you only provide information necessary to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility for the position vacancy.
To apply for this position, you only need to submit: a) your resume and b) answers to the online vacancy assessment questionnaire. The online questionnaire contains eligibility and screening questions and other relevant information. No additional documentation or attachments are required at the time of application.
Your resume should list your education, training and work experience including job titles, employment dates, duties and accomplishments.
Nothing further is required until it is requested by AOC’s Human Capital Management Division. If additional documentation is required for the position, you will be asked to provide it during the interview or selection process. At that time, you may be asked to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume.
For example, you may be asked to provide a copy of your diploma, college transcripts, or proof of Federal employment status. If the position requires licensure or certification, you will be asked to provide proof at the time of selection.
If Veterans’ preference is claimed, you will be asked to submit proof (DD-214, and, if claiming a 10-point preference, a SF-15 and the proof required by that form).
Failure to provide the required documents will end further consideration and/or result in the withdrawal of any tentative job offers.
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 apply online. FORMS RECEIVED BY FAX, EMAIL OR U.S. POSTAL SERVICE DELIVERY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying. You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page.
NEED HELP?
If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available! If you have problems completing your on-line application, contact the Monster Hiring Management Help Desk at 1-866-656-6831 or by e-mail at MGSHELP@monster.com. The help desk is available Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. You may call and leave a voice mail message at all other times.
All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs “Saved Documents” feature.
If you are unable to apply on-line, you may visit our Employment Center for technical assistance in entering your application. The Employment Center is located at 441 Second & D Streets S.W., Washington, D.C., Room H2-178, and is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You may call (202) 226-7000 for directions.
Next steps
You will receive a notice generated by the USAJobs System when you have successfully submitted your application. we will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.
You can check the status of your application by logging into http://www.usajobs.gov. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJobs Account, editing your profile and changing the ‘Notification Settings’ to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within 2 weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.
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