Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens, lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligibles and Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) employees.

As the Senior Appropriations Advisor, you will serve as the principal advisor to the Director of the Secret Service and his senior staff on matters related to the agency's appropriations, legislative and regulatory initiatives, as well as intergovernmental affairs. In this role, you will serve as the primary point of contact for Members of Congress and key congressional staff members regarding complex, potentially controversial, and time-sensitive issues that require a comprehensive understanding of the agency's operations and annual budget submission. You will be responsible for ensuring key officials of the Secret Service are informed and supported in planning and conducting congressional budget briefings, testifying before the Committees on Appropriations in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as closed session meetings. To ensure alignment with congressional appropriations and strategic priorities of the Secret Service, you will be instrumental in developing innovative plans and programs to further strengthen coalitions between congressional staff and agency senior leadership.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Maintaining close contact with the Appropriations Committees on Capitol Hill and effectively responding to their concerns and inquiries.
• Writing authoritative documents critical to effective decision making of agency executive staff as it relates to appropriations and the legislative process (i.e., bill and report language summaries, hearing testimony, briefing books, correspondence, etc.).
• Evaluating existing communications methods and developing alternative approaches, as necessary, to better justify the agency's programs, projects, and activities as they pertain to the agency's mission, accomplishments, and future goals.
• Ensuring consistency on budgetary and legislative priorities during internal development of the Congressional Justification and in preparing senior executive leadership to testify before Congress.
• Coordinating official Questions for the Record with the Department of Homeland Security to address cross-cutting budgetary issues and ensure alignment with broader Departmental priorities.
• Advising and consulting on budget formulation and reprogramming activities being pursued concurrently and sequentially with the congressional appropriations process and through the support of other senior leaders within and outside the organization.
• Preparing and clearing formal reports and briefing slides required by appropriations law, in coordination with applicable directorates within the Secret Service, as well as the Office of the Chief Financial Officer within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with https://www.sss.gov/verify/ or are exempt from having to do so.

If selected for this position, you will be required to:

• Obtain and maintain a Top-Secret clearance.
• Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position.
• Submit a credit check after a conditional offer of employment has been accepted.
• You must file a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report OGE-278e within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.

There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations. Please read and retain these documents:

• Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights, for those who undergo an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history record check for personnel vetting, which includes Rap Back,
• FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI (this is the same statement used when your fingerprints are submitted as part of your background investigation), and
• SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov), (applicable to those who hold a sensitive position or have eligibility for access to classified information)

Qualifications

To be considered qualified for this position you must meet the following qualification requirements for the Senior Appropriations Advisor position in which you are applying.

You must have specialized experience that is equivalent to the GS-15 grade level or above, which demonstrates your knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience is typically in or related to the work of the position as described in the "Duties" section listed above. Such experience may include:

• Formulating policy and legislative priorities related to protection, investigative operational requirements, training initiatives, human capital improvements or any other area with a budgetary nexus.

• Evaluating communication methods and making recommendations on ways to best articulate programs and their long-term strategic goals.

• Providing an understanding of an organization's operations, as well as guiding policies and regulations, in order to communicate effectively with stakeholders regarding complex issues.

• Advising and consulting on budget formulation and reprogramming activities.

PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (PTQ): Candidates must demonstrate their experience meets the PTQs for this position within their two-page resume. Separate narratives will NOT be accepted or reviewed.

PTQ-1: Comprehensive knowledge and executive level experience providing extensive advice and guidance to key financial management personnel, managers, and senior leadership on the principles, practices, laws, and regulations of budgeting and finance.

PTQ-2: Expertise preparing written formal and informal documents critical to effective decision making related to funding and legislative proposals.

PTQ-3: Demonstrated experience establishing and maintaining high-level contacts with Federal, state, local and international government agencies, law enforcement organizations, and/or private institutions, to develop and enhance collaborative pursuits and promote information and resource sharing.

Desired Qualification:

• At least five years as a technical authority on appropriations and other congressional affairs.

Time-in-grade requirements do not apply to SL positions, so applicants do not need to have spent a certain period of time at the GS-15 or equivalent level.

The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

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.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience and training relevant to the duties of the position.

Subject Matter Expert Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SME) will review your resume to determine your professional technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. SMEs will review your resume, starting at your work experience. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume). Highly qualified applicants will be referred for a structured interview.

Interview Requirement: Multiple interviews may be required for this position. Failure to complete the interview(s) may result in removal from further consideration. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you may be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

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

• Budget Administration
• Strategic Thinking
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Finance
• Organizational Awareness
• Technical Competence
• Technical Credibility

Veterans: Qualified preference eligible veterans who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements will be placed above non-preference eligibles. View information on veterans' preference.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the Federal government, you are not ICTAP eligible. View information about ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered eligible under ICTAP, you must be deemed qualified based on the structured resume review, as described above. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must be 1) a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. Veteran's preference does not apply under Merit Promotion procedures. View VEOA information on Feds Hire Vets.

A complete application includes items described below. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

Please carefully review the following list to determine what documentation you need to submit. Some documents may not apply to all applicants.

1. RESUME: All applicants are required to submit a resume limited to two (2) pages (i.e., 1 page that is double-sided or 2 pages that are one-sided each) showing all relevant experience. PLEASE DO NOT USE USAJOBS RESUME BUILDER. When uploading your Resume, select the supporting document type "Resume".

2. VACANCY QUESTIONS: Responses are automatically submitted through USAJOBS when you apply to this vacancy.

3. Current or former Federal civilian employees, please include your most recent SF-50: Notification of Personnel Action, which shows series, grade, tenure (Box 24) and position occupied (Box 34). When uploading your SF-50, select the Supporting Document Type labeled "SF-50/Notification of Personnel Action."

4. Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)? Submit a copy of your agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance appraisal (with at least a satisfactory rating) and a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, noting your current position, grade level, and duty location.

5. Are you a Veteran? Submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) or Statement of Service. If a DD-214 is not available, submit your Statement of Service from the Armed Forces that list the beginning and ending dates of active service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions. Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out the SF-15 (click here for the form) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. Click here for more veterans' information.

6. Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: Position title, Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee) Agency, beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Do not submit any additional documents. Unsolicited documents will not be considered.

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