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Congressional Research Review Specialist

Legislative Branch
Library of Congress
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is seeking a senior Congressional Research Review Specialist to work in the CRS Review Office. The Review Office is a four-person unit within the Office of the Director. The Review Office is responsible for the final agency review and approval of all CRS written research products, including reports, confidential memoranda, congressional testimony, and seminars, briefings, and presentations for Members of Congress and congressional committees and staff. Each Review Specialist is responsible for reviewing up to two dozen CRS products daily, often under tight deadlines, in response to congressional demands, and in anticipation of pending issues before Congress.

The Review Specialist is responsible for reviewing, evaluating, and clearing written research products prepared by staff within all six CRS research divisions, These products may involve issues addressing constitutional law and other legal matters; domestic social policy; foreign affairs, defense, and trade; federal government operations and finance; and natural resources management, science, and industry.

The Review Specialist interacts with CRS analysts, legislative attorneys and informational professionals to ensure that CRS products meet the organization’s strict quality and policy standards for authoritativeness, objectivity, accuracy, and nonpartisanship. The Review Specialist provides advice and guidance to CRS research staff on the preparation of written research work, is responsible for explaining review policies to CRS research staff and managers and recommends or introduces edits or other changes to such products often via use of common editing software.

CRS works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS has been a valued and respected resource on Capitol Hill for over a century.

CRS is well known for analysis that is accurate, authoritative, confidential, objective and nonpartisan. Its highest priority is to ensure that Congress has immediate access to the nation's best thinking on public policy issues of interest to its Members and Committees.

The Congressional Research Service, within the Library of Congress, is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
06/21/2017 to 07/31/2017
Salary
$131,767 to - $161,900 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington DC, DC
1 vacancy
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Open
Service
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Announcement number
VAR000140
Control number
472678300

This job is open to

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Duties

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Reviews, evaluates, and clears written products from all CRS divisions, including American Law; Domestic Social Policy; Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade; Government and Finance; Resources, Science, and Industry; and the Knowledge Services Group.

Interacts with authors to ensure that products meet the organization’s quality and policy standards of authoritativeness, objectivity, impartiality, and nonpartisanship.

Provides advice and guidance to CRS research staff on the preparation of written research work.

Participates in the development of CRS review policies.

Responsible for explaining review policies to CRS research staff and managers.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

No additional requirements to those listed above.

Qualifications

Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision.

Knowledge of several different areas of public policy. **

Ability to review written products and make recommendations. **

Ability to negotiate changes with authors and/or management to remedy deficiencies in reviewed products. **

Ability to interact collaboratively with others.

Ability to exercise objectivity.

Ability to exercise judgment and discretion.

Ability to work effectively in a high pressure environment.

Knowledge of the rules, procedures, organization, and operations of the U.S. government.

Knowledge of research standards and methodologies.

Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.

Additional information

Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous Federal service will generally be paid the minimum step of the grade.

The Library of Congress is an equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities who meet eligibility requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applicants must submit a complete application package that is received by the closing date of this announcement.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please ADA@loc.gov. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The certificate of disability must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and may be issued by a State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, a Disability Services or Career Services Office of the applicant's college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The date of certification must be within three (3) years of the vacancy closing date and must be submitted with your application. For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Programs at 202-707-3960 or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.

Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation.

The Library reserves the right to fill a lesser or greater number of vacancies indicated during the life of this vacancy announcement.

Initial appointments, permanent or indefinite, to the Library of Congress require completion of a one-year probationary period.

A “Not to Exceed“ (NTE) status is used to identify an appointment with a specific ending date. However, the Library has the right to separate a NTE employee at any time due to either performance issues or budget constraints.

Are you a veteran? Please indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim. Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214. Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15 (click here for the form) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. If required supporting documentation is not attached, Veterans' Preference will not be considered in the application process.

For more information regarding eligibility requirements, please see the Library of Congress Merit Selection Plan, Section X.D, at: http://www.loc.gov/hr/employment/msp010909.pdf.

How you will be evaluated

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

The Library of Congress evaluates applicants through an applicant questionnaire and a structured interview. Applicants may also be screened for some jobs through licensing, certification, and/or education requirements, a narrative/application review, and/or a preliminary telephone interview. The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are marked with a double asterisk (**) in the vacancy announcement and the applicant questionnaire are considered the most critical for a position. To be considered for final selection, applicants must demonstrate fully acceptable experience in these designated KSAs in the narrative/application review, preliminary telephone and/or full structured interview. The various assessment tools listed above are designed to verify or explore applicants' experience, knowledge, and training directly related to the job in order to identify the best qualified applicants for selection.
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