The position is located in the Legislative Affairs Division of the Office of the Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The Governmental Affairs Specialist assists the Division Director in the coordination and monitoring of Congressional affairs within and among the FRA offices. The Governmental Affairs Specialist provides assistance to management in the preparation for Congressional hearings on proposed legislation, budget or appropriations, authorization, or oversight of the FRA program issues.
The ideal candidate has proven experience working with Congress, state, and local officials to facilitate effective communication and provide accurate and timely information on topics important to the Agency’s mission. Candidate will have experience preparing and reviewing testimony and miscellaneous reports; preparing responses for senior FRA staff that respond to sensitive and/or time critical correspondence received from the White House and Members of Congress; collect background information and conduct research and analysis to respond to inquiries from Members of Congress; coordinate and prepare senior agency officials for hearings, briefings and speeches. Is highly motivated, demonstrates initiative and uses sound judgment. They must be able to work under tight deadlines and effectively accomplish competing priorities. Superb communication skills, with the ability to write and speak concisely and accurately to convey complex information is essential.
Summary
The position is located in the Legislative Affairs Division of the Office of the Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The Governmental Affairs Specialist assists the Division Director in the coordination and monitoring of Congressional affairs within and among the FRA offices. The Governmental Affairs Specialist provides assistance to management in the preparation for Congressional hearings on proposed legislation, budget or appropriations, authorization, or oversight of the FRA program issues.
The ideal candidate has proven experience working with Congress, state, and local officials to facilitate effective communication and provide accurate and timely information on topics important to the Agency’s mission. Candidate will have experience preparing and reviewing testimony and miscellaneous reports; preparing responses for senior FRA staff that respond to sensitive and/or time critical correspondence received from the White House and Members of Congress; collect background information and conduct research and analysis to respond to inquiries from Members of Congress; coordinate and prepare senior agency officials for hearings, briefings and speeches. Is highly motivated, demonstrates initiative and uses sound judgment. They must be able to work under tight deadlines and effectively accomplish competing priorities. Superb communication skills, with the ability to write and speak concisely and accurately to convey complex information is essential.
Provide assistance to management in the preparation for Congressional hearings on proposed legislation, budget or appropriations, authorization, or oversight of the FRA program issues.
Assist in developing testimony; developing briefing materials and hearing books; and providing other materials for hearings as needed.
Assist management in identifying, measuring, and determining the possible impact of proposed legislation and regulatory changes on the Agency’s programs and policies. Review materials, statements, and other data for their impact on the Agency’s programs and policies.
Respond to inquiries and questions about the Agency’s programs and policies from Congressional staff, DOT officials, Agency representatives, and key stakeholders. Assist in presenting information on FRA activities and policies.
Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen.
Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
Provide all required documents by closing date.
Announcement may be used to fill similar positions within 60 days.
Announcement also advertised Merit Promotion: FRA.OA-2017-0016.
This position is Ad HocTelework Eligible.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
DEU REQUIREMENTS: Applicants selected under delegated examining procedures may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
Qualifications
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the education or specialized experience requirements.
TO QUALIFY FOR THE GS-11 on Education, you must have:
Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree
A LL.M., if related
To qualify for the GS-11 on Experience, you must have at least one year of equal or equivalent experience, it must include:
Experience with legislative processes such as with Congress, Congressional committees, other departments and agencies, state and local governments, transportation industry and special interest groups.
Experience researching and compiling data and reports AND utilizing advanced functions of software packages (i.e., word-processing, databases, and spreadsheets) to edit, reformat, and produce documents in various formats and style requirements.
You can also qualify based on a combination of education and matching experience.
FOR THE GS-12, to qualify, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equal or equivalent to the following:
Experience providing technical support and advice to senior executive or comparable high level officials on legislative, congressional, and/or mission-related issues which impact both internal and external organizational operations.
Experience writing AND editing executive level or comparable correspondence involving legislative, congressional, and/or mission related policy issues.
There is no educational substitution for experience at the GS-12 grade level
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.
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) maintains a model federal work environment that is free of discrimination. DOT ensures equal employment opportunity for employees and applicants for employment, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), genetic information, age, disability, sexual orientation, or protected activity.
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.
DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level.
If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be placed in one of four categories: Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze, which is based upon your responses to the vacancy questions. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference that have provided supporting documents will receive selection priority over non-veterans. The top-rated applications will be reviewed for the quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position.
Your application will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position. The answers you select in the on-line process must be substantiated in your application package. If upon review, it is determined that your described work history, competencies, and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be updated or you may not be referred to the selecting official. Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers. The Automated Staffing Office is ultimately responsible for determining your final rating. To preview questions please click here.
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.
ALL Applicants must provide a resume that fully supports the required specialized experience and was created within USA Jobs Resume Builder and respond to the vacancy questions by the closing date of the vacancy.
The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position and type of consideration for which you are applying. Please review each of the following sections to determine which, if any, additional documents you need to provide with your application.
VETERANS: Your last DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, that shows the type of discharge and all dates of active duty is required to verify your eligibility. it need not be official.
If you are applying to a vacancy opened to all US Citizens under category rating and wish to be considered as a preference eligible, you need to submit a copy of your DD214.
If you are claiming preference eligibility as a disabled veteran, you must submit proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally a valid letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. An SF-15 is desired, but not required.
If you are applying to a vacancy opened Status and you are requesting consideration under Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act(VEOA) (https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/#veoa), you need to provide a copy of your last DD214, which verifies your military service dates, reason for separation, and eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act.
NON COMPETITIVE APPLICANTS: If requesting concurrent consideration for Non-competitive (NC) appointment eligibility, you must provide the appropriate SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY DOCUMENTS, such as PCS orders (military spouse) describing move & marriage certificate; letter from VA or DD214 describing 100% disability of spouse; letter from State Vocational Office certifying disability (schedule A), etc. For more information, visit military spouse NC appointments or Persons with Disabilities NC appointments.
DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 85 or falling in the Gold Category) and provide all of the following documents:
your most recent performance appraisal,
the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
To begin, click the Apply Online button on the job announcement.
Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
You may review your saved application(s) at https://my.usajobs.gov.
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, Mondays through Fridays) at (202) 366-1298. You may also email us at Transjobs@dot.gov.
DOT, FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, District of Columbia 20590
United States
Next steps
You may check your application status into by logging into your USAJOBS account. Within two weeks of the closing date, your application will be reviewed and rated. Ratings will be determined based on the documents and information received by the closing date. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. If you are selected for an interview, the hiring manager will contact you directly. Once a hiring decision is made, we will notify all applicants of their final status.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
ALL Applicants must provide a resume that fully supports the required specialized experience and was created within USA Jobs Resume Builder and respond to the vacancy questions by the closing date of the vacancy.
The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position and type of consideration for which you are applying. Please review each of the following sections to determine which, if any, additional documents you need to provide with your application.
VETERANS: Your last DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, that shows the type of discharge and all dates of active duty is required to verify your eligibility. it need not be official.
If you are applying to a vacancy opened to all US Citizens under category rating and wish to be considered as a preference eligible, you need to submit a copy of your DD214.
If you are claiming preference eligibility as a disabled veteran, you must submit proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally a valid letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. An SF-15 is desired, but not required.
If you are applying to a vacancy opened Status and you are requesting consideration under Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act(VEOA) (https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/#veoa), you need to provide a copy of your last DD214, which verifies your military service dates, reason for separation, and eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act.
NON COMPETITIVE APPLICANTS: If requesting concurrent consideration for Non-competitive (NC) appointment eligibility, you must provide the appropriate SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY DOCUMENTS, such as PCS orders (military spouse) describing move & marriage certificate; letter from VA or DD214 describing 100% disability of spouse; letter from State Vocational Office certifying disability (schedule A), etc. For more information, visit military spouse NC appointments or Persons with Disabilities NC appointments.
DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 85 or falling in the Gold Category) and provide all of the following documents:
your most recent performance appraisal,
the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
To begin, click the Apply Online button on the job announcement.
Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
You may review your saved application(s) at https://my.usajobs.gov.
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, Mondays through Fridays) at (202) 366-1298. You may also email us at Transjobs@dot.gov.
DOT, FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, District of Columbia 20590
United States
Next steps
You may check your application status into by logging into your USAJOBS account. Within two weeks of the closing date, your application will be reviewed and rated. Ratings will be determined based on the documents and information received by the closing date. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. If you are selected for an interview, the hiring manager will contact you directly. Once a hiring decision is made, we will notify all applicants of their final status.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
