This Term Appointment will initially be for a three-year period, but may be extended for a total of five years. Should the need arise, this position may be made permanent without further competition.
As an employee on a Term Appointment, you will not acquire competitive status and you will not be covered by the agency's Interchange Agreement with the Office of Personnel Management, which allows for noncompetitive transfer from CNCS to other agencies in the competitive service of the federal government. More information about interchange agreements can be found HERE.
ABOUT US:
Established in 1993, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its core programs -- Senior Corps, and AmeriCorps -- and the national volunteer efforts through serve.gov.
As the nation's largest grantmaker for service and volunteering, CNCS plays a critical role in strengthening America's nonprofit sector and addressing our nation's challenges through service.
CNCS harnesses America's most powerful resource - the energy and talents of our citizens - to solve problems. We believe that everyone can make a difference and that all of us should try. From grade school through retirement, CNCS empowers Americans and fosters a lifetime of service.
Employer of National Service
As an Employer of National Service, CNCS is committed to providing job opportunities to national service participants. Accordingly, qualified AmeriCorps members (current and former), returned Peace Corps volunteers and other national service participants are encouraged to apply to our positions.
Summary
This Term Appointment will initially be for a three-year period, but may be extended for a total of five years. Should the need arise, this position may be made permanent without further competition.
As an employee on a Term Appointment, you will not acquire competitive status and you will not be covered by the agency's Interchange Agreement with the Office of Personnel Management, which allows for noncompetitive transfer from CNCS to other agencies in the competitive service of the federal government. More information about interchange agreements can be found HERE.
ABOUT US:
Established in 1993, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its core programs -- Senior Corps, and AmeriCorps -- and the national volunteer efforts through serve.gov.
As the nation's largest grantmaker for service and volunteering, CNCS plays a critical role in strengthening America's nonprofit sector and addressing our nation's challenges through service.
CNCS harnesses America's most powerful resource - the energy and talents of our citizens - to solve problems. We believe that everyone can make a difference and that all of us should try. From grade school through retirement, CNCS empowers Americans and fosters a lifetime of service.
Employer of National Service
As an Employer of National Service, CNCS is committed to providing job opportunities to national service participants. Accordingly, qualified AmeriCorps members (current and former), returned Peace Corps volunteers and other national service participants are encouraged to apply to our positions.
The Legislative Aide is a member of the Office of Government Relations at the Corporation for National and Community Service. Based on a working knowledge of the responsibilities and the mission of the Corporation, as well as a working knowledge and understanding of the Corporation programs and initiatives, the Legislative Aid performs a variety of support functions for the Director and the Office of Government Relations.
Duties:
Assists in communications with the offices of federal, state, and local elected officials.
Assists in developing systems and procedures for the office.
Prepares briefing materials for Agency senior leadership, including CEO and program directors.
Manages Government Relations email updates to federal, state, and local officials, including managing use of Gov Delivery.
Drafts correspondence for Government Relations purposes.
Maintains database of staff contacts in Congressional and other elected officials' offices; assists in tracking Congressional inquiries and legislation.
Prepares agendas, talking points and background information for the Director.
Conducts research and performs other communications tasks, as assigned.
Performs other duties as assigned by the Director.
A 2-year probationary period is required for new Federal employees
Merit Promotion applicants must submit a SF-50 to verify Status and grade
Must be telework ready
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
If you are selected for this position, you will be required to satisfactorily complete a background investigation.
Qualifications
Applicants must have one year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to at least the mid-range of the NY-01 pay band, which would be at or equivalent to, the GS-05 level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes work directly related to the support of high level national, state, or local elected officials to include assisting in the preparation of briefing materials, letters and reports; compiling and maintaining spreadsheets; and conducting research for reports.
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 can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Such experience must be clearly documented in the applicant's resume.
Education
If you are qualifying based on education alone, you must have one full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement as defined by being in the upper third of your graduating class; or possessing a 3.0 GPA or higher over four years of education; or possessing a 3.5 GPA or higher during final 2 years of education. Such education must be from an accredited institution and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work. You must submit an unofficial copy of your college transcript. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. educational standards.
You may also qualify based on a combination of education and experience, if applicable.
Additional information
If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
Veteran's Preference: If you are claiming 5-point or 10-point veteran's preference, you must submit documentation described below in "Required Documents."
Special Employment Consideration: Persons with disabilities, disabled veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the Armed Forces, VISTA volunteers, some Peace Corps employees and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for noncompetitive appointment. If you are eligible and would like to be considered for one of these noncompetitive appointments, applicable documentation that supports your eligibility must be submitted with your application package.
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.
Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:
Communication
Legislative Experience
Research and Evaluation
Technology Application
Important Note: Your resume must support your answers to the job specific questions. High self-assessment on the Occupational Questionnaire that is not supported by the information in your resume or supporting documents can/will result in elimination from further consideration. If you do not answer all of the job specific questions you will not be considered. Incomplete applications (resume and required supporting documents) will be considered ineligible.
Qualified applicants will be placed in one of the following three categories:
1 - Qualified Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements as described in the Qualifications section of this announcement.
2 - Well Qualified Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrates proficiency based on the answers to the job specific questions.
3 - Best Qualified Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrates high level proficiency based on the answers to the job specific questions.
NOTE: Status candidates will be considered under the provisions of the Corporation's Human Resources system which allows for:
1) Non-competitive referral of lateral candidates; and
2) The separation of status and non-status applicants for referral purposes.
Status candidates will be referred on one selection list only, i.e., either merit promotion or non-competitive. Nonstatus candidates who are eligible for Noncompetitive referral, e.g. Peace Corps, VRA, etc., will be referred under Noncompetitive procedures only. For Noncompetitive categories, See "Special Employment Consideration" below under "Other Information."
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are identified as a leading candidate for this position, you may be contacted via email and asked to submit a response to the following narratives within 5 days of contact:
Please describe, in 500 words or less, your professional experience related to program and/or grants management. Include a description of the organization you worked with and your role.
In the application for this position, you indicated that you have served as a team leader on a multi-disciplinary team working collaboratively to resolve community problems. Please describe, in 500 words or less, the organization you worked with, define the stakeholders, and explain what obstacles you encountered in your team's collaboration.
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.
Resume showing relevant experience (cover letter optional);
Unofficial transcript (if qualifying based on education):
Veterans' Preference Documentation (DD-214, VA Letter, and SF-15 if claiming 10-point preference; DD-214 if claiming 5-point preference), if applicable;
For Merit Promotion Eligibility: SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (must indicate tenure and position occupied), if applicable;
Documentation supporting eligibility for Non-Competitive appointment, e.g., Schedule A (severely disabled), eligible veterans (VRA or 30-percent or more disabled), VISTA, Peace Corps, etc., if applicable
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.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire, which is available for preview here https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10096326, along with submitting the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on 12/22/2017.
To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the Agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Office of Government Relations
250 E. Street SW
Washington, DC 20525
US
Next steps
Once the occupational questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful, however, you must also include a resume and any other documents that are applicable to you under the "Required Documents" section of this vacancy announcement. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your status via email. Please be aware that emails could reside in your "junk," "bulk," or "spam" mail folder, depending on your filters. You will be notified of the final outcome.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Resume showing relevant experience (cover letter optional);
Unofficial transcript (if qualifying based on education):
Veterans' Preference Documentation (DD-214, VA Letter, and SF-15 if claiming 10-point preference; DD-214 if claiming 5-point preference), if applicable;
For Merit Promotion Eligibility: SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (must indicate tenure and position occupied), if applicable;
Documentation supporting eligibility for Non-Competitive appointment, e.g., Schedule A (severely disabled), eligible veterans (VRA or 30-percent or more disabled), VISTA, Peace Corps, etc., if applicable
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.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire, which is available for preview here https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10096326, along with submitting the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on 12/22/2017.
To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the Agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Office of Government Relations
250 E. Street SW
Washington, DC 20525
US
Next steps
Once the occupational questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful, however, you must also include a resume and any other documents that are applicable to you under the "Required Documents" section of this vacancy announcement. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your status via email. Please be aware that emails could reside in your "junk," "bulk," or "spam" mail folder, depending on your filters. You will be notified of the final outcome.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
