Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Legislative Affairs Specialist, GS-0301-14 DE

National Science Foundation
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The position is located in the Congressional Affairs section of the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs (OLPA), in the Office of the Director, NSF. The incumbent serves as a key advisor to the NSF's Supervisory Legislative Affairs Specialist (SLAS) with broad responsibility for leading ad hoc outreach, strategic planning, managing the correspondence system and Congressional reporting requirements, and educational product development efforts spanning across OLPA sections.

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/14/2018 to 08/28/2018
Salary
$114,590 to - $148,967 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
Alexandria, VA
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Supervisory status
No
Drug test
No
Announcement number
LPA-2018-0019
Control number
507925100

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

Any U.S. citizen and ICTAP/CTAP eligible employees. This opportunity is also open to current/former competitive service employees or those with status only under announcement LPA-2018-0018.

Duties

Help

As a Legislative Affairs Specialist, you will perform the following duties:

  • Leads ad hoc outreach, strategic planning, managing the correspondence system and Congressional reporting requirements, and educational product development efforts.
  • Represents OLPA's congressional interests by assisting in NSF-wide projects, such as budget planning exercises, Congressional hearings, Congressional relations strategies, and information dissemination mechanisms.
  • Assists in formulating strategy messages and preparing materials on legislative issues; conducts research and develops various agency-wide products, such as testimony, talking points, roll out plans and briefing memos.
  • Develops and implements aggressive outreach strategies to a variety of communities, including the development of strategic outreach tools and products.
  • Plans, develops, and implements strategic legislative goals.
  • Develops budget and outreach materials, Congressional updates, fact sheets, information reports, multi-media presentations, official correspondence, position papers, testimony, and white papers in support of the Director and Deputy Director, NSF.
  • Reviews NSF and OLPA products for accuracy, adequacy and conformance with agency legislative priorities, messages, policies and procedures.
  • Serves as manager for the Congressional Correspondence System.
  • Manages OLPAs automatic notification of awards for Congress in conjunction with appropriate divisions in NSF as well as supporting contact data.

    Competencies:
    * Skilled in working with Members of Congress and Congressional staffs;
    * Knowledge of the Federal Legislative Process;
    * Skilled in developing legislative strategies;
    * Teamwork/Collaboration - encourages and facilitates cooperation, works well with others.
    * Communication - effectively expresses ideas orally and in writing;  
    * Outreach - efficient in sharing organizational mission, vision, ideas without external parties.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Background investigation.
  • Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt.
  • US citizenship.

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.

You must meet eligibility and qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date.

You must answer all job-related questions in the NSF eRecruit questionnaire.

All online applicants must provide a valid email address.  If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full or blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

This position is in the bargaining unit.

Qualifications

To qualify for the GS-14, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: liaising with senior officials within the agency, members of Congress and their staffs,  and constituents from non-governmental organizations, universities, trade associations and the relevant private sectors; developing and implementing targeted outreach activities to promote the agenda of an agency organization; planning and developing testimony, briefing materials, talking points and other outreach materials on behalf of an agency or organization; and analyzing and evaluating new or existing policy, laws, regulations, and programs and communicating that information to senior agency, organizational, or congressional officials.

Education

Education may enhance skills required for this position; however, no substitution of education for specialized experience may be made at this level.

Additional information

Relocation expenses will not be paid.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP):
ICTAP and CTAP provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP or CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP or CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified you must meet the following: OPM qualification requirements for the position, all selective factors, where applicable; special OPM approved qualifying conditions for the position; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate, to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and receives a rating of at least “Very Good” on the questionnaire.  You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP or CTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.
Additional information regarding ICTAP or CTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources

Veteran's Preference:
If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency. For 5-point veterans' preference, please provide your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions. For 10-point veterans' preference, please submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, DD-214, and the required documentation as specified on the SF-15.

NSF has determined that all positions are eligible for telework. Work suitable for telework depends on job duties rather than job series or title, type of appointment, or work schedule. Entering into a telework agreement is voluntary. Telework requires prior agency approval and is not an entitlement.

For additional information on the NSF eRecruit system, please visit our NSF eRecruit Applicant Guide.

This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the National Science Foundation.

How you will be evaluated

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

Category rating procedures will be used to rank and select eligibles.  Based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire, you will be assigned a score.  Your score will determine in which of three categories you will be placed:  Excellent, Very Good, or Good.  Under this process, veterans will be assigned to the appropriate category (without additional preference points) and then placed at the top of their category.  Veterans with service-connected disability of 10% or more will be placed at the top of the highest quality category.

The information contained in your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you meet the competencies required of this position. Please ensure you answer all questions accurately. Your responses are subject to verification. In support of your responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, your resume should include verbiage that describes your experience relative to the position for which you are applying and provide examples that show the depth of knowledge, level of skill, or degree of ability you possess. If your application does not support your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire or your application is not complete, it may affect your evaluation or result in your name being removed from further consideration.

Applicants eligible for selection preference under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or CTAP must meet the agency definition of "well qualified." In NSF categories, this means at least “Very Good.”


To preview questions please click here.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.