Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens

The incumbent is responsible for helping to coordinate with Congressional offices to stay apprised of issues important to Congress and share information about FTC actions, and help Members use FTC resources to solicit information from and convey information to their constituents. The incumbent answers questions from congressional staff about all aspects of the FTC, provides support for OCR's legislative work, and assists with administrative tasks.

Based on knowledge of Congress and the FTC and working closely with agency staff, works with congressional staff in Members' offices and relevant committees to stay apprised of issues important to them and share information about FTC actions affecting them. Stays abreast of all aspects of the FTC's work and informs Hill offices of agency actions, and of available resources including consumer and business education, and encourages Hill offices to use and share FTC resources with their constituents. Helps Members plan public events in connection with the FTC's work. Answers questions, both oral and written, from congressional staff on a broad range of topics, or directs them to appropriate resources. Supports the legislative work in OCR by performing a range of activities, including summarizing congressional hearings for senior staff, compiling information about Members and issues, and researching and tracking legislation affecting the agency and its mission. Also assists in administrative tasks, which may include maintaining OCR's files, preparing OCR's budget, and tracking and sending correspondence to Congress.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. citizenship requirement must be met by the closing date of this vacancy.
• Position is subject to a background investigation.
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must register with Selective Service.
• You may serve a one-year probationary period under this appointment.
• R?sum? and supporting documents (See How To Apply).
• Due to COVID-19, the FTC is currently in a maximum telework posture through July 31, 2022. In addition, the agency is currently exploring the possibility of having a remote workforce for current and future employees beyond August 2022.
• If selected, you will be permitted to temporarily telework from a location outside the local commuting area.
• Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you may be required to report to the duty station listed on this announcement within 60 days. At that time, you will be eligible to request telework in accordance with the FTC's telework policy.

Qualifications

To qualify for a Congressional Liaison Specialist at the GS-09 level, you must meet the following requirements:

You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, that may be demonstrated by experience working on congressional relations, and responding to questions, both verbal and written, from Members' offices and committees; knowledge of consumer protection and antitrust laws, and the Committees and Members of Congress engaged in these issues; knowledge of sources of information about Members and legislation and have researched and written summaries of these for use by senior members of an organization; experience quickly producing summaries of congressional hearings for circulation to an organization's senior staff and be able to capture the most relevant information and present it clearly; ability to identify appropriate information from the organization to send to particular Members, and suggest ways the Members can share the information to their constituents; knowledge of various software applications and conferencing platforms; ability to work with a wide range of people across an organization to coordinate activities and ensure deadlines are met; experience proofreading, formatting, and addressing final versions of correspondence; and experience maintaining an office's electronic files.

To qualify for a Congressional Liaison Specialist at the GS-11 level, you must meet the following requirements:

You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, that may be demonstrated by producing oral and written communications to advise and consult with management within and outside the agency and in Congress; experience presenting and defending findings and recommendations; knowledge of the jurisdiction of Congressional committees, the interrelationships that exist between groups and individuals in the Congress, and the protocols involved; knowledge of congressional liaison principles, methods, practices and techniques in order to apply various approaches to congressional problems; gathering information, identifying and analyzing issues, and developing recommendations that have an impact on the management of congressional relations and legislative issues; experience summarizing congressional hearings for senior staff, preparing biographical information on Members; planning and conducting outreach to congressional offices to help them with public events to share consumer education information with their constituents; assisting with negotiating acceptable agreements to resolve conflicts and disputes involving Congressional affairs matters; and making recommendations to program officials and offices, which requires staying apprised of all aspects of key issues to answer questions, written and oral, from Congressional staff or direct the staff to the appropriate resource.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your résumé and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your résumé and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

All qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category.

Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies.

Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies.

Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies.

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best-qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. Other 10-point preference eligibles and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligibles within the category in which they qualify. View information on veterans' preference.