Clarification from the agency

See Requirements section of this announcement for information on who may apply.

The selectee has overall responsibility for AOC budget requests, legislative initiatives, active legislation, congressional correspondence, hearings, congressional visits, briefings and internal and external communication while staying abreast of legislative initiatives, federal appropriations process and congressional activity impacting or relating to the AOC. Responsibilities include enhancing the AOC's interaction with congressional appropriations committees and the congressional community by coordinating responses with the House Committee on Appropriations and U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations.

MAJOR DUTIES:

• Provides technical expert analysis and advice on all bicameral legislative matters affecting the AOC.
• Develops strategy and programs for improving the AOC’s process for proposing and strengthening budget requests.
• Provides analysis of congressional activities, including status of significant legislation, rules and daily operations impacting the AOC’s missions and programs.
• Determines the potential effect of significant legislation initiatives on the AOC; Tracks initiatives from early developmental stages through the entire legislative process.
• Serves as the senior subject matter expert in all legislative matters pertaining to study material for hearings, hearing procedures, transcripts, inserts for the record and other information required by Congress.
• Reviews and monitors a variety of periodicals, papers and journals in order to obtain information related to the AOC’s missions and activities.
• Supports interactions with congressional staff members to obtain and clarify legislative information and member positions; Coordinates and supports congressional briefings and legislative engagement with the AOC.
• Researches, analyzes and creates presentations, briefings and speeches; Prepares detailed analytical briefings and reports; Interprets the AOC’s vision to ensure the consistency of the message delivered to all audiences, particularly as it relates to budget requests.
• Provides guidance to AOC leadership to ensure congressional study books/papers for congressional preparation sessions reflect AOC policy and objectives and are responsive to expected areas of congressional interest.
• Researches and analyzes high visibility queries/challenges posed to the AOC; Responds to inquiries from congressional offices, e.g., individual members of the House and Senate and/or their staff and representatives of congressional committees.
• Ensures preparation of AOC testimony, budget book, newsletter articles, point papers and drafts briefings, memoranda and web content describing AOC policies, issues and programs.
• Analyzes legislative proposals and prepares timely written reports and analyses of legislative proposals, bills and laws of interest to the AOC.
• Maintains ongoing relationships with senior agency leaders; Encourages sharing of their concerns regarding ongoing projects that are likely to affect the perceptions of building occupants regarding their well-being during renovation and construction activities.
• Provides advice and guidance to the LPA Director for briefings and information sharing opportunities; Advises and recommends approaches for avoiding and/or resolving problems and reducing conflicts.
• Recommends courses of action to the LPA Director to promote the AOC's accomplishments, goals and priorities with members of Congress, congressional staff and external and internal stakeholders.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

• You must be able to pass a drug test.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.

To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet one of the categories below:

• A citizen of the United States;
• A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B);
• A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible;
• A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or
• A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position.  You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement.  Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions.  It is available for your review on the OPM web site at OPM qualification standards
 
Specialized experience: is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled.  To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
 
Candidates for the GS-14 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-13) grade level in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as having experience: 

• Planning and formulating legislative strategies in support of organizational policies, programs, projects and initiatives;
• Interpreting and assessing the impact of new or revised legislation and legislative proposals on organizational programs and operations and advising on best course of action; 
• Conducting in-depth research and analysis to develop budget requests, proposals, technical reports and analyses of legislative initiatives, bills and laws; and
• Working with Members of Congress and their staffs, congressional committees, stakeholders, advisory bodies, industry partners, senior leadership and program managers to provide information about and/or advance an organization's interests.

How you will be evaluated

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

Review your resume and responses carefully. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your responses to job specific self-assessment questions.

Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement.  The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies:

- Mastery knowledge of the laws, policies and regulations of an administrative field sufficient to apply new theories and developments to problems not susceptible to treatment by accepted methods and make decisions or recommendations that significantly change, interpret or develop major public policies or programs.

- Comprehensive knowledge of the laws, policies, principles, methods, and techniques of legislation and congressional relations, including budget and appropriations sufficient to advise and make decisions or recommendations that significantly change, interpret or develop major public policies or programs.

- Skill to plan, organize and implement programs, plans and proposals involving substantial agency resources or that require extensive changes in established procedures.

- Ability to deal courteously and effectively with people, to motivate and work effectively on teams and exercise tact and diplomacy in spoken and written word.

- Ability to deal courteously and effectively with people at various levels, to motivate and work effectively on teams and exercise tact and diplomacy in spoken and written word.

Your responses to the self assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating.  You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions.  Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter.   Your resume must support your answers to the self assessment questions.  Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or disqualification for further consideration. 

Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).