Incumbent serves as a member of the professional staff of the Office of Congressional & Legislative Affairs with responsibility for managing a segment of the Department's Congressional and Legislative Affairs program. The position entails a variety of assignments dealing with the Department's programs & policies, congressional oversight & legislative agenda.
This position will close on 6/27/2025 OR at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time the day the 150 applications have been received, whichever comes first.
Incumbent serves as a member of the professional staff of the Office of Congressional & Legislative Affairs with responsibility for managing a segment of the Department's Congressional and Legislative Affairs program. The position entails a variety of assignments dealing with the Department's programs & policies, congressional oversight & legislative agenda.
This position will close on 6/27/2025 OR at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time the day the 150 applications have been received, whichever comes first.
Major duties include:
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.
You may qualify based on your experience as described below:
GS-12 Qualifications:
Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include: experience that has provided you with knowledge of the legislative process to research and interpret legislation, procedures, and policy; providing technical advice and assistance to Members of Congress and their staffs; assisting in special assignments, studies, and projects presented by Members of Congress and their staffs; tasking legislative actions and congressional deliverables, including white papers, questions for the record, hearing due-outs and transcript review, and maintaining relationships with legislators.
GS-13 Qualifications:
Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-12) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include: analyzing and interpreting public laws, executive orders, regulations, and policies related to Legislation and Congressional issues; preparing detailed reports, briefings, and recommendations on legislative issues for senior management or elected officials; developing and maintaining relationships with Congressional staff, government agencies, and other stakeholders; developing informational materials, policy guidance, and technical assistance documents for dissemination within and outside the Department.
GS-14 Qualifications:
Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-13) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include: experience that has equipped you with expert knowledge in the area of legislation and of the interests and concerns of Members of Congress and congressional committees and how these issues impact a Department's programs and policies; experience working with committee staff on a committee of jurisdiction (such as House or Senate Veterans Affairs, House or Senate Armed Services Committee); handling complex and sensitive congressional issues and providing technical assistance to lower graded congressional relations staff; recommending strategies for communicating legislation to congress and monitoring movement of legislation key to a Department.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
Order of referral: Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
If applying as a CTAP/ICTAP:
You must submit the following documentation demonstrating your eligibility for CTAP/ICTAP. Failure to submit all documentation at the time of application will result in an ineligible rating. You will not be contacted for additional documentation.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 06/27/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12753045.
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
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