Duties

• Advises agency leadership on congressional strategy and/or provides analysis to inform congressional strategy. Proposes and assists in organizing special events and outreach efforts to improve Congress's understanding of the IAF's work and distinct value.
• Develops briefing materials in support of Congressional communication and relationship strategies for current and emerging programs.
• Researches and tracks Congressional concerns and policy issues related to US international development policy and US-Latin American/Caribbean affairs. Develops draft responses to Congressional inquiries with input.
• Participates in meetings with Congressional staff. Stays abreast of IAF program and policy developments and future plans. Provides guidance and assistance to IAF staff on procedural Congressional matters.
• Drafts Congressional testimony, speeches, talking points, statements, and other related documents for use by the Foundation management and senior staff.
• Participates in the review of reports, documents, correspondence, memoranda, and other material (in English and Spanish) submitted by other offices for completeness and conformity with requests made and directives issued.
• Researches and drafts reports or other documents such as the annual budget justification. Provides information and analysis regarding Congressional impacts and considerations.
• Drafts written memorandum of meetings and the necessary follow-up actions.
• Assists in organizing Congressional Staff delegations to visit IAF projects in the field including the identification of participants, logistical support and development of briefing materials.

Duties at the lower grade levels will be performed under more supervision.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• US Citizenship is required.
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by background investigation.
• Direct Deposit of pay is required.
• Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt.
• Status candidates must meet time-in-grade (see Qualifications).

Qualifications

This position contains a selective placement factor (SPF) that is part of the minimum requirement of the position. If you do not meet the SPF, you are ineligible for further consideration. The SPF for this position is: Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in English and Spanish. This experience must be clearly documented in your resume.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

If selected for an interview, portions may be conducted in Spanish. There may also be a written exercise.

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements and the SPF described by the closing date of this announcement. Applicants must also meet the specialized experience and/or the education listed below.

For the GS-11 grade level, must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level.
Specialized Experience at this grade level includes, but are not limited to:

• Experience monitoring and advising on legislative activities, and providing analysis and comments on proposed legislation, including impacts on programs and considerations; establishing and maintaining effective relationships and communications with members of congress and their staff members; and experience facilitating and arranging for Congressional meetings between agency staff and Members of Congress and/or their staff members. Organizes events, delegations and/or other digital engagement efforts for high-level stakeholders and key audiences, such as the U.S. Congress. Must also demonstrate writing experience and interpersonal skills to represent governmental officials and their staff in a professional manner.

For the GS-12 grade level, must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level.
Specialized experience at this grade level includes but are not limited to:

• Experience includes demonstrated experience of legislative and congressional committee processes on politically sensitive issues, policies, and objectives; experience communicating with Members of Congress, Administration officials, or other executive level officials to explain, relate, actions; experience communicating complex matters, both in person and in writing, in a clear, concise and logical manner to be able to present the views of the Agency on matters of Congressional interest to Members of Congress and key staff, and to accurately convey Congressional views to high-ranking officials both inside and outside an Agency; and experience that demonstrates a detailed knowledge of the concepts, principles, and practices of the legislative process including parliamentary procedures in the House and Senate. In addition, specialized experience includes managing legislative liaison initiatives for Agency programs, assisting in the preparation of Agency staff and coordinating legislative documents for Congressional hearings or briefings, and understanding of the political, social and/or development challenges of Latin America and the Caribbean. Organizes events, delegations and/or other digital engagement efforts for high-level stakeholders and key audiences, such as the U.S. Congress.

For the GS-13 grade level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level.
Specialized experience at this grade level includes but are not limited to:

• Experience drafting formal reports, legislative proposals, testimony and other briefing materials; responding to inquiries and correspondence affecting regulatory policies and programs; experience researching legislative regulations and Congressional information; experience establishing contacts and maintaining relationships and liaison with certain United States Senate and House of Representative Committees; experience in providing information to management about Congressional trends or events that might affect the organization and ensure that Congressional offices keep abreast of current issues involving the organization; experience in providing written responses to Congressional inquiries, including constituent inquiries as necessary; experience in assisting in analyzing legislative proposals and bills introduced in Congress to determine the impact on organizational policies, programs, and procedures; and experience in drafting legislative proposals and other bills based on independent research and on review and analysis of comments of an organization's technical and field personnel, and understanding of the political, social and/or development challenges of Latin America and the Caribbean. Leads the organization of events, delegations and/or other digital engagement efforts across inter-office teams for high-level stakeholders and key audiences, such as the U.S. Congress.

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).

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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Combination of education and/or experience may substitute for the specialized experience requirement at the GS-11 level:

GS-11: A Ph. D or equivalent doctoral degree, or three full years of progressively higher level graduate studies leading to such a degree or LL.M, if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

Education alone will not qualify for the GS-12 or GS-13 levels.

If qualifying based on EDUCATION you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

Only education from institutions which are accredited or preaccredited/candidate for accreditation may be used to meet education requirements.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for RA for Online Assessments here .

Career Transition Assistance Programs: CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Please refer to Required Documents section for additional details. For information on CTAP and ICTAP visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

Appointment Authorities: For more information on appointment authority eligibility requirements:
Persons with Disabilities-Schedule A
Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans
Special Hiring Authority for Certain Military Spouses
Other Special Appointment Authorities
OPM Interchange Agreement and Other Miscellaneous Authorities

Telework Suitability:

The duties of this position are suitable for occasional telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval and if they meet the eligibility criterion in the 2010 Telework Act.

Stipulations of Employment:

Selection may require completion of a 1-year probationary period.

If selected, you will be required to file a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450).

This position requires approximately 1-5 nights of travel per month.

Work Schedule:

This position allows for a flexible work schedule.

Miscellaneous:

IAF uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify .

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill similar positions within 90 days.

If selection is made below the full performance level, promotion up to the full performance level may be made without further competition. However, promotion(s) will depend on the performance of the incumbent and are not guaranteed.