Duties

Summary

The incumbent serves as a Senior Legislative Affairs Specialist in the Office of the Congressional Liaison (OCL) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs (AS-IA).The incumbent provides expert advice on IA, BIA and BIE legislative priorities, programs, and policies focusing on outreach to Congress. Additionally, the incumbent provides drafting, review, and analysis of Congressional correspondence, technical assistance requests, Questions for the Record, and proposed legislation.
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Responsibilities

The incumbent serves as a principal liaison between the AS-IA, Members of Congress, and their respective personal office and Committee staffs, on all matters of Congressional interest. As a Senior Legislative Specialist, the incumbent is assigned to work on legislative matters that involve complex issues, requiring a detailed knowledge of Congressional practices and processes as they apply to the IA portfolio. In this capacity, the incumbent:

• Participates, as required, with AS-IA, the BIA Director and subordinates, the BIE Director and subordinates, office directors and others in formulating legislative strategy relevant to the IA portfolio and the Department.
• Develops Congressional testimony and related briefing materials for IA and Department witnesses and prepares them for legislative, oversight, and other hearings.
• Conducts expert analysis of draft Congressional legislative proposals to determine impact on IA policies, programs and procedures, and formulates when requested proposed positions and draft legislative proposals for the Department.
• Reviews and analyzes comments of technical and program experts on proposed legislation.
• Serves as a senior staff point of contact in IA with Congressional Committees, Members of Congress, and their staffs and utilizes expert knowledge of IA programs and policies in responding to requests from members of Congress.
• Acts as senior IA liaison to Congress on complex and sensitive IA issues and ensures the AS-IA is informed timely on developing issues and that the pertinent facts are conveyed in a logical manner.
• Provides support to the AS-IA in developing and implementing specialized communications strategies and other special projects, as identified by the AS-IA.
• Drafts and processes, in conjunction with the Department's Legislative Counsel, Questions for the Record.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship Required
• You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit
• You may be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period
• A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• If you are a male applicant born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
• Indian Affairs has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for situational telework only. Prior supervisor approval is required.

Qualifications

GS-14:
To qualify at the GS-14 grade level, you must have one year specialized experience equivalent to or at the GS-13 grade level that includes drafting testimonies and questions for hearings and discussions with legislators; responding to requests and inquiries from Congressional Committees, members of Congress, and their staff; analyzing and interpreting proposed and pending legislation; and monitoring and tracking developments in pertinent proposed and pending legislation throughout the legislative process.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2019 Salary Tables here, select the duty station from the Washington, District of Columbia and find that pay chart. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart.

The full performance level of this position is GS-14.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 90 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp .

Former Federal Employees are required to indicate whether they received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) buyout in their previous employment with the Federal government, and are required to submit a copy of the applicable Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) regarding the VSIP. The majority of individuals, who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation pay prior to reemployment.

If applying under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, you must provide documentation to support your eligibility (SF-50) and performance (references and/or performance appraisal). Under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) two groups of individuals are eligible to apply under this announcement: current and/or former employees serving or who have served under time-limited competitive appointments at land management agencies. Land Management Agencies include: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and U.S. Forest Service. Current appointees: 1) must have been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited appointment with a land management agency; 2) must have served under one or more time limited appointment(s) by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of 2 or more years; AND 3) must have performed at an acceptable level during each period of service. Former appointees: 1) must have been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited appointment with a land management agency; 2) must have served under one or more time limited appointment(s) by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of 2 or more years; 3) must have separated for reasons other than misconduct or performance; AND 4) must have performed at an acceptable level through the service period.

If you are unable to apply online, require reasonable accommodation in the application process if you are an applicant with a disability, or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your resume will be evaluated after the closing date of 11/15/2019 to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position described above. Qualified candidates will then be further evaluated to assess the quality, depth, and complexity of your accomplishments, experience, and education in relation to the competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position as demonstrated by your responses to the assessment questions. Competencies measured include:

• Influencing/Negotiating
• Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence
• Oral Communication
• Organizational Awareness
• Written Communication

We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. If your responses to the assessment questions cannot be supported by your resume, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your experience. Qualified applicants will be evaluated, rated and referred to the selecting official under category rating procedures or merit promotion procedures (depending on eligibility based on documents submitted, and placed in one of the following categories:

BEST QUALIFIED: Applicants possess all of the job related competencies identified above.

WELL QUALIFIED: Applicants possess a majority of the job related competencies.

QUALIFIED: Applicants meet the basic eligibility and minimum qualification requirements but do not meet the definition of Best Qualified or Well Qualified.

You may preview the assessment questions here in the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10643747 . Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur within 90 days from the closing date.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

The following documents are required for this position:

Resume which details work experience including dates worked (mm/yy-mm/yy), position title, Grade (if federal service), and hours worked per week.

On-line Assessment Questionnaire

Transcripts (if using education to qualify) - Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, an official transcript may be requested at a later time.

Most recent SF-50 (only required to be considered under merit promotion procedures including current Federal government employees in the competitive service. Be sure your SF-50 displays your tenure in box 24, your position in box 34, and that the SF-50 is not an award).

Supporting documentation if requesting consideration under a Special Appointing Authority or an Interchange Agreement

Veteran's documentation (if applicable)-

• For 5-point veterans' preference, please provide your DD-214, Copy 4 that MUST show an Honorable Discharge (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., copy of military orders, campaign documents as or expeditionary award citation, etc.) proving your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
• For 10-point veterans' preference, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference and the supporting documentation required by that form.
• If you are a disabled veteran you must submit a Veterans Affairs (VA) letter on VA letterhead that states your overall combined rating and a DD214 (copy 4) reflecting an honorable discharge.

ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:59PM Eastern Time ON THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. If your application package is incomplete in any way, you will not be considered for this position, and requests for extensions will not be granted. Please double check your application package before you submit it.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL NOT BE SOLICITED FROM OR ACCEPTED BY THIS OFFICE.