Duties

Summary

All DHS-HQ announcements have a 5 business day open period due to the number of applications received. This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 100 applications have been received, whichever happens first.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Executive Secretary (ESEC), Washington, District of Columbia.

The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a Legislative Affairs Specialist, in a developmental capacity, performing assignments designed to further develop applicable analytical and evaluative skills and techniques.

Duties performed:

• Participate in coordinating congressional staff actions and analysis of legislation, including developing written legislative language and related material along with printed media.
• Develop, establish, and maintain legislative files knowing the vision and legislative agenda.
• Serve as focal point for the dissemination of new information regarding DHS events, priorities and guidance.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required
• One-year probationary period may be required.
• A pre-employment drug test will be required.
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Time-In-Grade requirements may apply.
• License required: No
• Pre-employment physical required: No
• Bargaining Unit Position: No
• Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expenses will not be paid.
• Promotion Potential: When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.
• This is a Testing Designated Position (TDP) and is covered by the Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Drug-Free Workplace Program. The selectee is required to sign a Condition of Employment form (for certain positions identified for drug testing) and must pass urinalysis testing, as required, prior to appointment, reassignment, or transfer; and employee will be subject to random testing while employed with the Department in a TDP

Qualifications

GS-09 Minimum Qualifications: To qualify at the GS-09 level you must meet either the specialized experience, education, or a combination of specialized experience and education as described below.

Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained in the public or private sectors) that included performing the following duties:

• Compiling and verifying data to respond to informational requests.
• Preparing written communications to distribute facts or data.
• Conducting research to identify and verify factual information for reporting.

(NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible.)

OR
Education: Successfully completed a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or L.L.B or J.D., if related, that provided the knowledge skills, and abilities necessary to perform this work.

OR
Combination of Specialized Experience and Education: Combination of specialized experience (less than one year) and graduate education, that when combined equals 100% of the qualification requirement. NOTE: Only graduate education in excess of one year (generally 18 semester hours) may be used in this calculation.

Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

NOTE: 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.

Education

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.

Special Instructions for 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. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/ .

Additional information

Note: DHS continues to take necessary steps to keep our workforce safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic. If you receive a final job offer to onboard, please complete the onboarding forms and submit them electronically in an expeditious manner. Your start date may be delayed if the action above is not completed.

Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for Top Secret clearance as a condition of placement in this Special-Sensitive position. This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.

Pursuant to Executive Order 12654 and DHS policy, DHS is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Headquarters personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing and all applicants tentatively selected for employment at DHS Headquarters are subject to drug testing resulting in a negative test result.

Veterans' Preference: If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (Member Copy 4) or an official statement from your command if currently on active duty that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the DD-214, you must also submit a Standard Form 15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) and the required supporting documents listed on that form. For more information on veterans' preference see http://www.fedshirevets.gov/ .

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP): This program applies to Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed, or employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP or ICTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Well-Qualified includes those applicants whose knowledge, skills, and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. For information on eligibility criteria and required documentation, go to: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp

Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/ ).

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Category Rating Procedures:
If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories:

Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF) and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.

Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis

Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.

If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

The Category Rating Process does not add veteran's preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher). Veteran preference eligibles will receive selection consideration before non-preference eligibles within each quality category.

For Competitive Merit Promotion and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) Applicants: The highest rated candidates will be referred to the hiring agency.

For Noncompetitive Appointment Eligibles: All qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring agency.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of active service performed under honorable conditions (you must submit a DD214-member copy 4).

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your resume showing a detailed description of your job-related qualifications that includes beginning and ending dates with the month and year and hours worked per week (if less than 40) for each paid and non-paid work experience job title listed.
2. Other supporting documents ( only submit if applicable to you) :

• Are you qualifying based on education? Submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) or a list of coursework with hours completed.
• Are you claiming veterans' preference? Submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 or other (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) or notice form. Those applying for 10-Point preference must fill out the SF-15 and provide an official document dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, and/or any other associated documentation based on your preference. If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions.
• Are you a current or former federal employee? Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that demonstrates your eligibility for consideration, e.g., length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, with-in grade/range increases); your current promotion potential; proof of permanent appointment if applying based on an interchange agreement; etc.
• Are you eligible for a special noncompetitive hiring authority (e.g., Schedule A Disability, Peace Corps, Former Overseas Employees, etc.)? Submit documentation of proof that supports your eligibility under a special hiring authority.
• Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP/CTAP)? If so, submit:
  • A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
  • A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc.;
  • A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  • Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
• Are you applying under special hiring authorities as a military spouse? Provide a copy of your:
  • Marriage certificate, and
  • A completed SF-15 with supporting documentation.
• You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards.
• Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
  • Position title;
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
  • Agency; and
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.