SummaryThe position is located in the Office of Governmental Affairs within the Office of the Administrator (ROA) for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The Governmental Affairs Specialist assists the Office of Governmental Affairs in the planning, promotion, administration, and execution of activities related to maintaining a positive and constructive relationship between FRA and Members of Congress, states, local governments, and their associated offices.Learn more about this agency ResponsibilitiesAs a Governmental Affairs Specialist, you will:Provide assistance to management in the preparation for Congressional hearings on proposed legislation, budget or appropriations, authorization, or oversight of the FRA programAssist in developing testimony; developing briefing materials and hearing books; and providing other materials for hearings as needed.Assist management in identifying, measuring, and determining the possible impact of proposed legislation and regulatory changes on the Agency's programs and Review materials, statements, and other data for their impact on the Agency's programs and policies.Respond to inquiries and questions about the Agency's programs and policies from Congressional staff, DOT officials, Agency representatives, and key Assist in presenting information on FRA activities and policies.The ideal candidate has proven experience working with Congress, state, and local officials to facilitate effective communication and provide accurate and timely information on topics important to the Agency's mission. Candidate will have experience preparing and reviewing testimony and miscellaneous reports; preparing responses for senior FRA staff that respond to sensitive and/or time critical correspondence received from the White House and Members of Congress; collect background information and conduct research and analysis to respond to inquiries from Members of Congress; coordinate and prepare senior agency officials for hearings, briefings and speeches. Is highly motivated, demonstrates initiative and uses sound judgment. They must be able to work under tight deadlines and effectively accomplish competing priorities. Superb communication skills, with the ability to write and speak concisely and accurately to convey complex information is essential.Travel Required Occasional travel - Occasional travel - Some travel required.Supervisory status No Promotion Potential 13 Job family (Series) 0301 Miscellaneous Administration And Program Help Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a US Citizen and eligible for consideration. You must meet specialized experience to qualify. Required documents must be submitted by the closing date. Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.DEU REQUIREMENTS: Applicants selected under delegated examining procedures may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).ETHICS/CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT: All employees are subject to the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 2635, including restrictions on owning financial interests that may conflict with performance of their duties. Some employees, like those involved in contracting or regulating non-Federal entities, are subject to Executive Branch Financial Disclosure requirements set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 263. Please note that you may be required to file an annual financial disclosure. QualificationsTo meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet either the education or specialized experience requirements for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.To qualify for the GS-11 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it must include:Experience with legislative processes such as with Congress, Congressional committees, other departments and agencies, state and local governments, transportation industry and special interest groups.Experience editing executive level or comparable correspondence involving legislative and/or Congressional issues.Experience researching and compiling data and reports AND utilizing advanced functions of software packages (ie, word-processing, databases, and spreadsheets) to edit, reformat, and produce documents in various formats and style requirements.To qualify for the GS-11 on Education alone, you must have: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. You can also qualify based on a combination of higher level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application. To qualify for the GS-12 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:Experience providing technical support and advice to senior executive or comparable high level officials on legislative, congressional, and/or mission-related issues which impact both internal and external organizational operations.Experience writing AND editing executive level or comparable correspondence involving legislative, congressional, and/or mission related policy You cannot qualify on education at the GS-12 level; you must have experience.To qualify for the GS-13 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12 it must include: Experience providing technical support and advice to senior executive or comparable high level officials on legislative, congressional, and/or mission-related issues which impact both internal and external organizational operations. Experience writing and editing executive level correspondences involving legislative, congressional, and/or mission related policy issues. Experience serving as a liaison between the organization and Members of Congress, local governments and outside stakeholders.You cannot qualify on education at the GS-13 level; you must have experience. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, Government regulations, Executive orders, agency rules, Government organization and functions, and the democratic political process. Customer Service: Anticipates and meets the needs of both internal and external customers. Delivers high-quality products and services; is committed to continuous improvement. Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.For all types of consideration, experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (eg, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (eg, 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 experienceFor additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4 Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply if the anticipated graduation date is within six months of closing date of the announcement. Graduation transcript must be received before start date. Other applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.EducationAdditional informationThis vacancy may be used by any DOT agency to fill similar positions within 90 days.Read more How You Will Be EvaluatedYou will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level. To compete with US Citizens: If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be placed in one of four categories: Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze, which is based upon your responses to the vacancy questions. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference that have provided supporting documents will receive selection priority over non-veterans. The top rated applications will be reviewed for the quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position.To compete with other competitive status government employees: If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be scored based upon your responses to the vacancy questions. The top rated applications will be reviewed for the quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position. If referred, all relevant documents including performance appraisals and awards submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the hiring official for review.Eligible Federal employees also seeking consideration for noncompetitive reassignment for this position, must indicate interest in the assessment. In eligibility question 14: select Yes/Other/Former Incumbency of a Position brought into the Competitive Service. Noncompetitive federal candidates must have competitive status on a SF-50, meet minimum qualifications, have served at the same grade or higher, and held or exceeded the promotion potential of this position.All applicants: Your application will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position. The answers you select in the on-line process must be substantiated in your application package. If upon review, it is determined that your described work history, competencies, and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be updated on your behalf or you may not be referred to the selecting official. Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers. The Automated Staffing Office is ultimately responsible for determining your final rating. To preview questions please click here. Read more Background checks and security clearanceSecurity clearance Other Drug test required No Help Required DocumentsRESUME - All applicants must provide a resume created within USA Jobs Resume Builder, that shows relevant experience, education and support the required specialized experience. Formatted resumes can by uploaded later in the application process.TRANSCRIPTS are REQUIRED if there is a stated education requirement for the series OR if you are substituting education for experience. The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the US Department of Education.If you have already qualified and worked in the federal service in this series, you may provide an SF-50 in lieu of transcripts. PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS/INCENTIVE AWARDS: If applicable, performance appraisals and/or Incentive award documentation may be submitted and forwarded to the selecting official in consideration of your application. To receive credit, submit a recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable (do not submit a performance plan) and/or incentive award documentation dated within the last 18 months (ie performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increases, etc.).VETERANS: Your last DD214 (member 4 copy), Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, that shows the type of discharge and all dates of active duty is required to verify your eligibility. If applying to a vacancy opened to all US Citizens under category rating and wish to be considered as a preference eligible, you need to submit a copy of your DD214 (member-4 copy).If claiming preference eligibility as a disabled veteran, you must submit proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally a valid letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. An SF-15 is desired, but not required.If applying to a vacancy opened Status and you are requesting consideration under Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) (https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/#veoa), you need to provide a copy of your last DD214 (member-4 copy), which verifies your military service dates, reason for separation, OR certification of separation that shows a discharge date within 120 days of the closing of this announcement, and eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act.FEDERAL APPLICANTS: You must submit your most current and other SF-50(s) that verify your current position, highest competitive grade, full performance level, and eligibility as a federal applicant. DO NOT submit an award SF-50 as these often do not verify grade or eligibility. For consideration for a promotion, Box 4 of the SF-50 must show a date that is at least 52 weeks prior to the job announcement closing. We recommend submitting your last promotion SF-50, current SF-50 or within-grade increase SF-50. Pay adjustment raise SF-50s for the current year will not support the 52 weeks' time-in-grade requirements. https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/service/SF-50/NON COMPETITIVE APPLICANTS: If requesting concurrent consideration for Non-competitive (NC) appointment eligibility, you must provide the appropriate SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY DOCUMENTS, such as PCS orders (military spouse) describing move & marriage certificate; letter from VA or DD214 describing 100% disability of spouse; letter from State Vocational Office certifying disability (schedule A), etc. For more information, visit military spouse NC appointments or Persons with Disabilities NC appointments. DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 85 or falling in the Gold Category) and provide all of the following documents: your most recent performance appraisal,the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, andyour most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.Displaced employees may be eligible for ICTAP or CTAP priority consideration. For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the US 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 US 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. Help BenefitsA career with the US Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.