Duties

Summary

This position is located in the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), Office of External Affairs and Communications (OEAC). This position is established to serve as a Legislative Affairs Specialist, reports to the Deputy Director of OEAC, and is responsible for performing a variety of duties which require strong technical writing, critical thinking, and communications skills.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a Legislative Affairs Specialist, you will:

• Provide advice and make recommendations that concern public and Congressional relations, special projects, and administrative matters.
• Formulate short and long-term legislative strategies that promote NCUA's work and policies to Federal agencies, the Congress, and other interested parties.
• Coordinate responses to and tracks requests from congressional Committees, Members of Congress, and congressional staff regarding current law, legislative proposals, regulatory actions, and constituent inquiries and casework.
• Formulate recommendations on legislative policy.
• Establish and maintain relationships with Members of Congress and staff of Congressional committees of jurisdiction
• Write and edit talking points, review drafts prepared by others and participates in the drafting of Congressional testimony and policy statements.
• Prepare agency principals for congressional hearings, briefings, meetings, and testimony.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Suitable adjudication of background/security investigation is required.
• A probationary/trial period may be required.

Qualifications

Specialized experience is the experience that has equipped you with the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

All applicants applying for the CU-14 level must have at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the CU/GS-13 level obtained in the private or public sector.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience:

Drafting legislative strategies and/or plans;

Providing legislative guidance to management; and

Responding to congressional inquiries, actions, and/or recommendations.

You must meet the qualifications for this position by the closing date of this announcement.
Please note, all experience statements (i.e., duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire) copied from this announcement and pasted into your resume will not be considered as a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

YOUR RESUME MUST provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience and support your responses to the online questionnaire as described in the vacancy announcement. When describing your experience in your resume, please be specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Please ensure that your resume includes the grade (if you are a current or previous federal employee), month, and year that you began and ended for each position held or that position may not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Full-time employment will be assumed unless otherwise stated on your resume. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating.

Your resume must also support your responses to the online questionnaire. Failure to provide support may result in a lower rating and/or you may be excluded from consideration. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.

Education

Education is not required for this position nor may it be used to qualify.

Additional information

SALARY: Pay will be set within the advertised pay range to align with the selectee's skills and experience and the requirements of the position.

Pay will be set using NCUA's compensation policy. The salary range shown is NCUA's Local Pay Rate (LPR) which includes the locality rate for the Alexandria, Virginia geographical area. Please click here to review all salary ranges based on locality.

SELECTIVE SERVICE: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. You may register or check the status of your registration by visiting the Selective Service website at http://www.sss.gov/ .

This position is not in the bargaining unit.

NOTE: Effective January 1, 2010, OPM must authorize any employment offers we make to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES (political) employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the point of contact listed on this vacancy announcement.

Illegal drug use by individuals working for or on behalf of the federal government, whether on duty or off duty, is contrary to the efficiency of the service and in direct violation of the Controlled Substance Act and the Drug-Free Workplace Act.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCUA's current posture will not require employees to perform official travel or work onsite at NCUA offices any earlier than August 30, 2021. This date may be extended.

If it becomes necessary for NCUA to request on-site work, NCUA may solicit volunteers for the assignment. Management reserves the right to request employees to perform on-site work in exigent circumstances.

NCUA IS A COMPETITIVE SERVICE FEDERAL AGENCY.

NCUA uses E-Verify, a web-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify , including your rights and responsibilities.

More than the number of positions listed may be filled through this vacancy announcement.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

For Category Rating: Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The category assignment is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the competencies required for this position.

Your application package will be reviewed for completeness (resume, completed assessment questionnaire, and supporting documentation). You will not be considered if you fail to submit all the required documents as outlined in this vacancy announcement.

If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be placed in one of three categories:
Best Qualified - Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position.
Well Qualified - Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position.
Qualified - Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position.

The self-assessment questions have been developed to evaluate your competency in the following areas:
Oral Communication, Technical Competence, and Written Communication

Reference Checks: Reference checks will need to be conducted before an offer of employment for the top candidate(s) for this position. The reference checks will need to be conducted with current and former supervisors, if applicable, as a part of NCUA's selection assessment process.

Application of Veterans' Preference: The category rating process does not add veterans' 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% must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the CU-09 level or higher).

If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, your application will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, please click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11174631

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.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package which includes:
1. Resume (required)
2. Other supporting documentation:

• Cover letter (optional)
• Veterans' documentation (see below for requirements)
• CTAP/ICTAP documentation (see below for requirements)
• College transcript(s), if qualifying based on education or if listed as a basic requirement

VETERANS:
If you wish to receive consideration for veteran's preference you must submit a copy of your veteran's documentation including a DD-214 (member 4 copy preferred, however, the documentation provided must contain dates and character of service) along with a VA letter, SF-15 , etc., if applicable. If you are a current active duty service member, please submit an official statement of service from your command.

Note: If you are a current active duty military member who does not have a DD-214 and is claiming preference under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces indicating that you will be discharged or released under honorable conditions from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. Certifications must be on letterhead from the appropriate military branch and include the following information: military dates of service and expected discharge or release date, the character of service, military rank, type of discharge, and date when terminal leave will begin. Certifications must be signed by, or by the direction of military members' military personnel offices, unit commanders or higher headquarters.

CTAP/ICTAP: Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof of their eligibility:

• Copy of agency notice;
• Most recent performance rating; and
• SF-50 noting current position, grade level and duty location or Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction In Force separation notice.

Note: To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above on the rating criteria for this position. For additional information, click CTAP .