This Congressional Relations Officer (CRO) position is located in the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs (OCLA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The incumbent serves as a CRO in one or more of the following areas: health, benefits, budget/appropriations, construction program, memorial affairs/cemetaries, acquisitions, and human resources, information technology and administration.

Duties

This is a non-bargaining unit position. Please read this public notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application. Vacancies may not presently exist but may become available at any point during the opening period of this vacancy announcement. Human Resources will not review applicant resumes until the Hiring Manager submits a request to fill a vacancy. You are applying to a public notice to fill current and future vacancies. Please note, there may or may not be actual/projected vacancies when you submit your application. Your resume and any supporting documentation will be retained with other applicants and reviewed as vacancies occur. You will not receive a notice regarding your application's status other than the initial acknowledgment until a request is received to fill a position. Once a request to fill a vacancy is received, we will review applicants in increments of 50 in application date order. We will refer qualified applicants to the selecting official for consideration. The organization's hiring need will determine the referral of additional applicants. Applicants will be notified about their application's status if referred or if we fill all vacancies. This announcement will remain open until September 29, 2024. The cut-off date is 2/30/2024 or at the point at which the first 50 applications are received, whichever comes first. Applications submitted after February 30, 2024 may not receive consideration. In addition, due to the potential of a high volume of applicants, not all applicants may receive consideration. After the initial cut-off period, once a request to fill a vacancy is received, applications will be reviewed in increments of 50 applications in date order. Note: Submitting multiple applications will change the order in which your application is reviewed. We will refer qualified applicants to the selecting official for consideration. The organization's hiring need will determine the referral of additional applicants. Applicants will be notified of their application's status if referred or if we fill all vacancies. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Duty Location Status: Will work from a VA owned or leased space Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Congressional Relations Officer/PD81309A, PD81308A, and PD81307A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-14. At the GS-12 or GS-13 grade levels, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-14. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds. Promotion is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied. Major Duties: Handle the most complex and sensitive congressional issues and provide technical supervision to lower-graded Congressional Relations staff. Oversee Department's preparation for and follow-up to congressional hearings. Assist with department and/or staff offices concerning matters within the Congressional Relations Officer's area of program and legislative responsibility. Provide substantive information relative to assigned responsibilities for response to Members of Congress, their staff, or others having interest in the mission and functions of the Veterans Affairs. Assist Members of Congress and their staff concerning program and policy matters and pending legislation.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Selectees may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A complete application package, i.e., Resume, Transcripts, etc., as required by job announcement.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/30/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11.For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. Provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" to indicate your current federal status. You must also submit additional SF-50(s) to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade as required in the announcement. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year time-in-grade. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade. Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. AND You may qualify based on your experience as described below. GS-12 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience: Analyzing and interpreting politically sensitive information; Promoting an agency or Department's policies, initiatives, and programs; Utilizing verbal and writing skills to organize and disseminate information. GS-13 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-12) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience: Analyzing and interpreting legislative and congressional activities to support Department related policies, programs, and initiatives; Monitoring congressional activities and reporting/disseminating program and/or policy informing matters; Interfacing with senior leaders and preparing them for large scale meetings; Recommending communication strategies on legislation, policies, or directives that impact an agency. GS-14 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-13) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience: Interfacing with and advising national leaders/policymakers on matters relating to an agency's mission and strategic plan; Managing preparations for and follow-ups to congressional hearings and/or briefings; Leading efforts on congressional inquiries that may impact one or multiple departments across an agency; Advising on the management of congressional issues. You will be rated on the following Competencies or this position: Political Savvy Communication Stakeholder Management Per Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Policies, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, human resources director, or official documentation such as SF-52, SF-50 documenting an official detail/assignments, or other comparable documentation). The documentation must indicate whether the employee performed the duties full time or, if part-time, the percentage of times the employee performed the additional duties. To receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your position, you must provide official documentation of such experience as indicated above. 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit OPM's web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/alph-ndx.asp.

Education

There is no education substitute for the GS-12, GS-13, or GS-14 levels.

Contacts

• Address DAS Congressional Affairs 810 Vermont Ave Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]