Congressional Affairs Specialist

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Position description

This position is located in the Office of Governmental Affairs (OGA), Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA), United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of Commerce. The incumbent serves as a Congressional Affairs Specialist performing developmental assignmentsinvolving legislative analysis, congressional correspondence, appropriations monitoring, executive briefing support, and congressional liaison activities.

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required for this role, as it includes on site functions that must be performed in person. Position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion. The agency currently allows for 52 hours of telework per leave year.

This rewarding career role is ideal for you if:

• You’re able to research proposed legislation, Congressional hearings, committee reports, and appropriations actions affecting USPTO programs and prepares summaries and analyses for review by higher-graded specialists.
• You’re ready to assist in drafting legislative proposals, Congressional testimony, briefing papers, talking points, and position papers supporting agency legislative initiatives.
• You are committed to assist with preparing responses to Congressional inquiries by collecting background information, coordinating with program offices, and preparing draft correspondence.
• You are eager to participate in meetings with Congressional staff, Department of Commerce officials, Office of Management and Budget personnel, and other Federal agencies to obtain information supporting legislative initiatives.

Qualifications

Conditions of employment

• Applications will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related competencies.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• Suitable for Federal Employment

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. OPM Qualifications Standards are available at Administrative and Management Positions.

Specialized Experienceis experience that has equipped applicants with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, you must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in Federal service. For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-11.

Specialized experience for this position includes:

• Experience developing congressional testimony and briefing materials; AND
• Experience preparing responses to congressional inquiries by collecting background information, coordinating with program offices, and preparing draft correspondence; AND
• Experience reviewing pending legislation and evaluating potential impacts on agency programs, operations, and strategic initiatives.

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.

Application instructions

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