Legislative Affairs Specialist

This position is a Legislative Affairs Specialist responsible for providing assistance to the Assistant Administrator and Deputy Assistant Administrator of Legislative Affairs (LA) which includes analyzing, developing, strategizing, coordinating, and monitoring Transportation Security Administration (TSA) legislative issues and activities.

Major duties

This Legislative Affairs Specialist position is located in the Legislative Affairs Office, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Duties include but are not limited to: Serves as a Senior Legislative Affairs Specialist and advises the TSA's Administrator or Senior Leadership on Congressional activities and legislative strategy and prepares the Administrator for interactions before Congress, including congressional hearings and member-level briefings using expert technical knowledge and experience. Works with LA's Assistant Administrator (AA) and Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA) to plan, instruct, and direct legislative strategy as a vital part of the LA organization, and continually develops solid working relationships and effective communication with members of Congress and their staffs to ensure timely and accurate responsiveness to DHS, TSA, and congressional mandates and directives. Analyzes a wide variety of information and issues pertaining to legislation, members of Congress, and other related matters. Facilitates coordination of work within LA and maintains a current knowledge and understanding of the various efforts within LA to ensure that services and products generated by LA are comprehensive and fully responsive.

Qualifications

To qualify for the SV-J Pay Band (equivalent to GS-14), you must have one year of specialized experience at the SV-I or GS-13 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as: Conducting legislative research and drafting papers or talking points on transportation or homeland security legislative matters; and Assisting with the coordination and clearance processes for legislative affairs documents, including briefing materials, talking points, correspondence, reports, and other congressional-related materials; and Evaluating legislative activities and programs to prepare leadership for congressional interactions and hearings and providing recommendations on related matters; and Applying knowledge of the legislative process and congressional reference sources to research and analyze legislation, monitor legislative activity, and brief senior officials on significant developments or changes. PLEASE NOTE: Your resume must clearly demonstrate that you possess all required specialized experience. Failure to provide sufficient detail may result in a determination that you are not qualified for this position. Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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. 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. You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Requirements

You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National. You must have reached the minimum age (18) at the time of application. You must complete a favorable Background Investigation (BI). Selective Service registration is required. You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI Clearance Position is subject to both pre-employment and random drug testing. If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for TSA to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.