As a Congressional Affairs Specialist, you will perform the following duties:

Serves as principal advisor to EDA senior leadership on all congressional and intergovernmental matters, providing authoritative guidance on legislative processes, stakeholder perspectives, and policy implications.

Acts as the primary point of contact for EDA with Members of Congress, congressional committees, Governors, Mayors, State Legislators, local officials, and intergovernmental organizations, independently managing all relationships.

Leads and executes all grants-related legislative functions, including congressional notifications, controlled correspondence, advanced notifications, and complex legislative tracking and analysis.

Independently receives, evaluates, and responds to inquiries and casework, resolving complex and politically sensitive issues without supervision and ensuring EDA's positions are accurately represented.

Ensures seamless, proactive information exchange between EDA and Congress or intergovernmental entities, providing clear interpretation of EDA programs, actions, and policy impacts.

Establishes, sustains, and leads liaison networks with Intergovernmental Affairs constituents and Congressional Offices and Committees, independently conducting briefings, attending meetings, advising committees, coordinating information exchange, and representing EDA authoritatively.

Attends, analyzes, and reports on hearings, preparing complex briefings and providing expert, timely information to congressional offices and committee staff for hearings, legislation, and markups.

This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Congressional Affairs Specialist GS-0301-13, positions within the Department of Commerce in the same geographical location or local commuting area with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

This position is also advertised under EDA-OEA-DE-26-13022901, which is open to Merit Promotion/Direct Hire/Delegated Examining eligible applicants. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
• A probationary or trial period may be required.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/).
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Bargaining Unit Position: No
• Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): No
• Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: will not be paid
• License required: No
• Drug Test Required: No
• Pre-employment medical/physical required: No
• Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement unless eligible for special hiring authority, reinstatement eligible, non-current Federal employee applying as a VEOA eligible which do not require time-in-grade/band.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Occupational-Series

Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify at the GS-13 level, you must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience:

• Applying advanced knowledge of the federal legislative process, committee operations, and legislative procedures to independently manage congressional relationships, interpret complex legislative actions, or prepare hearing materials or responses to Congressional inquiries; AND
• Building trusted relationships with government stakeholders such as members of Congress and senior staff, coalitions, associations, advocacy groups and state and local officials; AND
• Conducting strategic legislative analysis to advise senior leadership, identify emerging issues, or align legislative priorities with agency objectives; AND
• Developing executive level communications, including briefings, legislative summaries, talking points, and responses to complex or politically sensitive questions, ensuring accuracy and strategic alignment.