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Public Affairs Specialist (Legislative Affairs Specialist)

Department of Justice
Justice, Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Why work for the Federal Bureau of Prisons?

You can have a meaningful career with an agency that truly values a diverse workforce. You will find a diverse workforce employed from entry level jobs to senior management positions. We protect public safety by ensuring federal offenders serve their sentences of imprisonment in facilities that are safe, humane, and provide reentry programming. Employees at correctional facilities perform correctional work regardless of their specific occupation.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
12/14/2018 to 01/09/2019
Salary
$114,590 to - $148,967 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel may be required for training and/or work related issues.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Reimbursement is authorized for travel and transportation for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Drug test
No
Announcement number
CO-2019-0069
Control number
519604400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

• BOP Employees Nationwide • DOJ Surplus and Displaced (CTAP) Employees in the local commuting area. • Duty Location: Central Office, Washington, D.C. DIVISION: Information, Policy & Public Affairs Division, Office of Legislative Affairs, Central Office, Washington, D.C.

Duties

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The incumbent of this position functions as a Legislative Affairs Specialist for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). He/she ensures a smooth flow of accurate and timely information to and from the Director’s Office, between the various components of the BOP, with Congress and State Legislatures, external agencies, and the public. The incumbent participates in the coordination of Congressional activity with DOJ Legislative Affairs and is the primary contact for the BOP for telephonic Congressional inquiries.

Incumbent’s primary responsibility is to help ensure that Congress and departments and agencies within the Administration (especially Department of Justice components) work toward enactment of legislation that will have a positive impact on the BOP and toward to prevention of legislation that will have a negative impact on the agency.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is Required.
  • See Special Conditions of Employment Section.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP eligibility, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and score 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: Click Here

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements:

Education:

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position.

Experience:

You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to perform successfully the duties of the position, and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled.

Some examples of this qualifying experience are:

  • Experience that demonstrates knowledge of the structure, operations, procedures, and activities of the U.S. Congress and the process by which Federal legislation is developed, amended, and enacted.
  • Experience which demonstrates the ability to provide a smooth and accurate flow of information between agency components, government agencies, and the public.
  • Experience in preparing a summary of the impact of legislation, including an assessment of its effect on Federal, State and/or local corrections and criminal justice systems.
  • Experience in preparing issue papers, talking points and other briefing material for use by executive-level officials to respond to Congressional inquiries.

Credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities.

**Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.**

Additional information

This position IS NOT included in the bargaining unit.

The representative rate for this position is $126,049 per annum ($60.40 per hour).

Special Conditions of Employment Section:

The incumbent is subject to geographic relocation to meet the needs of the agency.

Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a urinalysis, physical, and background investigation.  All applicants are subject to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit checks.

The addresses listed on the USAJOBS account/resume must be the primary residence at the time of application.  You may be required to provide proof of residence.

Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate.

Current Federal Law Enforcement Employees:  
Individuals selected who are under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and who have not had three years "primary" law enforcement retirement coverage, will not be covered by law enforcement retirement while in this position.  To regain coverage, individuals must return to a position with "primary" coverage.

How you will be evaluated

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

If your composite score exceeds the average score for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your online assessment questionnaire responses and utilized to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement.  If you rate yourself higher than what is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

There are several parts of the application process that affect the overall evaluation of your application:

  • Your resume, which is part of your USAJOBS profile;
  • Your responses to the eligibility questions;
  • Your responses to the online assessment questionnaire;
  • Your supporting documentation, if required.

Time-in-Grade:  Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements for consideration.  You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position?

The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) are required:

  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Organization Awareness
  • Technical Competence

To preview questions please click here.

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