This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/467492500. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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Summary
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) Office of the Counselor to the Director (COU) is seeking a Congressional Relations Specialist to join the Congressional Services Section. The Congressional Services Section manages CRS's intake, assignment, and tracking of requests from the United States Congress for research, information, and analysis.
The selectee for this position will assist Members of Congress and their office and committee staff with daily requests for analysis, research, and information and will be responsible for the first line of routine troubleshooting for congressional clients using CRS's website. The selectee will conduct in-depth reference interviews with congressional clients, enter and track client requests in CRS's client relationship management system, utilize and assist in maintaining the currency of a wide range of online and print tools and other authoritative information used in request assignment, and assist with a range of congressional outreach activities. The selectee will be expected to develop and maintain effective internal and external client relationships and to provide a positive image of CRS through use of client services practices.
CRS works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS has been a valued and respected resource on Capitol Hill for nearly a century.
CRS is well known for analysis that is authoritative, confidential, objective, and nonpartisan. Its highest priority is to ensure that Congress has immediate access to the nation's best thinking on public policy issues of interest to its Members and committees.
The position description number for this position is 315417.
This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position.
The tour of duty for this position is full-time.
The incumbent of this position will work a fixed schedule.
The incumbent may be eligible to elect a compflex schedule at a future date.
RELOCATION EXPENSES ARE NOT AUTHORIZED FOR THE PERSON(S) SELECTED UNDER THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT.
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Overview
- Reviewing applications
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Open & closing dates
04/10/2017 to 04/24/2017
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Salary
$54,972 - $71,467 per year
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Pay scale & grade
GS 09
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Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
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Travel Required
Not required
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Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
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Appointment type
Permanent
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Work schedule
Full-time - Open
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Service
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Promotion potential
11
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Job family (Series)
-
Supervisory status
No
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Security clearance
-
Announcement number
VAR000060
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Control number
467492500
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Duties
Responsible for intake, assignment, and tracking of daily requests from Members of Congress and their office and committee staff for research, information, and analysis. This includes monitoring CRS's call management system and other technologies to assist in providing adequate coverage of incoming requests.
Conducts in-depth reference interviews with congressional clients, evaluating and analyzing the facts bearing on clients' requests to determine the most accurate and effective formulation of each request. Enters and tracks requests in CRS's client relationship management system and utilizes a wide range of electronic tools and information to ensure correct assignment of requests to CRS analysts and information professionals for response.
Assists with orientations for congressional staff and training sessions for CRS staff on CRS's website and electronic tools, and conducts routine troubleshooting for clients using the website and these tools. Assists with the construction of advanced searches and creation of targeted marketing emails and collaborates with intra- and interdivisional stakeholders to maintain authoritative congressional data.
Develops and maintains effective internal and external client relationships and provides a positive image of CRS through use of client services practices.
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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
No additional requirements to those listed above.
Qualifications
Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision.
- Ability to conduct reference interviews**
- Knowledge of the organization and processes of the U.S. Congress**
- Ability to apply knowledge of public policy issues**
- Ability to perform client services and outreach activities.
- Ability to communicate in writing.
- Ability to utilize information technology and online systems.
- Ability to interact collaboratively with others.
- Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.
Additional information
The Congressional Research Service, within the Library of Congress, is part of the Legislative Branch of the federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.
The selectee will work a 40 hour week from 9:30-6:00pm and, if designated as excepted personnel, may be required to provide coverage in CSS when Congress is in session during weather and unforeseen agency closures.
The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustment for the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous federal service will generally be paid the minimum step of the grade.
The Library reserves the right to fill a lesser or greater number of vacancies indicated during the life of this vacancy announcement.
Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation.
Applicants who are referred for interview will be required to submit a completed OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment.
Initial appointments, permanent or indefinite, to the Library of Congress require completion of a one-year probationary period.
This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify this agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The certificate of disability may be issued by a State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of an applicant's college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The date of certification must be within one year of the vacancy closing date and must be submitted with your application. For more information view the directive on the Library's Selective Placement Program and/or contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Programs at 202-707-6024 (voice or TTY) or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.
Are you a veteran? Please indicate the type of Veterans' Preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim. Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214. Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. For more information regarding eligibility requirements, please see the Library's Merit Selection Plan, Section X.D. IF REQUIRED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION IS NOT ATTACHED, VETERANS' PREFERENCE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
The Library of Congress evaluates applicants through an applicant questionnaire and a structured interview. Applicants may also be screened for some jobs through licensing, certification, and/or education requirements, a narrative/application review, and/or a preliminary telephone interview. The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are marked with a double asterisk (**) in the vacancy announcement and the applicant questionnaire are considered the most critical for a position. To be considered for final selection, applicants must demonstrate fully acceptable experience in these designated KSAs in the narrative/application review, preliminary telephone and/or full structured interview. The various assessment tools listed above are designed to verify or explore applicants' experience, knowledge, and training directly related to the job in order to identify the best qualified applicants for selection.
To preview questions please click here.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Required Documents
As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
Current or former federal employees must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent).
Disabled applicants claiming Selective Placement eligibility must submit the appropriate supporting documentation described in OTHER INFORMATION above. If this required documentation is not attached, your application will not be considered under the Selective Placement Program.
Veterans claiming Veterans' Preference eligibility must submit the appropriate supporting documentation described in OTHER INFORMATION above. If this required documentation is not attached, Veterans' Preference will not be applied to your application.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
Please carefully follow all instructions below to ensure you are considered for the position.
You are required to apply online for this announcement. We are unable to accept mailed or emailed applications. To apply online, complete the following steps.
Step 1: Review the Job Announcement. We recommend you go to the end of the Qualifications and Evaluations section of the job announcement to preview the application questions that you will be required to answer.
Step 2: Click the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account (if you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will be asked to build one). If you have not already created a resume in USAJOBS, you will be required to create one. Although you must enter your Social Security number for USAJOBS, this information will not be provided to the Congressional Research Service or the Library of Congress.
Step 3: USAJOBS will redirect you to the Library of Congress hiring management website, where you will complete the application process. Answer all questions honestly and thoroughly, and follow all instructions for uploading required documentation.
Step 4: Click "FINISH" after you have completed your application. Once you have submitted your application, you can check your status online through your USAJOBS account. Your complete online application must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.
If you are experiencing any technical difficulty with the online process, you MUST CONTACT THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. For all technical issues please contact jobhelp@loc.gov, no later than 4:30 p.m. EST of the Closing Date. REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.
Agency contact information
Customer Service Center
- Address
-
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
101 Independence Ave. SE
LM-107
Washington, DC 20540
US
Next steps
Please review our evaluation process under Evaluation. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My USAJOBS" tab and clicking on "My Applications." You will receive final notification via e-mail when the vacancy has been filled.
Fair and Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
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Required Documents
Current or former federal employees must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent).
Disabled applicants claiming Selective Placement eligibility must submit the appropriate supporting documentation described in OTHER INFORMATION above. If this required documentation is not attached, your application will not be considered under the Selective Placement Program.
Veterans claiming Veterans' Preference eligibility must submit the appropriate supporting documentation described in OTHER INFORMATION above. If this required documentation is not attached, Veterans' Preference will not be applied to your application.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Help
Learn more about this agency
How to Apply
Please carefully follow all instructions below to ensure you are considered for the position.
You are required to apply online for this announcement. We are unable to accept mailed or emailed applications. To apply online, complete the following steps.
Step 1: Review the Job Announcement. We recommend you go to the end of the Qualifications and Evaluations section of the job announcement to preview the application questions that you will be required to answer.
Step 2: Click the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account (if you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will be asked to build one). If you have not already created a resume in USAJOBS, you will be required to create one. Although you must enter your Social Security number for USAJOBS, this information will not be provided to the Congressional Research Service or the Library of Congress.
Step 3: USAJOBS will redirect you to the Library of Congress hiring management website, where you will complete the application process. Answer all questions honestly and thoroughly, and follow all instructions for uploading required documentation.
Step 4: Click "FINISH" after you have completed your application. Once you have submitted your application, you can check your status online through your USAJOBS account. Your complete online application must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.
If you are experiencing any technical difficulty with the online process, you MUST CONTACT THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. For all technical issues please contact jobhelp@loc.gov, no later than 4:30 p.m. EST of the Closing Date. REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.
Agency contact information
Customer Service Center
- Address
-
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
101 Independence Ave. SE
LM-107
Washington, DC 20540
US
Next steps
Please review our evaluation process under Evaluation. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My USAJOBS" tab and clicking on "My Applications." You will receive final notification via e-mail when the vacancy has been filled.
Fair & Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Beginning of a dialog window for the agency announcing this job. It begins with a heading 2 called "Learn more about Field Operating Offices of the Office of the Secretary of the Army". Escape will cancel and close the window.
Learn more about
Library of Congress
Agency contact information
Customer Service Center
- Address
-
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
101 Independence Ave. SE
LM-107
Washington, DC 20540
US