"18-VAOIG-140-P" Vacancy Details

About

Overview

Who May Apply/Clarification From the Agency:

U.S. citizens and U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.

This opportunity is also open to Status Candidates under Announcement 18-VAOIG-145. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply. 

Security Clearance Required:

Public Trust - Background Investigation

Appointment Type

Permanent

Appointment Type Details:

Full-time

Marketing Statement:

The Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) mission is to serve veterans and the public by conducting effective oversight of the programs and operations of the Department of Veterans Affairs through independent audits, inspections, and investigations.

Summary:

It is anticipated that there will be significant interest in the announcement. As a result, the announcement will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on the date of receipt of the 200th application or at 11:59 p.m.  ET on 06/06/2018; whichever occurs first. Any required documents should be submitted at the time that you apply as documents will not be accepted after the vacancy closes.

OIG is organized into three line elements: the Offices of Investigations, Audits and Evaluations, and Healthcare Inspections; along with the Office of Contract Review and the Office of Management and Administration. In addition to the Washington, DC, headquarters, OIG has offices located in more than 30 cities throughout the country.

The Congressional Relations Specialist, located in the Office of Inspector General, is responsible for establishing and maintaining continuing liaison with Members of Congress and their staff, and performing complex and sensitive projects and assignments for the Inspector General (IG) and Deputy Inspector General.

Supervisory Position:

No

Relocation Expenses Reimbursed:

No

Travel Required:

Occasional Travel

1-5 Nights Per Month. Travel nationwide under tight deadlines. The incumbent should anticipate frequent walking and standing as a component of this travel.

Duties

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-14. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

-Coordinate preparations for congressional hearings, which includes serve as point of contact for congressional staff, participate in pre-hearing briefings, record and analyze points raised during the hearing, and review and edit testimony, briefing books, transcripts, and responses to pre-hearing and post-hearing questions.
-Monitor congressional activities and hearings, review proposed legislation for impact on VA and OIG, and assist in the drafting of legislative proposals.
-Complete complex and sensitive special projects on a wide range of OIG operations, programs, and policies, and develop position papers and briefing material. 
-Research information from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate complex information, draw sound conclusions, and recommend practical and reliable courses of action.
-Maintain continuing awareness of OIG policies, plans, programs, and accomplishments by reviewing OIG reports, attend senior staff meetings and briefings, and consult regularly with the senior OIG staff. 

Qualifications and Evaluations

Requirements:

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Key Requirements:

Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."

Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.

Must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals.

Education Requirements:

Evaluations:

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a “not qualified” determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Information Management, Communication and Analytical. Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, A-Exceptionally Qualified, B-Highly Qualified, or C-Qualified, depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category. Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview. 

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must be assigned the middle category or better to be rated as “well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

Qualifications:

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized experience: For the GS-14, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: 

-Keeping Congress informed of problems and deficiencies in Department programs and operations; AND
-Representing and interacting with officials in or out of the government to explain, promote, and resolve issues relating to an agency’s mission; AND
-Writing briefing papers, presentations, and executive correspondence.


Specialized experience: For the GS-13, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: 

-Keeping Congress informed of problems and deficiencies in Department programs and operations; AND
-Representing and interacting with officials in or out of the government to explain, promote, and resolve issues relating to an agency's mission.

Benefits and Other Info

Benefits:

Our comprehensive benefits are very generous.  Our benefits package includes:               

- Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, competitive salaries, bonuses and incentive awards.
- Ten paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year.
- Access to insurance programs that may be continued after you retire.
- A wide choice of health insurance plans, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting periods. We pay a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums.
- A retirement program which includes employer-matching contributions.
- Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits

Other Information:

- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. 
- This is a non-bargaining unit position.
- We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- A one year probationary period may be required.
- Must successfully complete a background investigation.
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
- Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9.  Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
- Obtain and use a Government-issued purchase card for business-related travel.

How to Apply

How to Apply:

VAOIG has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization.  Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday).  If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date. 

VAOIG provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis.  Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
 
To begin, either click the “Create a New Account” button and follow the prompts to register or if you previously registered, click the "Apply Online" button and follow the prompts.
 
You will be re-directed to VAOIG's CareerConnector system to complete your application process; answer the online questions, and submit all required documents. (To submit supporting documents, click one of the available options; Upload; Fax; or Reuse existing documents.  To protect your privacy, we suggest you first remove your SSN). Also, go to “My Account” to view and update your information, as necessary.

To complete, you must click the “Finish” button located at the bottom of the “Application Review” page.

To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

If you are experiencing system issues with your application, please contact the CareerConnector Help Desk at careerconnectorhelp@treasury.gov and/or the USAJOBS Help Desk.

Required Documents:

A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents.  Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible). 

All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing.  (Cover letters are optional.)  To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé.  We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.

CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.

Next Steps:

1. Login to your USAJOBS account, select the "Applications" section and click on the vacancy you would like to view and have already applied for.
 
2. Under "application status," click "additional application information" and you will be taken to the CareerConnector website where you can check your application status.  The "additional application information" link may not be available if your application status says "Unavailable." This indicates that your application is not complete.
 
If the "additional application information" link is not available and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to the CareerConnector portion of the application.

Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement.  Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.