Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer

Summary

The Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer position is in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA). OLA provides legislative counsel to the AO and the Judicial Conference; supports Judicial Conference committees; develops and promotes legislative initiatives; and promotes communication with and prepares and coordinates responses to inquiries from Congress, the executive branch, and other entities.

Duties

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The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) is seeking an exceptional leader to serve as Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer. The Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer serves as the primary advisor to the Legislative Affairs Officer who serves as the senior legislative advisor to the AO Director. Together, the Legislative Affairs Officer and the Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer ensure OLA's mission, objectives, and goals are met.

OLA carries out the judiciary's legislative liaison activities with Congress, other governmental entities, and private sector organizations. OLA works with the Judicial Conference of the United States (JCUS) and its committees to develop policy positions on legislative issues, promotes legislative initiatives, identifies and monitors congressional activity impacting the judiciary, and develops and coordinates responses to policy and legislative inquiries from Congress.

The Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer serves as an expert on a wide range of legislative subject-matter areas of interest to the federal judiciary; serves as Acting Legislative Affairs Officer during the absence of the Legislative Affairs Officer; and represents the Legislative Affairs Officer at senior-level agency meetings and committee meetings.

The incumbent must have excellent legal research and analytical skills and should possess strong

professional management, problem-solving, and written and verbal communication skills. The ideal candidate must have experience in providing analysis of complex legal and legislative issues for executive-level decision-makers and exercising sound judgment to negotiate solutions and execute decisions on behalf of executive-level officials.

The duties of the Deputy Legislative Affairs Officer include, but are not limited to:

1. Assisting the Legislative Affairs Officer in planning, developing, coordinating, advising, and directing the activities of the office.
2. Advising the Legislative Affairs Officer and OLA team on strategic decisions and oversight activities of the Judicial Conference Committees on the Judicial Branch and Federal-State Jurisdiction.
3. Providing legal and legislative advice and recommendations to office and agency officials on legislative matters of importance to the judiciary.
4. Identifying and developing sound strategies to resolve legislative issues of importance to the judiciary.
5. Building relationships and coordinating regularly with Hill staff, judiciary stakeholders, and AO leadership.
6. Providing leadership, management, supervision, and coordination to attorneys, paralegals, and support staff.
7. Responding to legislative inquiries from the Congress, the AO Director, judges, court officers, and others.
8. Attending congressional meetings, hearings, briefings on behalf of the judiciary.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

1. All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
2. Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the AO. If non-citizens are considered for hire into a temporary or any other position with non-competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO Human Resources Office there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at USAJOBS Help Center | Employment of non-citizens/. For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
3. All new AO employees will be required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check and pass a public trust suitability check.
4. New employees to the AO will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights/responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
5. All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment.
6. You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor. Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment.
7. If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation.

Qualifications

Applicants must have demonstrated experience which shows competence in the qualifications as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which includes interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions.

Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or a federal court of general jurisdiction. Applicants are responsible for citing minimum qualifications such as J.D. and bar membership information (institution name, state(s) for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will constitute an incomplete application. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Post J.D. Experience: Applicants must also possess at least 4 years of post J.D. experience.

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one full year (52 weeks) (preferably 5 or moreyears) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-15/JSP-15/CL 31 level which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience for this position is defined as follows:

• Expertise and demonstrated experience in the political, administrative, and legislative processes of Congress.
• Demonstrated ability to provide strategic advice and communications with executive-level officers.
• Demonstrated ability to solve executive-level complex and sensitive problems.
• Demonstrated expertise in composing, reviewing, and revising legal memoranda, legislative documents, explanatory materials, congressional testimony, executive-quality correspondence, speeches, and reports.
• Demonstrated ability to assess executive-level, complex, and sensitive information, identify key issues, and implement appropriate solutions.

Highly Desired:

• Experience in the federal legislative branch.
• Knowledge of the legislative process.
• Staffing a judicial or legislative committee or working with judges, legislators, or executive-level officials.

Additional Assessment: Applicants who meet the specialized experience requirements also will be assessed on the following Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs).

Mandatory Technical Qualification: The MTQ listed below should be evident in your resume. A supplemental narrative must be uploaded and attached to your application addressing the MTQ listed below. Please limit your response to one page.

1. Expert experience dealing with members of Congress and congressional staff, executive branch agencies, and the media. Demonstrated experience staffing congressional hearings or preparing individuals for written and oral testimony before congressional committees.

Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): Applicants currently serving in an AOES and Court Unit Executive positions or under a career Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment, eligible for reinstatement into SES, or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) approved by OPM are not required to submit a narrative response for the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ). A narrative response as part of the application package for each of the following ECQs is MANDATORY for all other applicants. Please limit your response to two pages for each ECQ.

1. Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment. Leadership Competencies: Creativity & Innovation, External Awareness, Flexibility, Resilience, Strategic Thinking, Vision.
2. Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. Leadership Competencies: Conflict Management, Developing Others, Team Building.
3. Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. Leadership Competencies: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving, Technical Credibility.
4. Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. Leadership Competencies: Financial Management, Human Capital Management, Technology Management.
5. Building Coalitions / Communication: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. Leadership Competencies: Partnering, Political Savvy, Influencing/Negotiating.

Education

Applicants must possess a law degree (J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/.

Additional information

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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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.

Review our 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.