Summary

This position is located in the Indian Health Service, Office of External Affairs, Legislative Affairs Staff, under the Deputy Director for Intergovernmental and External Affairs. Reports to IHS Headquarters. The official duty station is Rockville, MD or any Area Office. However, an alternate duty station may be negotiated if it is closer to another IHS Area Office, subject to agency approval.

A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

Duties

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• Advises the Director, Legislative Affairs Staff, and other appropriate IHS officials on questions, issues, and developments pertaining to legislative and congressional matters.
• Provides professional and administrative guidance to IHS staff in carrying out legislative assignments and coordinates work products needed for Legislative Affairs activities.
• Maintains awareness of significant legislation and congressional activity affecting IHS and keeps Legislative Affairs leadership informed of status, deadlines, emerging issues, and required Agency
  actions.
• Coordinates with IHS Headquarters offices, Area Offices, program officials, subject matter experts, HHS components, and other appropriate partners to obtain information and resolve issues necessary for legislative products and responses.
• Develops schedules, work plans, tracking mechanisms, and coordination processes to support timely completion of legislative and congressional assignments.
• Identifies matters requiring elevated review, clearance, or policy decision and recommends appropriate action to Legislative Affairs leadership.
• Reviews, analyzes, and interprets legislative and Executive Branch documents.
• Evaluates proposed legislative for foreseeable effects on Agency programs, policies, procedures, regulations, statutory authorities, funding, and operations based on program input and knowledge of IHS programs and related law.
• Researches and analyzes proposed and pending authorization and appropriations legislation and develops written analyses, recommendations, briefing materials, and draft Agency comments.
• Assist in developing legislative initiatives, bill reports, technical comments, testimony, and related materials and coordinates required Agency and Departmental review and clearance.
• Assist with preparation and coordination of legislative implementation plans.
• Provides technical assistance, when authorized, to congressional committees and staff regarding IHS authorities, programs, proposed legislation, and hearing preparation.
• Maintains legislative records, tracking information, analytical files, and other materials necessary to support continuity of Legislative Affairs operations.
• Serves as an Agency liaison on assigned congressional and legislative matters and coordinates activities with congressional offices and committees.
• Confers with senior officials and staff of HHS components, other Federal agencies, and Tribal, state, and local governments on complex legislative matters affecting Indian health programs.
• Coordinates preparation for congressional hearings, briefings, meetings, and other engagements involving the IHS Director or other IHS officials.
• Tracks congressional inquiries and legislative requests and coordinates timely, accurate responses with appropriate program and subject matter experts.
• Participates in conferences, interagency meetings, workgroups, and task forces involving changes in legislation or related policy and represents Legislative Affairs within the scope of delegated authority.
• Identifies emerging congressional issues and recommends coordination strategies, response options, or additional analysis to Legislative Affairs leadership.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period

ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period

U.S. Citizenship is required

Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

Confidential Financial Disclosure Form required.

This position is ineligible for the Bargaining Unit.

Background Investigation Requirement:

This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment.

A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service.

Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process.

Financial Suitability Requirement:

This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations prior to applying.

Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service (IHS).

Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

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; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

GS-12 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Examples include: Experience performing legislative or policy analysis for government programs. Experience researching, reviewing, and analyzing proposed or pending legislation and legislative or Executive Branch documents to identify potential impacts on agency programs, policies, procedures, or operations; assisting in preparing legislative materials such as bill reports, testimony, legislative proposals, implementation plans, or written comments; and tracking legislative actions, including appropriations-related matters. Experience providing advice or technical assistance on legislative matters and coordinating with program officials, congressional staff, federal agencies, tribal organizations, or other governmental stakeholders on legislative or policy issues.

GS-13 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service, Examples include: Experience performing legislative and policy analysis involving complex federal programs. Experience reviewing, analyzing, and interpreting proposed or pending legislation and Executive Branch documents to assess their impact on agency programs, policies, operations, or regulations; preparing legislative materials such as bill reports, testimony, legislative proposals, implementation plans, or formal recommendations; and providing technical advice on legislative matters to senior officials or program staff. Experience coordinating and maintaining working relationships with congressional staff, federal agencies, tribal or governmental officials, or other stakeholders to address complex legislative issues andsupport congressional or legislative activities.

Time In Grade

Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP).

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Education

There are no education requirements.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/[redacted]5-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used to determine which rate they earn annual leave.

PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps MUST apply online under the merit promotion announcement indicated above in order to receive consideration.

This position has promotion potential to the GS-GS-13 grade level. Promotion to the next grade level is at management's discretion and is based on your demonstrated ability to perform the higher-level duties, the continuing need for the higher-level duties, and "Regulatory/Administrative" approval. Promotion to the next higher grade level is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied.

You will be evaluated for this position in accordance with the OPM Merit Hiring Plan.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide short essay responses (200 words or less each) to the following four questions.

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government?
2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness?
3. In this role, you will be expected to professionally and efficiently implement executive direction. Provide an example where you implemented leadership direction on a strategy or policy decision that differed from your own recommendation.
4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements?

• Your responses are optional and will not be scored.
• However, they may be reviewed by hiring managers and agency leadership (or designees) during the evaluation process.
• You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot).

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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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