Director Congressional Relations

Position description

Incumbent of this position will perform the following duties and similar unlisted duties in accordance with serving as the Director of Congressional Relations at the Wilson Center. In this role you will lead a team in maximizing the Wilson Center’s Congressional outreach.

• Lead and manage the staff and budget of the Congressional Relations department at the Wilson Center as well as collaborate with programs offices and the Executive Office to execute the mission of the organization
• Has authority to plan, assign and review work, and evaluate performance of contract and permanent staff
• Manage the Center’s relationship with the Appropriations and Foreign Relations Committees as well as other relevant committees
• Create new and maintain existing relationships in a nonpartisan and bipartisan manner with personal office staff and Committee staff
• Identify and engage Members of Congress to advance the mission of the Center
• Provide guidance and direction to the Center’s Foreign Policy Fellowship Program for Congressional staff
• Maintain and expand the network of Congressional Foreign Policy Fellows who have completed the course through regular activities, informational briefings, and strategy for Wilson Center outreach to the Senate and House of Representatives, ensuring that Center programs and scholars can get their research, publications, and event announcements to the right congressional offices and staff on the Hill on a regular basis
• Work with Program Directors and their teams across the Center to identify opportunities to expand and improve Congressional Relations opportunities to educate Congressional offices on foreign policy analysis conducted by Wilson Center experts
• Assist and prepare program teams to brief Congress regularly pertaining to their specific and unique area of responsibility
• Prepare and coordinate materials for reports to Congress as well as briefings to Congress, Congressional hearings, and other Congressional events
• Monitor the Center’s congressional appropriation and ensure a regular flow of information to relevant staff involved in the appropriations process

 

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• You must complete a background investigation
• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable
• You may be required to complete a one-year probationary period
• You must maintain a bank account for direct deposit
• All qualification requirements for this position must be met by the closing date of this announcement
• Current and former federal employees within the General Schedule (GS) must meet the time-in-grade requirements outlined in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement

 

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the specialized experience and any Key Core Competencies which will demonstrate your ability to perform the major responsibilities of the position.

Specialized Experience- GS-14:

To qualify for the GS-14 Grade level, you must possess at least one year of demonstrated specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, your specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the Grade 13 level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. This experience could have been gained in public or private positions that demonstrate that you possess the following examples of specialized experience:

• Knowledge of and experience with Congressional policies, priorities, and activities of the Foreign Policy Fellowship Program (FPFP), and the congressional calendar and agenda
• Knowledge of and experience with Appropriations and/or Foreign Relations Committee process and the key Members and staff involved
• Ability to Lead and manage budget and staff of organization involved with Congressional relations work assignments
• Create new and maintain existing relationships in a nonpartisan and bipartisan manner with personal office staff and Committee staff

Specialized Experience- GS-15:

To qualify for the GS-15 Grade level, you must possess at least one year of demonstrated specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, your specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the Grade 14 level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. This experience could have been gained in public or private positions that demonstrate that you possess the following examples of specialized experience:

• Develop and implement organizational Congressional outreach 
• Identify and engage Members of Congress to advance the mission of the Organization
• Plan, assign and review work, and evaluate performance of contract and permanent staff involved in Congressional/Congressional Relations work, with demonstrated result
• Experience drafting correspondence and talking points to key Congressional Members and Committees and in representation of an organization
• Knowledge of and experience with Congressional policies, priorities, and activities of the Foreign Policy Fellowship Program (FPFP), and the congressional calendar and agenda
• Knowledge of and experience with Appropriations and/or Foreign Relations Committee process and the key Members and staff involved
• Ability to Lead and manage budget and staff of organization involved with Congressional relations work assignments
• Create new and maintain existing relationships in a nonpartisan and bipartisan manner with personal office staff and Committee staff

NOTE: THIS INFORMATION MUST BE SUPPORTED IN YOUR RESUME/APPLICATION DOCUMENTS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE POSITION 

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

For more information on the qualifications for this position OPM Qualification Standards 

Volunteer Experience: 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, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as “varies”.

Application instructions

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