Legislative Affairs Officer

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/29/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service.

An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to some former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to experience: Serving as a legislative liaison to Congressional committees, OMB, and Member offices on budget, appropriations, and fiscal policy matters; Experience applying expert knowledge of federal budget and appropriations processes to assess proposed legislation and recommend programmatic and fiscal actions; Experience leading Congressional testimony, budget justifications, and posture statements; resolving complex legislative and budget issues independently; Advising senior leadership on legislative strategy and emerging budgetary matters.

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; religions; 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.

Note: Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list the grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rating. A full year of work is considered to be 40 hours of work per week.

Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

01Physical Requirements

Work is performed for the most part while seated. The incumbent, however, lifts and carries reference books, working papers, and similar items to and from meetings. A moderate amount of standing and walking is required in getting to and from meeting places away from the worksite.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.

To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy.

To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications: Knowledge of the federal budget and appropriations process with demonstrated mastery-level knowledge of OMB Circular A-11, congressional budget procedures, and agency appropriations structures, sufficient to independently analyze legislation and budget proposals for impact.

Skill in legislative liaison and negotiation with demonstrated ability to independently represent an organization's position in negotiations, hearings, or markups with congressional committee staff, OMB examiners, or Member offices, including on sensitive or high-visibility matters.

Knowledge of Congressional operations and procedure with demonstrated extensive understanding of House and Senate Appropriations Committee structure, rules, precedent, and protocols, along with the legislative history and priorities of relevant authorizing/oversight committees.

Skill in preparing testimony and budget justification materials with demonstrated ability to lead or substantially contribute to the preparation of Congressional testimony, posture statements, or budget justification narratives, integrating cross-office input under tight deadlines. Ability to provide authoritative advice to senior leadership with demonstrated experience advising senior officials on legislative strategy, emerging budget issues, and the implications of proposed legislative or regulatory changes.

Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing with demonstrated ability to draft clear, persuasive written products (e.g., talking points, responses to Congressional inquiries) and to communicate complex budget/policy matters orally to senior officials and Congressional staff. Ability to mentor and provide technical guidance with demonstrated experience reviewing the work of less experienced staff or providing technical guidance on legislative/budget liaison procedures.

Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Washington, DC. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from 810 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20420. .

Major Duties: Serves as VA's primary liaison with congressional committees, Members of Congress, and OMB on budget and appropriations matters. Independently represents VA on sensitive funding, budget execution, and fiscal legislative issues consistent with Administration policy. Develops and defends VA's legislative and budget positions during hearings, markups, and negotiations, resolving complex issues.

Prepares congressional testimony, budget justifications, and posture statements incorporating program office input and OMB guidance. Analyzes legislation, committee reports, and appropriations language; recommends actions and advises senior leadership. Coordinates accurate, timely congressional responses with VA offices and OMB. Mentors developmental Legislative Affairs Officers, reviews their work, and provides technical guidance.

Maintains relationships with congressional staff and Member offices to support timely exchange of sensitive budget information. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in effect; selectees will be required to report to in person work unless they have an approved exemption. Telework: Available-as determined by agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: PD550180 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized