Director, Legislative Affairs Team

Not Required

Duties

The Director, Legislative Affairs Services, reports directly to the Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary, with duties and responsibilities for the following: Acts as the primary liaison between OCLA and senior officials in VA Administrations and program offices regarding VA-related legislative inquiries, ensuring effective and proactive communication aligned with the Secretary's priorities while collaborating with VA subject matter experts to analyze the economic impact, feasibility, practicality, and cost-effectiveness of proposed legislation. Serves as the primary liaison between the Department and the U.S. Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Congressional Budget Office on legislative matters, coordinating legislative hearing preparations, mandated reports, and cost estimate development to support effective legislative implementation. Manages and cultivates relationships with the VA Committees of Jurisdiction and personal Member offices, whose actions directly affect Department-related legislation, demonstrating initiative, tact, and effectiveness that reflect the Department's character and operational efficiency. Reviews legislative correspondence and related documents to ensure consistency with administration policy, responsiveness, appropriate tone, and sensitivity to the needs and expectations of Congressional Members and Committees, while meeting established deadlines. Leverages expert knowledge and a thorough understanding of the mission and objectives to plan, coordinate, track, report, and communicate VA legislation-related matters to internal and external stakeholders, applying strong communication and negotiation skills to ensure effective alignment and engagement. Collaborates with key Office officials to plan, develop, and implement strategies for engaging Members of Congress on major departmental initiatives, including assessing past approaches, coordinating with VA leadership, attending meetings and planning sessions, and preparing essential documents and issue papers. Ensures proactive engagement with Members of Congress and their staff by providing clear, concise analyses and interpretations of new and proposed VA-related legislation. Oversees key supervisory functions, including setting performance standards, evaluating staff, participating in hiring decisions, approving leave, and engaging in employee and labor relations actions as warranted. Identifies complex policy and legislative recommendations that directly impact VA across all administrations. Manages VA's annual legislative proposal process, coordinating across administrations and program offices on potentially more than 100 proposals each year. Performs the full range of supervisory and HR responsibilities, including establishing and evaluating performance standards, assigning work, setting priorities and deadlines, interviewing and selecting applicants, and recommending various personnel actions. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Director, Legislative Affairs Team/PD196240 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Required Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be serving in a position in Schedule Policy/Career of the excepted service. You will obtain competitive status after two years of service in this position. Your employment in this position will be at will. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) appeals of adverse actions concerning performance, discipline, and other matters arising under chapters 23, 43, and 75 of title 5, United States Code will not be available to an individual serving in this position. Prohibitions on prohibited personnel practices will be enforced by the Office of General Counsel [or agency equivalent position] and not the Office of Special Counsel.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/15/2026. 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-15 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14. 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-14 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Working within a congressional entity in the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of government in a supervisory capacity, that equipped you with expert knowledge in legislation, the interests and concerns of Members of Congress, congressional committees, and how these issues affect the department's programs and policies. Working with committee staff on a committee of jurisdiction, such as House or Senate Veterans Affairs, House or Senate Armed Services Committee, etc. Handling complex and sensitive congressional issues and providing legislative assistance to congressional staff offices and/or committees of jurisdiction. Recommending strategies for communicating VA initiatives, policies, requests for information, and legislation to U.S. Congress. 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 series and 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. Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. Moderate level of walking is required. Occasional travel to Congress and VA leased buildings with the District of Columbia. 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/. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal 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: Demonstrated experience serving in a supervisory capacity within a congressional entity, providing leadership, oversight, and direction to staff engaged in legislative and congressional support activities. Demonstrated senior-level experience leading and directing work on VA or other federal agency legislation, serving as a primary liaison to VA or other federal committees of jurisdiction, and engaging with both chambers of the U.S. Congress to advance complex, high-visibility legislative priorities. Serves as a senior advisor to organizational executives on legislative and congressional matters across federal agencies, conducting comprehensive analyses of complex VA legislative initiatives and providing authoritative policy recommendations to inform executive-level decision-making. IF APPLYING AS A CTAP/ICTAP ELIGIBLE: You must submit the following documentation demonstrating eligibility for CTAP/ICTAP: Resume Agency Reduction in Force notice; Most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location Most recent performance appraisal (must be fully successful or above) Information about ICTAP and 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. .

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Other Information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration (HRA) at The Fair Chance Act. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. 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 here: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information