Congressional Relations Specialist

Congressional Relations Specialist

Department: Legislative Branch

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $70623 - $91815 Per Year

Job Summary: The Congressional Research Service (CRS) Office of the Counselor to the Director (COU) is seeking a Congressional Relations Specialist to join the Congressional Services Section. The Congressional Services Section manages CRS's intake, assignment, and tracking of requests from the United States Congress for research, information, and analysis.

Major Duties:

• The selectee for this position will assist Members of Congress and their office and committee staff with daily requests for analysis, research, and information and will be responsible for the first line of routine troubleshooting for congressional clients using CRS's website. The selectee will conduct in-depth reference interviews with congressional clients, enter and track client requests in CRS's client relationship management system, utilize and assist in maintaining the currency of a wide range of online and print tools and other authoritative information used in request assignment, and assist with a range of congressional outreach activities. The selectee will be expected to develop and maintain effective internal and external client relationships and to provide a positive image of CRS through use of client services practices. Responsible for intake, assignment, and tracking of daily requests from Members of Congress and their office and committee staff for research, information, and analysis. This includes monitoring CRS's call management system and other technologies to assist in providing adequate coverage of incoming requests. Conducts in-depth reference interviews with congressional clients, evaluating and analyzing the facts bearing on clients' requests to determine the most accurate and effective formulation of each request. Enters and tracks requests in CRS's client relationship management system and utilizes a wide range of electronic tools and information to ensure correct assignment of requests to CRS analysts and information professionals for response. Assists with orientations for congressional staff and training sessions for CRS staff on CRS's website and electronic tools, and conducts routine troubleshooting for clients using the website and these tools. Assists with the construction of advanced searches and creation of targeted marketing emails and collaborates with intra- and interdivisional stakeholders to maintain authoritative congressional data. Develops and maintains effective internal and external client relationships and provides a positive image of CRS through use of client services practices. CRS works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing nonpartisan, authoritative, timely, policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS has been a valued and respected resource on Capitol Hill for more than a century. CRS is well known for analysis that is authoritative, confidential, objective, and nonpartisan. Its highest priority is to ensure that Congress has immediate access to the nation's best thinking on legal and public policy issues of interest to its Members and Committees. The position description number for this position is 315417. The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustments for the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area. The incumbent of this position will work a flextime work schedule. The tour of duty for this position is full-time. This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position. Relocation expenses will not be authorized for the person(s) selected under this vacancy announcement.

Qualifications: Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision. Ability to conduct reference interviews** Knowledge of the organization and processes of the U.S. Congress** Ability to apply knowledge of public policy issues** Ability to perform client services and outreach activities** Ability to communicate in writing Ability to utilize information technology and online systems Ability to interact collaboratively with others Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing

How to Apply: Please carefully follow all instructions under the How to Apply tab to ensure you are considered for the position. Please note, there is no page restriction to your resume, and you are allowed to upload a resume longer than two pages in the resume section within the application process. When the application system prompts, please proceed to the agency site to complete your application. You are required to apply online for this announcement. We are unable to accept mailed or emailed documents. You must complete the entire application process, including submission of all documents BEFORE this announcement closes. To do so, complete the following steps. Step 1: If you do not already have one, create a resume on USAJOBS. Although you must enter your Social Security Number for USAJOBS, this information will not be provided to the Library of Congress. Step 2: Review the Job Announcement. We recommend you go to the end of the Qualification and Evaluation section of the job announcement to preview the online questions that you will answer in Step 4. You may wish to customize your USAJOBS resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Step 3: Click on the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account and submit your resume. You will be redirected to the Hiring Management website to complete the application process. If this is your first time in Hiring Management, you will be asked to answer questions related to your eligibility for Federal employment. You will be able to update this information and save it to our account for future announcements. Step 4: Once you have completed the eligibility questions, you will be taken directly to the vacancy application questions. Answer all questions honestly and thoroughly. Step 5: Hiring Management offers three options that will electronically attach your documentation to your online application once you finish answering the questions in the job announcement. (1) You may select a document that you have already uploaded to USAJOBS for a previous announcement. (2) You may electronically upload a document directly from your computer to your application. Be certain to review your complete application for confirmation of the document uploaded and click on "Finished" to be returned to USAJOBS. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have multiple documents of the same kind, e.g. 2 undergraduate transcripts from different schools or 2 SF-50s, etc., be sure that they are all in the same file on your computer or in your USAJOBS profile before uploading them. If you try uploading them individually, only the last one sent will be visible in our system. If you have any questions about this information, please contact the person on this announcement BEFORE the closing date. Step 6: Click on "Finish" after you have completed your application. Once you have submitted your application, you can check your status online through your Hiring Management or MY USAJOBS account. Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation (e.g., SF-50, etc.) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. It is your responsibility to ensure that all documents are received on time and that the materials are readable. Failure to do so will result in your application being excluded from consideration for this announcement. If you are experiencing any technical difficulty with the online process, you MUST CONTACT THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. For all technical issues please contact jobhelp@loc.gov , no later than 4:30pm EST of the Closing Date. REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-15