Senior Appropriations Advisor

Senior Appropriations Advisor

Department: Department of Homeland Security

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $151661 - $228000 Per Year

Job Summary: The U.S. Secret Service is seeking a results driven Senior Appropriations Advisor with a proven track record of addressing highly complex appropriations and legislative matters in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Major Duties:

• As the Senior Appropriations Advisor, you will serve as the principal advisor to the Director of the Secret Service and his senior staff on matters related to the agency's appropriations, legislative and regulatory initiatives, as well as intergovernmental affairs. In this role, you will serve as the primary point of contact for Members of Congress and key congressional staff members regarding complex, potentially controversial, and time-sensitive issues that require a comprehensive understanding of the agency's operations and annual budget submission. You will be responsible for ensuring key officials of the Secret Service are informed and supported in planning and conducting congressional budget briefings, testifying before the Committees on Appropriations in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as closed session meetings. To ensure alignment with congressional appropriations and strategic priorities of the Secret Service, you will be instrumental in developing innovative plans and programs to further strengthen coalitions between congressional staff and agency senior leadership. Duties include, but are not limited to: Maintaining close contact with the Appropriations Committees on Capitol Hill and effectively responding to their concerns and inquiries. Writing authoritative documents critical to effective decision making of agency executive staff as it relates to appropriations and the legislative process (i.e., bill and report language summaries, hearing testimony, briefing books, correspondence, etc.). Evaluating existing communications methods and developing alternative approaches, as necessary, to better justify the agency's programs, projects, and activities as they pertain to the agency's mission, accomplishments, and future goals. Ensuring consistency on budgetary and legislative priorities during internal development of the Congressional Justification and in preparing senior executive leadership to testify before Congress. Coordinating official Questions for the Record with the Department of Homeland Security to address cross-cutting budgetary issues and ensure alignment with broader Departmental priorities. Advising and consulting on budget formulation and reprogramming activities being pursued concurrently and sequentially with the congressional appropriations process and through the support of other senior leaders within and outside the organization. Preparing and clearing formal reports and briefing slides required by appropriations law, in coordination with applicable directorates within the Secret Service, as well as the Office of the Chief Financial Officer within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Qualifications: To be considered qualified for this position you must meet the following qualification requirements for the Senior Appropriations Advisor position in which you are applying. You must have specialized experience that is equivalent to the GS-15 grade level or above, which demonstrates your knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience is typically in or related to the work of the position as described in the "Duties" section listed above. Such experience may include: Formulating policy and legislative priorities related to protection, investigative operational requirements, training initiatives, human capital improvements or any other area with a budgetary nexus. Evaluating communication methods and making recommendations on ways to best articulate programs and their long-term strategic goals. Providing an understanding of an organization's operations, as well as guiding policies and regulations, in order to communicate effectively with stakeholders regarding complex issues. Advising and consulting on budget formulation and reprogramming activities. PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (PTQ): Candidates must demonstrate their experience meets the PTQs for this position within their two-page resume. Separate narratives will NOT be accepted or reviewed. PTQ-1: Comprehensive knowledge and executive level experience providing extensive advice and guidance to key financial management personnel, managers, and senior leadership on the principles, practices, laws, and regulations of budgeting and finance. PTQ-2: Expertise preparing written formal and informal documents critical to effective decision making related to funding and legislative proposals. PTQ-3: Demonstrated experience establishing and maintaining high-level contacts with Federal, state, local and international government agencies, law enforcement organizations, and/or private institutions, to develop and enhance collaborative pursuits and promote information and resource sharing. Desired Qualification: At least five years as a technical authority on appropriations and other congressional affairs. Time-in-grade requirements do not apply to SL positions, so applicants do not need to have spent a certain period of time at the GS-15 or equivalent level. The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement. 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. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

How to Apply: To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. Only resumes up to a total of two (2) pages will be accepted. Applicants with resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. To learn how to format and submit a two-page resume, please visit the USAJOBS Help Center. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To begin your online application, click the Apply Online button and follow the prompts to register or sign into USAJOBS. Complete the online questionnaire and submit the required documents. See Required Documents section for more detail. Follow the prompts to select and upload your resume and/or other required documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions. This provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. You must complete the application process and submit any required documents no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. To update your application, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides the Announcement Status and a "You applied on" date. This information does not confirm the agency application status. Use the "Track this Application" link for additional information regarding the agency application status, the documentation you submitted, and any correspondence sent related to this application. The Announcement Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Announcement Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. It is your responsibility to verify that any information entered or uploaded is received and is accurate. Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application. Determining your eligibility and qualifications is dependent on the supporting documentation and information provided, which may impact your referral for further consideration. If a document is not legible, we will not be able to view it in your application. The Secret Service provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-18