Head, Program Section

Summary

The Library of Congress shares its vast collections of books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, audiovisual materials, and priceless artifacts to cultivate curiosity and spark imagination. We engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity. We seek highly talented professionals to join a vibrant and collaborative community. Your work here will have lasting impact on the Library and its users well into the future.

Duties

Application Deadline This announcement has an APPLICATION LIMIT of 50 external applications plus internal applicants. The Library at its discretion may decide to review additional external applications which will be accessed in the order received. Therefore, applicants should apply as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the closing date, November 17, 2026. The Congressional Research Service (CRS), Congressional Programs Section, (CP), Office of the Counselor to the Director, is seeking to fill the position of Head of the Congressional Programs Section. The Congressional Programs Section coordinates a variety of CRS programs, seminars, and events (including broadcast, web-based, and other technologies) for Members, committees, and staff of the U.S. Congress. The selectee will directly supervise a team of Public Affairs Coordinators and others, and will lead the planning, coordination, and implementation of a wide range of major programs and services related to congressional client education and outreach. Section activities include: 1) coordinating regularly-scheduled training programs in legislative processes and procedures; 2) supporting programs and seminars on the federal budget, federal law, and public policy issues; 3) coordinating policy programs for new Members of Congress and orientations to CRS services for permanent congressional staff and for congressional interns; 4) coordinating other events for the U.S. Congress and for CRS managers and staff; 5) providing information to congressional clients about CRS programs, products, and services. CRS works exclusively for the U.S. Congress, providing 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 is a valued and respected resource on Capitol Hill. 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 public policy issues of interest to Members and Committees. As the Head, Congressional Programs Section, you will: Lead the planning, coordination, and implementation of a wide range of CRS Programs, seminars, and events for Members, committees, and staff of the U.S. Congress. Coordinate content and delivery of programs, seminars, and events with managers, subject matter experts, and congressional clients. Develop a budget and monitors expenditures. Maintain a network of subject matter experts who serve as leaders or instructors on public policy issues and topics of interest to congressional clients. Monitor contractor performance. Design, develop, and recommend congressional outreach efforts. Establish and implement guidelines and policies for evaluation and quality assessment of instructional programs, seminars, and events. Oversee the complete inventory of CRS marketing, publicity, and promotional materials for programs, seminars, events, and congressional outreach activities. Direct development of new materials. Write and edit content for and coordinate layout, design, and production of marketing, publicity, and promotional materials. Ensure disseminated information is accurate, complete, objective, and free from unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information. Conduct studies and advise CRS senior management on developments in the fields of performance technology and instructional design for possible application in assessing CRS programs, seminars, events, and congressional outreach activities. Directly supervise staff in the Congressional Programs Section of the Office of the Counselor to the Director. Perform other duties as assigned. The position description number for this position is 248934. The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustments for the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area. This is a supervisory, non-bargaining unit position. Relocation expenses will not be authorized for the person(s) selected under this vacancy announcement.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment Library of Congress employees are prohibited from using illegal drugs, including marijuana. The Library is part of the Federal Government and abides by federal law, so regardless of individual state or District of Columbia laws, marijuana use is illegal, considered criminal activity, and can affect your employment at the Library. In addition, past or current drug use and activities (e.g., selling or distributing) may deem you ineligible for employment.

Qualifications and evaluation

Your resume is important to this application process. It will be reviewed to determine whether you possess the qualifications referenced above. All applicants are required to submit a resume that provides specific information (to include accomplishments, work experience and education/training) that clearly describes what you would bring to the position. The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are marked with a double asterisk (**) in the vacancy announcement are considered the most critical for a position. To be considered for final selection, applicants must demonstrate fully acceptable experience in these designated KSAs in the resume review, preliminary telephone and/or full structured interview. Are you a veteran? Please indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim. Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214. Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15 (click here for the form) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. If required supporting documentation is not attached, Veterans' Preference will not be considered in the application process. You may preview questions for this vacancy.

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 and upload it to your profile in the "Resume" section. 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 Qualifications section of the job announcement to review the qualifications listed to ensure that your resume reflects your accomplishments in those areas. Step 3: Click on the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account. 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: 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. 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. 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. 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.

Required documents

Your resume should include relevant work experience, applicable education, and your contact information. For current or previous federal employees, include the pay plan, series, and grade. Current or former federal employees must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent). Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant's college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application. The program does not accept certification from health care providers. For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at 202-707-6024 or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM. Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Additional information

The Congressional Research Service, within the Library of Congress, is part of the Legislative Branch of the federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service. Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous Federal service will generally be paid at step one of the grade. The Library of Congress is an equal opportunity employer. All who meet the eligibility requirements are encouraged to apply. Applicants must submit a complete application package that is received by the closing date of this announcement. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please email ADA@loc.gov. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant's college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application. Certification from health care providers are not accepted. For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at 202-707-6024 or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM. The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service. Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation. For more information, please see: https://www.loc.gov/careers/working-at-the-library/frequently-asked-questions/vetting-personnel-at-the-library/ The Library reserves the right to fill a lesser or greater number of vacancies indicated during the life of this vacancy announcement. Initial permanent appointments to the Library of Congress require completion of a one-year probationary period. In addition, per Library of Congress Regulation 9-532, an appointee or internal selectee is subject to a one-year supervisory probationary period if this is their first supervisory/managerial position at the Library of Congress. Probationary periods served at other Federal agencies do not count toward this requirement. The Library of Congress may offer repayment for all or part of federally insured student loans. However, not all service units within the Library of Congress participate in the repayment of federally insured student loans. Therefore, determination to repay a federally insured student loan is subject to approval by the appropriate service unit.