Administrative Support Specialist

Summary

This position is with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and works in a State Office within the Management and Strategy organization.

The incumbent serves as an Administrative Program Specialist working for the Assistant State Conservationist for Management and Strategy (Supervisory Business Manager). The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a staff specialist performing assignments, projects or studies related to administrative business operations and programs.

This job is open to
•  Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.
•  Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee. Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted only from current permanent Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC Business Center, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency) employees with competitive status; CTAP/RPL eligible candidates, and permanent Farm Service County Office employees.

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Duties
•  Provides advice and assistance to the Supervisory Business Manager on administrative program operations and performs special projects as requested.
•  Based on knowledge of administrative practices, implements procedures designed to improve administrative effectiveness, automating and streamlining procedures wherever possible to serve the best interests of the organization.
•  Oversees the state onboarding, mentoring, training, safety and student programs.
•  Performs studies and/or provides analysis to develop requirements for program deployment.
•  Retrieves data and develops standard reports through the use of automated systems.
•  Resolves complex administrative program issues or problems. Requirements

Conditions of Employment
•  You must be a US Citizen or US National.
•  Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
•  Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. If selected, you will be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are not able to reimburse any fees incurred for fingerprints.
•  Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
•  Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
•  Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at
•  Must possess and maintain a valid state motor vehicle operator's license for the type of vehicle(s) operated to perform the duties of this position. Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Time in grade:

Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled (e.g. one year at the GS-11 grade level for consideration for the GS-12 grade level, one year at the GS-9 grade level for consideration for the GS-11 grade level).

Specialized Experience for the GS-11: To qualify for the GS-11 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as:
•  Experience providing administrative and technical support to management on workforce management activities; AND
•  Experience analyzing and evaluating administrative policies, programs, and operational activities to improve workforce management and programmatic efficiency and effectiveness. OR

Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: For the GS-11 level: 3 full year(s) of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or LL.M., if related in Human Resources, Social or Behavioral Sciences or in such fields as Business or Public Administration or Industrial Management, Psychology, Labor Relations degree, or any other field directly related to the position to be filled.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy.

Specialized Experience for the GS-12: To qualify for the GS-12 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. For this position specialized experience is defined as:
•  Performing and coordinating a full range of administrative specialties such as management analysis, human resources management, budget and financial management, support services, and/or work measurement; AND
•  Planning, managing, executing, evaluating and facilitating the full range of administrative programs and operations. Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12 level.

For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: General Schedule Qualification Standards (opm.gov)

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify all education requirements (i.e. substitution of education and/or basic education requirement). If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement. You must document all requirements on every vacancy; we cannot use previous determinations as a basis for rating. All required information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. This information must be received by the closing date of this announcement. Non-submission of these documents will result in non-consideration.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Applicants must, therefore, only report attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation via this link. All education claimed by applicants will be verified accordingly. Important: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Click on this link for more information.

Additional information
•  Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or RPL eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
•  Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.
•  Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary except for activities such as carrying books, computer products, files, etc. The work may require travel in conjunction with attendance at meetings and conferences away from the workplace.
•  Work Environment: The work is performed in an office setting, which is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated . click apply for full job details