This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/491481900. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
This position is located in the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Western Business Service Center (WBSC). This Center provides Administrative and Technical Support Services to 56 research laboratory locations in the Pacific West, Plains, and South East Areas. The WBSC services half of the ARS field structure, with appproximately 4000 staff at 56 locations, in 25 states including Hawaii. This position contributes directly to the accomplishment of the ARS research mission. This position and its subordinate staff support research scientists, technicians, and administrative and office assistant support. To accomplish its mission, the Areas operate with a budge of approximately $480 million. Centers and Locations in the Areas are in Federal buildings on Federal property (ARS owned); Federal buildings on university property, and in leased space on University campuses.
NOTE: There is only one position to be filled. However, the duty location is virtual and could be located in any of the eight hubs stated in this vacancy. The incumbents' final duty station will be negotiable upon selection. The salary range will vary according to the geographic locality pay tables. The "Salary Range" provided above reflects the Rest of the U.S. Locality Pay. However, the salary for geographic locality will be contingent upon duty station incumbent is assigned.
This is a temporary promotion/detail Not-to-Exceed 9/30/2018.
*This is a temporary promotion/detail and may be made permanent without further competition. However, if the temporary promotion is not made permanent than the employee will be returned to a position that is comparable to his/her permanent position (i.e., same series, grade, and duty location) in the same or successor division/office. At the end of the temporary promotion, the employee's basic pay will be set at the rate received prior to being temporarily promoted, regardless of length of the temporary promotion, Pay rate shall be increase to reflect pay increases (if any) received while temporarily promoted, as long as the resulting rate does not exceed the new range maximum.*
02/14/2018 to 02/22/2018
$121,280 - $157,663 per year
GS 15
01 vacancy in the following locations:
Occasional travel - Professional meetings and conferences
No
Permanent
Full-Time
15
Yes
ARS-M18W-0044
491481900
Major Duties may include, but are not limited to:
Provides technical authoritative support for the WBSC performance and accountability with a focus on service efficiency, quality, responsiveness, reporting and innovation in the areas of human resources; and budget, fiscal, and agreements activities.
Provides input into the development and formulation of policies, policy direction and technical guidance in the assigned areas.
Keeps abreast of current and new legislation in order to translate and implement the legislation into programs.
Provides input to proposed Agency and Departmental implementation.
Key senior business consultant and advisor to Area Directors and field Locations on regulations, laws, principles, policies and practices involved in the assigned area.
Serves as a resource for HQ and provides input into policy concerning the WBSC.
Partners with the Area Directors and other Area senior program and administrative management staff in ensuring mission-focused delivery of administrative and financial management business services to meet program priorities and new program initiatives.
Represents and speaks for the WBSC Director and has authority to initiate and follow through on correcting inefficiencies for all assigned administrative and financial matters within the WBSC.
Works closely with Branch Chiefs to ensure service delivery is consistent and reliable for all customers. Continually measures service delivery response times and identifies any trends potentially impacting the quality of services rendered. Assures WBSC management practices are consistent with overall ARS goals and objectives.
Partners with Area managers to ensure accountability for Area resources (financial, human resources, extramural activities, etc.)
Takes the lead and serves as a technical expert in gathering data, providing quantitative/qualitative analyses of data, preparing results and recommendations in the improvement of services, and in monitoring change. Assures timely and efficient delivery of business services. To internal and external customers.
Coordinates, manages and analyzes data collection from the Area and Location levels; and provides consolidated reports to Agency and Departmental customers.
Provides oversight, coordination, evaluation and policy development and implementation for any new initiatives. Monitors organizational services with the emphasis on maintaining continual process improvement and reliability of reporting and integration of effective automation. Provides expert advice to WBSC leadership on opportunities for efficiency gains. Ensure the effective use of technology to optimize synergy and improve customer response times.
Responsible for operational cost accountability through standardization, measurement, training and reporting. Projects and implements the administrative and financial management business processes needed to support the research programs within the WBSC and across WBSC lines in support of ARS national research programs.
Initiates studies and analyses in order to offer alternative solutions to customer-specific problems in meeting individualized Area needs.
Provides expertise and recommendations for improving organizational performance through efficient resource management, workflow improvements, realignment, redirections, downsizing, and other actions required to improve service delivery and operational effectiveness.
Current permanent ARS Agency employees with competitive status; and CTAP for local commuting area only.
• Subject to satisfactory completion of a one year supervisory/managerial probationary period.
GS-15: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for this position are:
Experience with Federal administrative and financial management systems and programs supporting the following functions: Budget and Financial management, Research agreement administration, Travel management, and Human Resources Management;
Experience with Federal regulation, policies and operational requirements pertaining to Budget and Financial Management, Research agreement administration, travel management, and Human Resources management;
Experience with management principles, concepts, techniques and practices including qualitative and quantitative assessment methods and experience in applying these to a variety of management situations requiring the integration of administrative and scientific program objectives;
Experience with principles, concepts, techniques and management practices associated with evaluating and improving budget planning & administration programs and processes;
Experience applying interpersonal relations and negotiating effectively with people at all levels to develop consensus and implement recommendations even when substantial Agency resources or extensive changes in established policies and procedures are involved; and
Experience in directing and supervising components of an organization including immediate staff and through subordinate personnel, requiring a wide range of knowledge in the principles, concepts, techniques and practices of supervision and leadership.
Time-in-grade restrictions apply for all candidates considered under merit promotion procedures and must be met by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this vacancy announcement.
For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/group-stds/gs-admin.asp
Supervisory/Managerial Competencies - the following KSAs will also be used to evaluate candidates in the interview and selection process:
1. Ability to lead and accomplish work through others (i.e. team building, conflict management, cultural awareness, strategic thinking, technology management, and political savvy.)
2. Ability to communicate with individuals or groups from diverse backgrounds in a variety of situations.
• Career Transition Assistance Plan(CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, provide proof of eligibility to include your most recent performance appraisal, SF-50, and proof of eligibility such as a RIF separation notice or letter from OPM/your agency. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles will be considered well-qualified if achieving a rating of 85 or above. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp
***This announcement may be used to fill multiple vacancies.***
• This position is eligible for telework and other flexible work arrangements.You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Note: If, after reviewing your resume and / or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score can / will be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you.
The questionnaire will assess your qualifications for the job, and will be used to identify the best qualified applicants to be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. Your ratings in this Assessment Questionnaire are subject to evaluation and verification based on the documents and references you submit. Later steps in the selection process are specifically designed to verify your ratings. Attempts to falsify information; inflate your qualifications or providing inaccurate information on federal documents may be grounds to adjust your rating or to not select you. Errors, omissions or providing inaccurate information on federal documents may affect your eligibility. If selected providing inaccurate information on federal documents could also be grounds for dismissing you from the position/agency. Please follow all instructions carefully.
• Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor’s phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
• If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit http://www.naces.org/members.htm. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
• Current and former Federal employees:
o Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing that you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade (or promotion potential) held on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND
o Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. Do not submit a performance plan.
• Current permanent FSA County employees must submit your most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action, (SF-50 or equivalent) showing your highest grade (or promotion potential) held on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) per above. • Veteran Hiring Authorities: VEOA, VRA and 30% Disabled Veterans: DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran’s preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran’s preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
• If claiming 10-point veteran’s preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans’ Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans’ preference see http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act:
o Copies of Notification of Personnel Action(s) (SF-50) showing the employee served in eligible appointment(s) for a period(s) of more than 24 mo. w/o a break between appointments of two+ years. Include initial hire actions, extensions, conversions and separation SF-50s for each period. Submit performance rating(s) showing acceptable performance for each period counted towards eligibility signed by supervisor(s). If documentation does not exist for one or more periods, submit a statement from supervisor(s) indicating acceptable performance. Applicants who do not have performance documentation for any period shall provide a reason why the documentation is not available and statement that performance for all periods was at an acceptable level.
• Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.
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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
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.
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, click "Apply Online" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
NOTE: You must verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the Agency's staffing system. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g., all SF-50s) into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like documents into files will simplify the application process. Documents must be in one of the following formats: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signature, or other encryption to open.
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login to check your application status. We expect to make a final job offer approximately 40 days after the deadline for applications.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/491481900. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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