Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals . Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement #21A-SR-306898-MPA-SF. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

• Responsible for the design, care, maintenance and interpretation of the gardens located on Smithsonian grounds.
• Designs garden spaces and landscapes that utilize unique, underused, or new plant material to engage and educate visitors.
• Operates and maintains a variety of equipment to complete assignments.
• Provides educational programs, presents lectures and leads tours for wide ranging audiences.

Conditions of employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
• Must have a valid State or District of Columbia drivers’ license.

Conditions of Employment

You must be fully vaccinated for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) with a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized or FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine.

OR

Have an approved Reasonable Accommodation granting an exemption from vaccine requirements. Please see additional information regarding reasonable accommodations below.  

The Smithsonian Institution has a mandate requiring all employees (federal and trust), affiliated staff (including volunteers, interns, and fellows), and the contractors who work with us to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee’s duty location or work arrangement (e.g., onsite, telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before appointment or onboarding with the Smithsonian Institution, if after November 22. The Smithsonian Institution will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required exemption from this requirement. This requirement applies to employees, affiliated staff, contractors who are working on-site, and those teleworking in whole or in part. Limited exemptions to the Smithsonian Institution’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate will be considered on a case-by-case basis for selected candidates who inform the Smithsonian that they cannot be vaccinated because of a disability, including certain medical conditions the Center for Disease Control (CDC) considers contraindications to the vaccine, or because of a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. Additional information and instructions regarding Smithsonian’s COVID-19 mandate will be provided at the time of selection.   

Qualification requirements must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on the web at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.

Qualifications

***Announcement amended to extend the closing date.**** 

You must also meet the basic requirements for this position as well as the specialized experience referenced below.

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.  For this position specialized experience is defined as working in a public garden, estate garden, botanical garden, zoological park, commercial landscape or landscape nursery setting performing horticulturist duties such as landscape design, landscape maintenance, and specialized powered equipment operations in display gardens; and preparing oral informational documents, providing tours, and giving presentations on plant and gardens to diverse audiences.

All qualified applicants must be able to obtain and maintain District of Columbia (and Maryland depending on duty station) certification to apply pesticides to landscape plants and turf.

Or Education: Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in horticulture; or related discipline of basic plant science may be substituted to meet the specialized experience requirements.

Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications; For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards.

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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your resume will be used to evaluate your experience, education, and/or training that address the competencies below:

• Knowledge theories, methods and principles of horticulture science or related basic plant science.
• Ability to design seasonal plantings and manage concurrently several unique landscaped gardens and large expanses of turf that incur high public visitation and are used for special events, public education, or public relations activities.
• Ability to operate and maintain power equipment such as tractors, blowers, tillers, mowers, sprayers and automated irrigation systems.
• Ability to communicate verbally to meet and deal with different audiences and to present educational programs and tours to the public.

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria: Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above. Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above. Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree. This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three", but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.

Important Note:

The review of your resume will determine your final rating and should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.