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Administrative Specialist

Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is also announced at the ZA-2/3 levels under vacancy number OAR GML-25-12568672-ST, which is open to Status Candidates. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

his position is also announced at the ZA-3 level under vacancy number OAR GML-25-12568674-DE, which is open to all US Citizens or Nationals. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
10/09/2024 to 10/23/2024
Salary
$54,505 to - $95,441 per year
Pay scale & grade
ZA 2
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Boulder, CO
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
3 - If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you may be non-competitively promoted if you perform successfully and if recommended by management
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
OAR GML-25-12568673-DE
Control number
813326500

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Duties

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This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML) with one vacancy in Boulder, CO.

As an Administrative Specialist, you will perform the following duties:

  • Serve as the Director's Executive Assistant and carry out administrative processes and procedures while implementing office initiatives and strategies ensuring effectiveness, efficiency, productivity, and compliance to all established policy and organizational goals set by leadership and higher-level administrative staff. Review administrative processes for efficiency and make recommendations to adjust processes to suit the laboratory. Conduct research and provide analysis of tasks and determine available options for an assigned subject, identifying pros and cons of options and communicating recommendations to senior leadership. Prepare and track controlled correspondence and ensure correspondence is successfully transmitted and responded to.
  • Serve as government purchase card holder and execute government purchases needed to obtain laboratory and office supplies under the micro-purchase threshold. Ensure purchase card transactions are reconciled in an accounting/bank system in a timely manner and that purchase card files are maintained in accordance with federal law and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) policies and procedures. Prepare and develop procurement actions for requirements above the micro-purchase threshold as requisitioner. Coordinate with staff on purchase order requirements and formulate requisition documentation (i.e., statements of need, market research, independent government cost estimates).
  • Serve as travel administrator and prepare domestic and foreign travel orders and vouchers, secure reservations, process necessary paperwork for official passport and visa documents, monitor costs, and maintain traveler profile information. Process travel orders in accordance with the federal travel regulations and provide advice and guidance to other administrative travel preparers. Serve as central point of contact for the Director's Office on internal and external correspondence.

NOTE: These Administrative Specialist duties are described at the Full Performance Level of the ZA-3, the ZA-2 is developmental leading to such performance.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). This system replaced the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band.

The ZA-2 is equivalent to the GS-07/09. The ZA-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12

*A one year probationary period may be required.
*Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.
* Payment of relocation incentives OR recruitment incentives may be authorized. Note: Relocation incentives are for current federal employees only.
*This position is not in the bargaining unit.

Key Requirements:

  1. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  2. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  3. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
  4. Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?
  • A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
  • Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy

EDUCATION: There is no positive education requirement for this position.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify at the ZA-2 or GS-07 level:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZA-1 or GS-05 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

  • Assisting management with administrative processes (e.g. correspondence management, procurement, purchasing, or travel); and
  • Utilizing office automation systems to collect, enter, store, and retrieve data and information.

-OR-

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: One full year of graduate-level education.

-OR-

SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: Demonstrated by a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with one of the following. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your application clearly states how you meet one of the provisions below:

  • A grade point average (GPA) of 2.9 or higher based on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 full years of undergraduate study;
  • A GPA of 3.5 or higher based on a 4.0 scale for required courses completed in a major field of study, or those courses completed in a major field of study during the last two years of undergraduate study;
  • Class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision of the college;
  • Membership in a national Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies.
-OR-

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience.

Education

  • College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.
  • Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation

Additional information

CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition

CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

  1. A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice).
  2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", noting current position, grade level, and duty location;
  3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

  1. A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
  2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc;
  3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

NOAA participates in e-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.

How you will be evaluated

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

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

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions) and place you in one of the three pre-defined categories. The categories are "gold", "silver" and "bronze". However, your resume or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the "gold" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response:

  • Educational Experience (ACWA)
  • Mathematical Skills (ACWA)
  • Rating (ACWA)
  • Social Organizations (ACWA)
  • Work Experience (ACWA)


How you will be evaluated for preference eligibility: Within each category, those entitled to veterans' preference will be listed at the top of the pre-defined category for which they are placed. Preference eligible with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest quality category (gold) depending on the position and grade level of the job. For more information on Category Rating, please go to Category Rating.

Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are Gold, Silver, and Bronze. You will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you are eligible, your on-line responses to the application questions will determine your placement in the appropriate quality category described above. Your responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

--NOTE: If it is determined that you have rated yourself higher than is supported in your description of experience and/or education as described in your resume/application, or that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible and/or not qualified.

To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12568673

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