The mission of the AOC is to serve Congress and the Supreme Court, preserve America's Capitol and inspire memorable experiences. Under the leadership of Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA, LEED AP, the roles and responsibilities of the Architect of the Capitol cover an expansive and diverse portfolio. The AOC is responsible for the maintenance, operation, development and preservation of 17.4 million square feet of buildings and more than 553 acres of land throughout Capitol Hill. The AOC provides a welcoming and educational environment for millions of visitors through the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and the U.S. Botanic Garden. The AOC also provides professional expertise on the preservation of architectural and artistic elements entrusted to its care. Learn more at www.aoc.gov.
CORE VALUES: The AOC prides itself on our Core Values of Teamwork, Integrity, Pride and Professionalism. The PROFESSIONALISM and INTEGRITY of each AOC employee demonstrates our dedication to providing quality services and our commitments to holding ourselves to the highest standards. We recognize that we do our best work through TEAMWORK, each of us lending our individual strengths and talents to the greater goal of the entire team. We respect each other and rely on each other in our efforts to make the AOC a center of excellence. We take PRIDE in what we do and in the honor of serving Congress, the Supreme Court, and the American people each and every day.
Summary
The mission of the AOC is to serve Congress and the Supreme Court, preserve America's Capitol and inspire memorable experiences. Under the leadership of Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA, LEED AP, the roles and responsibilities of the Architect of the Capitol cover an expansive and diverse portfolio. The AOC is responsible for the maintenance, operation, development and preservation of 17.4 million square feet of buildings and more than 553 acres of land throughout Capitol Hill. The AOC provides a welcoming and educational environment for millions of visitors through the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and the U.S. Botanic Garden. The AOC also provides professional expertise on the preservation of architectural and artistic elements entrusted to its care. Learn more at www.aoc.gov.
CORE VALUES: The AOC prides itself on our Core Values of Teamwork, Integrity, Pride and Professionalism. The PROFESSIONALISM and INTEGRITY of each AOC employee demonstrates our dedication to providing quality services and our commitments to holding ourselves to the highest standards. We recognize that we do our best work through TEAMWORK, each of us lending our individual strengths and talents to the greater goal of the entire team. We respect each other and rely on each other in our efforts to make the AOC a center of excellence. We take PRIDE in what we do and in the honor of serving Congress, the Supreme Court, and the American people each and every day.
At the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), we are proud to be ranked as one of the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government. Our employees are passionate about AOC’s mission to serve Congress and the Supreme Court. AOC is a legislative branch agency, the recognized authority on the preservation, maintenance and construction of the world’s most iconic treasures and buildings on Capitol Hill. As a global destination for thousands of visitors every day, Capitol Hill intersects history, architecture and art with the birthplace of our nation’s laws.
We have a unique opportunity for an energetic, mission-focused leader to become our Executive Director, U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG), reporting directly to the Architect of the Capitol. The USBG is a nationally recognized scientific and educational institution. The incumbent is responsible for human capital leadership, supervision and coaching of employees to serve in a stellar capacity as ambassadors of the Botanic Garden with the visiting public.
The Executive Director plans and implements all USBG activities (e.g., public classes, tours, horticultural displays) and develops strategic plans for the redevelopment and renovation of plant collections, public outreach, scientific interface and ongoing programs.
In this capacity, the incumbent:
Functions as the Superintendent of the facility, responsible for all activities that have the potential to impact delivery of USBG’s mission.
Provides leadership for the cultivation and collection of plants from various countries for public exhibition and for use by interested students, scientists and garden clubs.
Exercises executive responsibility for the operation, maintenance and renovation of the physical plant, including recommendations for short-term and long-term capital improvements and sustainability efforts.
Develops partnerships that enhance the work of the garden, collaborating with leaders in the fields of botany, horticulture and public administration.
Prepares recommendations for operating budget related to personnel services, materials and large equipment.
The incumbent serves at the pleasure of the Architect of the Capitol and must obtain a Top Secret Clearance. Candidates must possess excellent managerial, administrative and budgeting skills. A Bachelor’s Degree in Horticulture or related Plant Science discipline from an accredited college or university is required.
This position serves at the pleasure of the Architect of the Capitol
You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret Clearance.
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Qualifications
You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement.
For the Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications, you are required to submit a narrative response addressing your specific knowledge, skills and abilities that demonstrate your possession of the qualifications. You must respond to all ECQs and address each ECQ separately.
Executive Core Qualifications:
ECQ 1: Leading Change
Ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.
ECQ 2: Leading People
Ability to lead people toward meeting the organization’s vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.
ECQ 3: Results Driven
Ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.
ECQ 4: Business Acumen
Ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.
ECQ 5: Building Coalitions
Ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.
Technical Qualifications (TQs):
TQ 1: Operations and Facilities Management: Please describe your experience developing policies, procedures and work-flow to provide clear guidance necessary for the efficient and effective running of an organization. This includes organizational planning, scheduling and adaptive management to ensure that major capital improvement projects, facilities maintenance and a variety of events are designed, coordinated, communicated and executed seamlessly.
TQ 2: Education, Impact and Outreach in the area of plant and horticultural sciences: Please describe your proven experience keeping up with the current issues in ecology, botany, horticulture, sustainability, and related sciences; your experience managing and implementing best practices and adapting new technologies in education, visitor services, and other science outreach programing; and leading development of innovative exhibits and displays related to botany, horticulture and related sciences.
TQ 3: Develops Meaningful Partnerships with National Impact: Please describe your experience establishing and executing cooperative relationships with external organizations such as botanic gardens, museums, universities, and other botanically-related organizations to develop mutually beneficial relationships that result in synergistic work and positive public impact.
Degree: horticulture; or a related discipline of basic plant science that included at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, of which at least 16 semester hours were in horticultural subjects such as those dealing with the breeding, care, management, production, and post harvest handling of horticultural crops.
Evaluation of Education: Courses in botany, plant physiology, plant taxonomy, plant pathology, genetics, agronomy, horticulture, and similar courses may be used to meet the 30-semester-hour requirement in basic plant sciences.
The 16-semester-hour requirement in horticulture includes course work in basic horticulture and course work related to any of the recognized subject-matter fields of horticulture, i.e., fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, nursery work, seed production, or course work in related areas of science, such as micro-biology, entomology, plant pathology, plant physiology, or genetics that is directly related to horticultural work.
Special Instructions for Foreign Education:
Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. However, to be creditable, foreign education must have been evaluated by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Additional information
Welcome Veterans. The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) gives veterans' preference rights in the legislative branch to certain veterans as applied by the Congressional Accountability Act. Veterans' preference is applied on this vacancy announcement. If you are a veteran and have been separated under honorable conditions, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility; SF-15, if applicable; and Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of disability, if applicable. For more information, please visit http://www.opm.gov/veterans/html/vetguide.asp#6.
If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with theSelective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.
DRUG TESTING: The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC’s suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment with the Agency. A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. We will schedule, provide, and cover the cost for the drug test.
The selectee(s) under the vacancy announcement for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to be eligible for employment at the Architect of the Capitol.
The Architect of the Capitol is an E-VERIFY Participant. E-VERIFY is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment authorization in the United States. If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the DHS Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" electronic system. For more information on E-Verify, please visit http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtm
The Architect of the Capitol is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, genetic information and/or disability. 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 notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.
Moving expenses are not authorized.
Relocation expenses are not authorized.
All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Review your resume and responses carefully. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your narrative responses.
Your resume will be evaluated to determine if you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the background and experience to meet the technical expertise required for this position. All applicants must submit online written statements describing accomplishments that would satisfy the ECQs.
Your resume and narratives must support your responses to the ECQ competencies. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for non-selection or disqualification from further consideration.
Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application). To preview questions please click here.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
The Architect of the Capitol's job application process is designed to ensure that we only ask you for the information that is absolutely needed to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility for the position.
To apply for this position, you only need to submit online the following: a) your resume and 2) answer the online vacancy assessment questionnaire. The online questionnaire contains eligibility and screening questions and other relevant supplemental information. No additional documentation or attachment is required at the time of application.
We ask that you prepare and submit a resume that best describes fully your background experience, skills, abilities, education, training and other relevant credentials. The resume should include dates of employment.
Nothing further is required until it is requested by the staff of the Human Capital Management Division. If additional documentation is required for a position, you will be asked to provide it during the selection process or upon selection. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume.
For example, we may ask you to provide documents such as college transcripts, copy of diploma or proof of Federal employment status. If the position requires a license or certification, we will ask candidate(s) to provide proof at the time of selection.
If you are claiming veterans' preference, we may ask you to submit proof of Veterans preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, the SF-15 plus proof required by that form).
If you fail to provide the required documents, we will withdraw a tentative job offer made and/or remove you from further consideration.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
You MUST apply online. FORMS RECEIVED BY FAX, EMAIL OR U.S. POSTAL SERVICE DELIVERY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying. You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page.
NEED HELP? If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available! If you have problems completing your on-line application, contact the Monster Hiring Management Help Desk at 1-866-656-6831 or by e-mail at MGSHELP@monster.com. The help desk is available Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. You may call and leave a voice mail message at all other times. All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs “Saved Documents” feature. If you are unable to apply on-line, you may visit our Employment Center for technical assistance in entering your application. The Employment Center is located at 441 Second & D Streets S.W., Washington, D.C., Room H2-178, and is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You may call (202) 226-7000 for directions.
Architect of the Capitol
2nd and D Street, S.W.
Washington, District of Columbia 20515
United States
Next steps
You will receive a notice generated by the USAJobs System when you have successfully submitted your application. After all application packages have been received, we will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.
You can check the status of your application by logging into http://www.usajobs.gov. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJobs Account, editing your profile and changing the ‘Notification Settings’ to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within 2 weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The Architect of the Capitol's job application process is designed to ensure that we only ask you for the information that is absolutely needed to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility for the position.
To apply for this position, you only need to submit online the following: a) your resume and 2) answer the online vacancy assessment questionnaire. The online questionnaire contains eligibility and screening questions and other relevant supplemental information. No additional documentation or attachment is required at the time of application.
We ask that you prepare and submit a resume that best describes fully your background experience, skills, abilities, education, training and other relevant credentials. The resume should include dates of employment.
Nothing further is required until it is requested by the staff of the Human Capital Management Division. If additional documentation is required for a position, you will be asked to provide it during the selection process or upon selection. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume.
For example, we may ask you to provide documents such as college transcripts, copy of diploma or proof of Federal employment status. If the position requires a license or certification, we will ask candidate(s) to provide proof at the time of selection.
If you are claiming veterans' preference, we may ask you to submit proof of Veterans preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, the SF-15 plus proof required by that form).
If you fail to provide the required documents, we will withdraw a tentative job offer made and/or remove you from further consideration.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
You MUST apply online. FORMS RECEIVED BY FAX, EMAIL OR U.S. POSTAL SERVICE DELIVERY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying. You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page.
NEED HELP? If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available! If you have problems completing your on-line application, contact the Monster Hiring Management Help Desk at 1-866-656-6831 or by e-mail at MGSHELP@monster.com. The help desk is available Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. You may call and leave a voice mail message at all other times. All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs “Saved Documents” feature. If you are unable to apply on-line, you may visit our Employment Center for technical assistance in entering your application. The Employment Center is located at 441 Second & D Streets S.W., Washington, D.C., Room H2-178, and is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You may call (202) 226-7000 for directions.
Architect of the Capitol
2nd and D Street, S.W.
Washington, District of Columbia 20515
United States
Next steps
You will receive a notice generated by the USAJobs System when you have successfully submitted your application. After all application packages have been received, we will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.
You can check the status of your application by logging into http://www.usajobs.gov. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJobs Account, editing your profile and changing the ‘Notification Settings’ to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within 2 weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
