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Administrative Support Assistant

Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agriculture Research Service (ARS), Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC), in Orient Point, NY.

This is a term, time-limited appointment with an initial duration no less than 13 months and can be extended up to a total of 4 years.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
12/03/2018 to 12/14/2018
Salary
$38,245 to - $55,414 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 05 - 06
Location
Orient Point, NY
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasion travel, less than 10%
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
06
Supervisory status
No
Drug test
No
Announcement number
ARS-S18Y-0463
Control number
518364300

Duties

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Major duties may include, but are not limited to:

  • Organizing and setting meetings and planning sessions and disseminating reports and other information to participants
  • Managing short term visitor processing for foreign and domestic visitors
  • Maintaining databases for employee or client records
  • Conducting purchasing inclusive of placing orders, reconciling transactions and maintaining records
  • Using office automation systems and equipment to type, edit, and format letters, memoranda, reports, charts, graphs, and/or forms.
  • Receiving visitors and telephone calls to the office and determining nature of call or business of visitors and initiating appropriate action

 

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National
  • The ability to obtain/maintain Select Agent clearance
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • Subject to completion of on year trial period
  • Pre-employment and random testing of substances of abuse
  • Participation and adherence to facility's Occupational Health Program
  • Participation and adherence to facility's Personal Reliability Program
  • Ability to register and accepted into the Select Agent and Toxin program
  • Subject to successful completion of post employment medical examination
  • Subject to successful completion of pre-employment medical examination

Physical Requirements
The incumbent must demonstrate the physical and psychological capability to conduct normal duties that are appropriate to their position. To prevent the transmission of disease out of biocontainment and retention of the position, the incumbent must meet the following medical standards in a pre-employment medical examination conducted after the receipt of a preliminary job offer and on a periodic basis:

Ability to shower out of biocontainment one or more times per day and not have any skin condition which would prevent this. Body piercings must be able to be removed prior to entry. External medical assist devices must have the ability to be removed prior to entering biocontainment, and the individual must still be able to shower out safely without assistance. Any medical condition which could create an unsafe environment for the individual or his/her co-workers, such as insufficient control of a medical disorder which could result in sudden loss of consciousness; and inadequate vision and hearing required for safety in a laboratory environment.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including the following specialized experience and/or education, as identified below.

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are:

At the GS-05:
Qualifying experience for GS-OS includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-04 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in the planning and coordinating office activities; managing and processing visitors; using office automation software packages and equipment to produce documents; assisting with the timekeeping for an office and arranging and preparing travel; and conducting purchasing for an office.

OR

Education: 4 years above high school if directly related to the work of the position.

OR

A combination of experience and education as descr i bed above

Applicants must be able to type at least 40 words per minute.

At the GS-06:
Qualifying experience for GS-06 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-06 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience independently planning and coordinating office activities; managing and processing visitors; using office automation software packages and equipment to produce documents; managing the timekeeping for an office and arranging and preparing travel; and independently conducting purchasing for an office.

Applicants must be able to type at least 40 words per minute.

For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Group-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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Additional information

More than one selection may be made if another vacancy occurs within 90 days of the issuance of the certification of eligibles.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc) should contact: USDAs TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).

Direct Deposit – Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.

E-Verify: Federal law requires agencies to use the E-Verify system to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. If you are selected as a newly hired employee, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form 1-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS E-VERIFY system. Under the system, the new hire is required to resolve any identified discrepancies as a condition of continued employment.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION AND FINGERPRINT CHECK:  Selection and retention in this position is contingent on a successfully adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check) and a background investigation.

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. See more information at: http://www.chcoc.gov/transmittals/TransmittalDetails.aspx?TransmittalID=6465


Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL or ICTAP eligibility see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP 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/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

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.

This position is eligible for telework and other flexible work arrangements.

This is a bargaining unit designated position.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Managements (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of two or three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:

    • Administration and Management
    • Clerical
    • Written Communication
    • Oral Communication
Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply Online" button to the right.


To view the application form, visit: https://ars.usda.ntis.gov/cp/?event=jobs.previewApplication&jobid=F9F2389A-8794-4364-B7E1-A9A400D15A64

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