This is the position of Administrative Specialist with the Fred L. Whipple Observatory in Amado, AZ. The purpose of this position is to provide financial, procurement management, and administrative oversight to all of the activities of FLWO—scientific, educational, and public outreach.
Summary
This is the position of Administrative Specialist with the Fred L. Whipple Observatory in Amado, AZ. The purpose of this position is to provide financial, procurement management, and administrative oversight to all of the activities of FLWO—scientific, educational, and public outreach.
This Merit Promotion position is open to Current Federal Employees and Former Federal Employees with permanent status or reinstatement eligibility. Individuals who are eligible for a special appointing authority may also apply such as Individuals with Disabilities (Schedule A), former Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Vista volunteers; certain Military Spouses, or individuals eligible under various programs for Veterans (VRA, VEOA, 30% disabled)..
Provides financial management and analysis to FLWO as follows:
Monitors obligations and expenditures of all FLWO operating funds including SAO Federal and Trust allocations, revenue-generating activities, and SI maintenance/repair funds. Reconciles local accounts with SAO ERP system financial and works with SAO FMD staff to correct errors when found.
Oversees cash handing for donations and store sales, and income from dorm/tour payments. Manages local checking account.
Develops FLWO’s portion of the annual Federal budget submission and works with the Public Information Officer to develop revenue/expense projections for tours, events, memberships, and donations.
Periodically reconciles maintenance/repair fund discrepancies with the SI OPDC and/or SAO FM staff.
Generates and distributes monthly internal financial reports on all funds.
Periodically surveys Project Heads, supervisors, and the Public Information Officer to determine their projected needs both for budget and procurement management.
Consistent with delegated purchasing authority, procures a wide variety of technical materials and services including maintenance and automotive supplies, electronic and optical equipment components, computer systems and accessories, maintenance and repair services and educational/public outreach supplies and services. Develops specifications for bid requests for services. Analyzes recurring procurements for potential cost savings. Ensures adherence to Federal Acquisition Regulations, makes decisions on price reasonableness, negotiates delivery dates and expedites orders, receives items and verifies shipments, and vouchers invoices and tracks payments.
Coordinates FLWO property management. This includes managing the inventory of property and ensuring that all tagging requirements are met; maintaining an automated system to track property inventory; conducting periodic inventory reviews; processing excess FLWO property for disposal; serving as liaison to other agency officials and the public for the distribution of property being excessed by FLWO; working with science, technical, and operations staff to identify Observatory needs that could be met with Federal excess property in ways that would be cost effective for FLWO and MMTO; screening available property, coordinating with cognizant SI/SAO staff to place holds, processing required documentation; and arranging for transfer and shipping to FLWO.
Supports FLWO Education/Public Outreach activities: Manages Volunteer application process and provides specialized training as requested; provides backup coverage for Welcome Desk; assists PIO with public events, grant applications and donations; and assists with Visitor Center store management, including inventory control.
Provides overall administrative support to FLWO in human resources, travel, the safety program, motor pool fleet maintenance, and construction contract administration. Coordinates credentialing of new staff and volunteers through SI; obtains, prepares, and submits required documentation for contracts managed through SI/OCON; and serves as an information source on all administrative policies and practices.
Participates in both short and long-range planning with the OIR Division Administrator, FLWO Site Director, and cognizant SI OPDC Program and Design managers. Provides analyses, projections, and recommendations pertaining to project and activity costs, as requested
May be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
Direct Deposit/Elect Funds Transfer required for salary payment.
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.
Qualifications
Minimum of one year specialized experience (Federal or otherwise) equivalent to at least grade 9 that is close or similar to the work of this position. Specialized experience would include activities such as Federal procurement, property management, financial administration, and general administrative support to a complex facility.
OR
Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
OR
3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.
OR
a combination of education and experience.
For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on the web at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0300/miscellaneous-administration-and-program-series-0301/
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.
Education
This position does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses. The Smithsonian embraces diversity and equal employment opportunity.
Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): If you are applying for a VEOA appointment, you must be a veteran and must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service. ("Active Service" under this law means active duty in a uniformed service and includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, full-time National Guard duty, and attendance, while in the active service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary concerned.) A veteran who is released under honorable conditions shortly before completing a 3-year tour is also eligible.
Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: The following links contain information on the eligibility requirements to be considered under a noncompetitive appointing authority:
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.
The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options.
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.
Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:
Broad knowledge of and the ability to learn with enthusiasm, SI, SAO, and HCO administrative practices, procedures, programs, operations, objectives, and policies in order to successfully develop materials and coordinate logistics for meetings, presentations and special events such as committee meetings, site visits by external partners, donors, and SAO Board members.
Extensive knowledge of the organizational structure, programs, priorities, and working knowledge of business and management principles and practices.
Exemplary inter-personal skills in situations requiring a high level of tact and discretion in handling multiple assignments with competing priorities and the ability to communicate effectively with staff at all levels.
Expert knowledge of office software applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Office Suite, MS Google Suite), electronic mail, scheduling/calendar programs, Concur, ERP Financials, WebTA, and other software as needed and the ability to learn with enthusiasm.
Ability to apply a comprehensive knowledge of management and organizational techniques, systems, and procedures to the evaluation and analysis of office productivity, management controls and functions, administrative support functions, and long-range planning.
Knowledge of administrative policies and processes and the ability to effectively select which administrative process to follow in a given situation.
BASIS OF RATING: Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of this position. If, after the Human Resources Specialist reviews your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that the score you have received is not a true reflection of your qualifications and/or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect the information you provided that support your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
Important Note:
Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
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.
The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options.
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.
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.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page.
You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button.
Clicking the "DONE" tab does not submit your application. The "DONE" tab allows you to exit the system and save your information for completion at a later time. To submit your application, click the "FINISH" tab.
The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
SMITHSONIAN
Human Resources
60 Garden Street Cambridge, MA 02138
Mail Stop 17
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
United States
Next steps
After you apply, you will receive an automated acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. The staffing process to identify highly qualified candidates may take up to four weeks or more to complete. After the announcement closes and application reviews are done, you may be contacted by the hiring office if further evaluation or interviews are required. All applicants will receive written notification on the final outcome of the position.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
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.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page.
You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button.
Clicking the "DONE" tab does not submit your application. The "DONE" tab allows you to exit the system and save your information for completion at a later time. To submit your application, click the "FINISH" tab.
The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
SMITHSONIAN
Human Resources
60 Garden Street Cambridge, MA 02138
Mail Stop 17
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
United States
Next steps
After you apply, you will receive an automated acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. The staffing process to identify highly qualified candidates may take up to four weeks or more to complete. After the announcement closes and application reviews are done, you may be contacted by the hiring office if further evaluation or interviews are required. All applicants will receive written notification on the final outcome of the position.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
