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Program Support Assistant (OA)

Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
Biological Control of Pests Research Unit
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located with the United States Department of Agriculture, (USDA), Agricultural Biological Control of Pests Research Unit.

In this position, you will serve as the initial point-of-contact for all questions, information, and problem resolution in the areas of budget and accounting, agreements, travel, human resources, files management, time and attendance, office automation systems, and purchasing/procurement.
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Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
09/14/2023 to 09/22/2023
Salary
$42,022 to - $60,703 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 6 - 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Stoneville, MS
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
7
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
23-SEA-MP-12083891-MAF
Control number
748915000

Duties

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  • Participates in program planning support work (e.g. research project coordination, travel documentation, budget coordination/tracking, agreements, purchasing/procurement of supplies and equipment, and human resources administration).
  • Provide administrative oversight for various business processes (e.g. processing financial, procurement, extramural agreements, property, personnel, and other administrative instruments for the management unit).
  • Prepares travel as the technical resource to unit personnel to ensure adherence to travel regulation
  • Develops administrative processes to meet Unit needs (e.g. Administrative Office Procedures Handbook; manuscript and abstract tracking system; files maintenance, etc.).
  • Produces a wide range of documents using a variety of office automation technologies.
  • Serves as the primary administrative business point of contact for the Unit.
  • Participates in the annual Resource Management Plan (ARMPS) process by assisting in developing and executing the annual budget.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.

Qualifications


Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Time in grade:

Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

At the GS-06: Qualifying experience for GS-06 includes one year of specialized experience at the GS-05 grade level 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 1) applying guidelines involving program and administrative processes; 2) Assisting in developing and executing the annual budget (e.g. developing financial plans, monitoring spending, preparing financial reports, tracking); 3) Providing customer service to visitors and staff; and 4) Operating a personal computer, printers, scanners, word processing, spreadsheets or presentation software.

***Your resume and application materials must specifically state your typing certification or self-certified typing speed of 40 words per minute. If, after a complete review of your application package, a determination is made that you failed to provide this information, you will be rated ineligible for this position. ***

At the GS-07: Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience at the GS-06 grade level 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 1) Applying guidelines involving program and administrative processes; 2) Assisting in developing and executing the annual budget(e.g. developing financial plans, monitoring spending, preparing financial reports, tracking); 3) Providing customer service to visitors and staff; 4) Operating a personal computer, printers, scanners, word processing, spreadsheets or presentation software; and 5) Coordinating all aspects of travel for staff or supervisors.

***Your resume and application materials must specifically state your typing certification or self-certified typing speed of 40 words per minute. If, after a complete review of your application package, a determination is made that you failed to provide this information, you will be rated ineligible for this position.***


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.

Education

This position does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. 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.
  • Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).
  • Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
  • For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website.
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information.
  • This position is being concurrently announced under Delegated Examining Announcement Number 23-SEA-DEU-12083990-MAF. This announcement is open to all qualified candidates. Applying to both announcements may expand the possibilities of consideration since different referral criteria apply to each type of announcement. See the above announcement for more information.
  • 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 may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.
  • Recruitment or Relocation Incentive MAY BE authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.

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 based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below:

  • Administration and Management
  • Computer Skills
  • Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
Administration and Management, Computer Skills, and Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)


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. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. 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" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12083891

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