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The USBG inspires people to appreciate, study, and conserve plants to enrich society locally and globally. The USBG provides educational experiences to 1 million visitors annually, presents horticultural displays and exhibits, strives to break down barriers to inclusion, and advances the exchange of ideas and information. The USBG is comprised of nearly 70 positions across four divisions: Administrative, Learning and Engagement, Horticulture, and Operations. Learn more: U.S. Botanic Garden.
11/15/2023 to 12/06/2023
$94,199 - $122,459 per year
GS 12
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Not required
No
Permanent
Full-time
Excepted
12
No
Yes
USBG-2024-040
760872000
This position is located in the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG), Learning & Engagement (L&E) Division, Learning & Outreach (L&O) Branch. The incumbent serves as the Senior Education Specialist and works with the L&O team on educational programs that fulfill the USBG's mission, including the design, facilitation, oversight, coordination, and evaluation of national level educational initiatives, teacher engagement opportunities, partnership opportunities, and formal and informal educational programs. Program locations are on-site, virtual, and off-site. The incumbent also serves as a liaison for the USBG with national museum and public garden organizations.
The position requires flexibility in work schedule including work on weekends, evenings and holidays.
Specific responsibilities include:
Educational Program Research, Development, Coordination and Work
Researches, budgets, proposes, develops, writes, coordinates, facilitates, and evaluates new national level educational initiatives, teacher engagement opportunities, and other formal and informal educational programs that fulfill the mission of the USBG. Utilizes breadth and depth of experience to inform new educational models, approaches, and methods of thinking. Incorporates inquiry- and object-based learning techniques into programs. Conducts project review and program analysis, including assembling documentation such as photographs and participant evaluations. Works with the L&E team to implement educational programs and projects in line with AOC policies and USBG procedures and practices. Program locations are on-site, virtual, and off-site.
As needed, assists with volunteer training, develops interpretive content, and coordinates materials preparation and classroom set-up. Assures that programs are compliant with accessibility objectives and follow safe work practices.
Represents the Garden at local, regional, and national-level meetings and conferences with colleagues and collaborating agencies and organizations. Works with the L&E team in a collaborative, team- centered atmosphere.
Some travel may be required to participate in conferences, site-visits for educational purposes, collaboration and/or professional development.
Partnerships Administration and Collaboration
Researches, budgets, proposes, develops, maintains, and evaluates educational partnerships (EP) and related initiatives. Originates and collaborates on the co-creation, development, implementation, and evaluation of plant and science-based EP opportunities. Develops and evaluates goals, objectives, and planning for EPs. Ensures that EPs adhere to the USBG mission and are in line with AOC policies and USBG procedures and practices. Recommends edits to policies and procedures related to duties and responsibilities. Keeps abreast of best practices in EPs in government, museums, and public gardens and applies them at the USBG. Networks and collaborates with external agencies, organizations, and other AOC jurisdictions to investigate, develop, implement, and evaluate EP opportunities.
Communicates and collaborates with internal stakeholders in the AOC and USBG. Serves as contracting officer’s representative for EP-related contracts. Problem solves to quickly identify issues and develops action plans to improve coordination, execution, and evaluation of EPs. Identifies and proposes resolutions for potential conflicts in work schedule, space use and division and resource use and organization. Works with coworkers and management to resolve conflicts. Works with the L&E team to identify EP opportunities, including cost-savings and efficient use of resources. Provides annual analysis and review of EPs to USBG management.
Education Program Evaluation and Analysis
Supports the L&E team to enhance understanding of effectiveness of educational offerings at the USBG via evaluation and analysis. Utilizes breadth and depth of evaluation experience to inform new assessment approaches and methods of evaluation. Acts as contracting officer representative on evaluation-related contracts. Analyzes and synthesizes data in the authoring of reports for communication with stakeholders including USBG leadership, AOC administrators and Congress. Assures that evaluations are compliant with accessibility objectives and follow established best practices for evaluation in a government, museum, or public garden setting.
The incumbent must follow all relevant safety rules, regulations, and standard operating procedures. Must utilize knowledge of and comply with all established safety and security rules and regulations to ensure that work progresses in a safe manner, including ensuring safety of USBG visitors and coworkers. Receives training, either on the job or through courses, to ensure adherence to all safety practices and proper use of all equipment.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
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You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.
Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
Candidates for the GS-12 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience is defined as the following:
(1) Designing, developing, coordinating, and evaluating new on-site, virtual, and off-site educational programs for a museum or public garden;
(2) Designing, developing, coordinating, and evaluating teacher professional development opportunities for a museum or public garden;
(3) Teaching plant science, horticulture, botany, or natural sciences in an informal or formal setting;
(4) Researching, developing, coordinating, facilitating, and evaluating new national level educational initiatives and partnership opportunities; and
(5) Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders on educational programs.
Degree: that included or was supplemented by major study in education or in a field appropriate to the position.
or
Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in education, or in a field appropriate to the position, plus appropriate experience or additional course work that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study described above.
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 the Selective 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 who is not a current AOC employee 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, sexual orientation 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.
Probationary Period- A newly hired selectee(s) is subject to the completion of a one-year trial/probationary period, regardless of whether or not a trial/probationary period has been completed previously with the Architect of the Capitol or another Federal agency.
All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol.
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 responses to job specific self-assessment questions.
Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement. The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies:
-Knowledge of broad functional or specialized area of education or training, such as teacher professional development, informal and/or science education in a public garden or museum environment, and national level educational initiatives and/or partnerships for a public garden, museum, or other organization.
-Ability to research, develop, evaluate, offer, and coordinate formal and informal educational programs and professional development opportunities for on-site, virtual, and off-site locations..
-Ability to collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders.
-Skill in written and oral communication as it pertains to inter- and intra-organizational communication, and organizational representation at local, regional, and national-level meetings and conferences.
Your responses to the self-assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating. You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions. Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter. Your resume must support your answers to the self-assessment questions. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or disqualification for 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).
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.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
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.
You will receive a notice generated by the USAJobs System when you have successfully submitted your application. 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.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/760872000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The mission of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is to serve Congress and the Supreme Court, preserve America's Capitol and inspire memorable experiences. The AOC is responsible for the maintenance, operation, development and preservation of 18.4 million square feet of buildings and more than 570 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 US Botanic Garden. Learn more at www.aoc.gov.
The AOC prides itself on its Core Values of Respect, Integrity, Safety, and Empowerment (RISE).
