Clarification from the agency

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).

The purpose of this position is to provide a variety of administrative services for the Division or Zone.  As an Administrative Officer, you will:

At the GS-9:

• Perform administrative and/or program support work, such as planning, research, analysis, writing, correspondence control, communications, and/or liaison.  Provide advice to all staff members concerning travel, procurement of services, contracts, and equipment needs.  Gather and compile background date for budget preparation of all organizational funds.  collect reviews, and develop estimates based on past experiences and anticipated needs and consultation with organization.  Provide procurement advice and assistance to Zone Manager/Building Manager and others on procurement policies, problems or issues. Interpret procurement regulations and policies for Office staff.
• Participate in developing and maintaining automated systems for recording budget data.  Establish and maintain accountability records for funds control, initiating and implementing new techniques where appropriate, to streamline record keeping and data retrieval.
• Plan and direct the work of the administrative staff.  Delegates to subordinates' responsibilities for accomplishing their respective functions, and assures their compliance with established polies, standards of operation and production requirements.  Make decisions on work problems, grievances and disciplinary actions.  Work with subordinates in determining and planning fulfillment of employees' training and development needs.
• Communicate orally to explain procedures, policies, and alternatives; obtain information about operations and needs; coordinate personnel management activities with PMOD and/or OHR and OEEMA; and establish and maintain effective working relationships with a wide range of personnel within and outside OFEO and the Smithsonian.
• Write communication to draft justifications for use of delegated authorities, position descriptions, award justifications, ads, announcements, procedural guidance, and rating criteria.

At the GS-11:

• Perform administrative and/or program support work, such as planning, research, analysis, writing, correspondence control, communications, and/or liaison. Collaborate in the preparation of and be responsible for, the implementation and monitoring of operating budgets, both federal and trust. Serve as the office's primary Procurement Officer with a delegated procurement authority to sign purchase orders. Initiate and/or coordinate personnel actions.
• Participate in developing and maintaining automated systems for recording budget data. Establish and maintain accountability records for funds control, initiating and implementing new techniques where appropriate, to streamline record keeping and data retrieval.
• Observe the need for and conduct management studies relating to workflow, organization changes, space utilization, communications and correspondence management within the Associate Director, Zone Manager or Building Manager's Administration Office.  Gather necessary supporting data, and present recommendations to the Associate Director, Zone Manager or Building Manager for improvements in these areas. Participate in and represents the office's interest in a variety of projects and initiatives to study and improve Smithsonian and Smithsonian Facilities management and administration.
• Provide advice to all staff members concerning travel, procurement of services, contracts, and equipment needs. Act as liaison with the Office of Supply Services, and Accounting Services Responding to requests for information from Associate Director, Zone Manager or Building Manager and other Smithsonian and SF staff. Coordinate and participate in a variety of employment procedures which include interviews, outside advertisements, selection and notification of applicants. Reply to correspondence and handle telephone inquiries relating to employment.
• Prepare detailed reports to Associate Director, Zone Manager or Building Manager, or others on status of Federal and Trust accounts.  Develop and present status reports or response materials for the Zone Manager or higher-level attention, review or signature. 

Conditions of employment

• 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.

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements, including one year time-in-grade at the next lower grade level for promotion candidates, must be met by the closing date of the announcement. See the 'Required Documents' section for additional information.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website.

Qualifications

Experience:

For the GS-9: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position specialized experience is defined as providing administrative duties essential to the operation of a central office, administrative and financial oversight, tracking and overseeing budgets including the reconciliation of obligations and expenditures, and maintaining accountability records for funds control using automated systems.

Or Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related to the position.

For the GS-11: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position specialized experience is defined asproviding administrative duties essential to the operation of a central office, administrative and financial oversight, tracking and overseeing budgets including the reconciliation of obligations and expenditures, maintaining accountability records for funds control using automated systems; performs administrative and/or program support work, such as planning, research, analysis, writing correspondence control, communications and/or liaison.

Or Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M, if related to the position.

Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

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.

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:

• Knowledge of a variety of administrative operations including work analysis; budget formulation and execution; financial management; procurement; and travel and timekeeping,
• Ability to utilize a variety of computer applications to establish and maintain tracking systems, spreadsheets, relational databases, as well as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
• Skill in planning and directing the work of the administrative staff in teams, presenting recommendations, negotiating solutions, and establishing and/or maintaining effective relations with other staff members.
• Skill in oral communications to explain complex procedures, policies, guidelines, and requirements in coordination and completion of multiple assignments within short time frames.
• Skill in written communication to prepare written reports, correspondence, statements of work, justifications and/or organization plans.

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.

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:

• Primary Appointing Authorities for Career and Career-Conditional Appointments
• Hiring Authorities for Veterans
• People with Disabilities