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Environmental Protection Specialist (Grants Project Officer)

Environmental Protection Agency
EPA
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is in Region 9; Land, Chemicals & Redevelopment Division, Planning & State Development Office. About Region 9: Website

This is an office-centered position*--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.
*Work-from-home flexibilities may be authorized as described in the Benefits section.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open date: 01/08/2024
Closed date: 01/19/2024
Location
Few vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$102,489 - $158,432 per year

Salary will be set based on the grade for which you were selected.

Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Promotion potential
13
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - May be required to travel up to 25% of each month.
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
EPA-Y9-MPE-2024-0008
Control number
764177400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

-Current federal employee with competitive status; reinstatement eligible; ICTAP/CTAP eligible -Current/former federal employee eligible under misc act/authority/agreement -Veteran who is preference eligible or has separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous active service (VEOA) -Applicant eligible for noncompetitive appointment (e.g., Schedule A, Peace Corps, VRA)

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Duties

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At the entry level of this position, you will:

  • Serve as a technical/programmatic authority in providing expert advice and assistance to state, local and/or tribal governments and non-profits to help facilitate assigned environmental protection program development within states/municipalities/tribes.
  • Serves as a primary senior staff authority and coordinator to develop and implement stakeholder/EPA partnerships for environmental protection programs; negotiate, facilitate, create, and evaluate state specific agreements.
  • Manage grant, cooperative agreements and/or interagency agreement (IAGs) activities related to the initiation, administration, and/or close-out of very complex, difficult, or novel grants, cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements, including responsibility for monitoring performance.
  • Manage special projects and lead ad hoc teams.

    Direct the work of other staff in agreement negotiation; monitor compliance of agreements; negotiate funding levels for recipient needs. Determine specific program goals and objectives; identify resources; propose specific methods and approaches, schedules and milestones.

When entering a Federal job at a grade level lower than the highest promotion potential level, you may be promoted to more complex duties and work more independently, as your career progresses.  NOTE:  Career ladder promotions are not automatic, and all eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met in order to progress to the next grade level.

One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.

You will spend more than 50% of your work time on contracts, grants/cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
  • You must be a U.S. citizen.

#LI-Onsite

If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter.

If you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year probationary period if appointed as Competitive Service or a two-year trial period if appointed as Excepted Service.

This position is designated as Moderate Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

You must meet time in grade requirements no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

We are looking for at least one year of specialized experience related to this position as described below:

To qualify for the GS-12 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-11 level defined as serving as a technical/programmatic specialist in providing advice and assistance to state, local and/or tribal governments and non-profits; assisting project managers on ad hoc teams and special projects; reviewing grants, cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements. 

To qualify for the GS-13 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-12 level defined as developing and implementing partnerships for environmental protection programs; reviewing grants, cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements, including monitoring performance; leading the negotiation, facilitation, creation and evaluation of specific agreements.

Your answers to the online assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas: 

  1. Skill in interpreting federal grants and cooperative agreement regulations and guidelines sufficient to provide technical guidance to internal and program staff and external stakeholders
  2. Skill in managing special projects/teams/workgroups.
  3. Knowledge of applicable federal environmental statutes and regulations.
  4. Knowledge grants, cooperative agreements, and interagency agreements regulations, policies and procedures, sufficient to manage a variety of grants and cooperative agreements.
  5. Skill in written communication, sufficient to prepare materials for briefings and presentations in a variety of media and formats.
  6. Skill in oral communication, sufficient to address and resolve conflicts and highly complex or unusual issues among stakeholders; and deliver briefings and presentations to a variety of audiences.

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.

If you have part-time work experience, read this: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA.

This position is in the bargaining unit.

Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures

EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Although the Service type indicated in the Overview section is Competitive, you may be appointed as Excepted Service based on your eligibility to be hired under certain appointing authorities.

If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.

Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your resume must address the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed in the Qualifications section. If you meet basic qualification requirements, your application will be further evaluated based on your answers to the online assessment. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for the position and an applicable score assigned.

We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. We will evaluate your qualifications and eligibility and notify you if you meet minimum qualification requirements. If you are referred for consideration, you may be subject to additional assessments (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.).

NOTE: We do not require a separate statement responding to the competencies, also referred to as Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). However, your resume should clearly show possession of these competencies.


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Environmental Protection Agency

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Agency contact information

Amani Clemons
Phone
513-569-7595
Fax
513-569-7826
Email
clemons.amani@epa.gov
Address
Environmental Protection Agency
US Environmental Protection Agency
Human Resources Office
26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Mail Stop N-132
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
United States

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