Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens

A GS-0318-7, SECRETARY (OA):

• Prepares a wide variety of recurring and nonrecurring personal and executive correspondence, reports, and other documents from information obtained from the staff, files, and other sources.
• Routinely composes non-technical correspondence, such as office procedures, requests for information concerning the organization's programs, letters of acknowledgment, commendation, or notification.
• Prepares one-of-a-kind reports from information in various documents, reading correspondence and reports to identify relevant items.
• Proofreads/edits correspondence and documents for correct grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and format.
• Independently consolidates and finalizes information for various reports in accordance with established reporting procedures and informs supervisor of important matters and deadlines.
• Anticipates need for information, gathers and summarizes information from files, and prepares material/documents for supervisor's use in responding to inquiries, recognizing which information is, or is not, relevant to issue at hand.
• Reviews and processes incoming and outgoing correspondence, reports, and other materials submitted for the Commander's signature.
• Receives and screens all publications, regulations, and directives directed to the Commander and brings to the Commander's attention those elements affecting the Commander's area of jurisdiction; specifically indicating procedural changes and furnishing all related materials.
• Screens incoming mail to identify what needs to be brought to the attention of the supervisor, referred to appropriate staff, rerouted to other organizations/offices, or handled personally.
• Establishes and monitors suspense dates and brings to supervisor's attention those that cannot be met by requested date or when there is a conflict.
• Consolidates reports submitted by subordinate units and reviews outgoing correspondence prepared by others for procedural and grammatical accuracy, conformance with general policy, and factual correctness.
• Responsible for extensive, formal internal and external coordination of the work of the office with the work of other offices and recognizes the need for such coordination in various circumstances.
• Receives telephone calls, greets visitors and ascertains the nature of the calls or visits, screening those that can be handled without supervisor's help.
• Personally handles many matters and answers substantive non-technical requests for information which can be provided based on information from records and files or personal knowledge of the organization.
• Receives requests for information, advises when the material can be furnished, and provides status of reports, suspense dates for matters requiring compliance, and similar information.
• Maintains supervisor's calendar, coordinates meeting arrangements, and schedules meetings and/or conferences including those involving staff from outside the immediate office.
• Independently notes and follows up on commitments made at meetings and conferences by staff members.
• Schedules appointments and meetings without prior approval based on personal knowledge of the Commander's commitments, priorities, workload and current issues of importance and coordinates with the supervisor as necessary.
• Makes sure supervisor is fully briefed on the matters to be considered before the scheduled meeting.
• Based on information provided by supervisor concerning the purpose of meetings and/or conferences and people to attend, makes necessary arrangements such as location, time, contacts participants, ensures all required materials and services are provided, attends the meetings, and reports on the proceedings.
• Performs other clerical and administrative work in support of the office/organization. Develops, establishes, updates, and maintains office procedures and records/files of various types to ensure effective and efficient operation of the office.
• Provides advice and guidance to staff in subordinate organizations on administrative, clerical, and procedural requirements and instructions and responds to fluctuating workloads by shifting clerical staff in subordinate units.
• Independently makes extensive travel arrangements, such as scheduling transportation, making reservations, and preparing travel orders and vouchers based on general travel intentions, known preferences of the traveler, and in accordance with appropriate travel regulations.
• Prepares, consolidates, submits, and maintains time and attendance records in accordance with established procedures.
• Assists Project Officer in making arrangements for Command sponsored events ensuring proper protocol is followed.
• Requisitions office supplies, printing support, and related materials and services.
• Uses varied and advanced functions of word processing software to create, format, modify, edit, and print a variety of letters, reports, memos, and other textual documents.
• Other duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

• Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
• Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• A resume and supporting documents must be submitted (see "How to Apply").
• This position is subject to provisions of the DoD Priority Placement Program.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance of the position.
• This position is covered by the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Amendment (30 Sep 96) of the Gun Control Act (Lautenberg Amendment) of 1968. An individual convicted of a qualifying crime of domestic violence may not perform the duties of this position.
• Position requires ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the mission.
• May occasionally be required to work other than normal duty hours; overtime may be required.
• Duties and responsibilities may significantly impact the environment. You are responsible to maintain awareness of your environmental responsibilities as dictated by legal and regulatory requirements, your organization, and its changing mission.

Qualifications

GENERAL EXPERIENCE:
Progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:
Must have at least 12 months experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) 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. Applicants who have the 1 year of appropriate specialized experience, as indicated in the table, are not required by this standard to have general experience, education above the high school level, or any additional specialized experience to meet the minimum qualification requirements.
-or-
1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. You may also be excluded from consideration if you indicate that you are unwilling to accept the lower grade and a determination is made that you are not qualified at the higher grade. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Verbiage displayed on your resume or application must contain your own words. You may refer to position descriptions, as well as the general and specialized experience located within the vacancy announcement, to assist with describing work experiences; however, resumes or applications received in verbatim will not be considered. In your resume you will need to address the general and specialized experience listed above. Please use as much detail as needed, giving dates (months and years) of the experience, position title and how the experience was gained. This information is needed to determine if you are qualified for the position.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics). NOTE: You do not have to respond to the KSA's separately but your resume should contain sufficient information to demonstrate possession of the KSA's.

• Knowledge of the organization and other installation organizations required to coordinate the work of the office with the work of other offices and for recognizing the need for such coordination in various circumstances.
• Knowledge of correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and format to prepare and edit written correspondence and reports.
• Knowledge of the substantive programs of the organization as they relate to administrative and clerical support functions.
• Knowledge of Army and Air Force protocol functions necessary for the many official visits by both military and civilian dignitaries from local, state, United States, and foreign governments.
• Knowledge of the nature and capability of word processing software procedures and function keys to perform a substantial range of functions, such as generating tables of contents, importing graphs or databases, creating glossaries, aligning multiple columns, automatically printing document identification or other notations at the top or bottom of each page, and creating form letters and automatically merging these with mailing lists.
• Knowledge of standard office equipment, such as electric/electronic typewriters, copiers, fax machines, and office automation systems, to perform a substantial range of office automation support. A fully qualified typist is required.