Program Support Assistant

Summary

This position is located within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The location of this position will be determined upon selection. In this position, you will serve as a personal assistant to the Research Leader and other professional staff providing various secretarial, administrative, and program support duties, allowing them to focus on the organization's primary mission. USDA employees: Please refer to the Next Steps section.

Responsibilities

Participates in program planning support work such as research project coordination, travel documentation, budget coordination/tracking, agreements, and purchasing/procurement of supplies and equipment, and human resources administration.

Serves as the primary administrative business process point of contact for the Unit.

Performs various tasks using on-line systems.

Prepares graphics, photos/slides, creates tables and graphs based on statistical data for Research Leader and professional staff.

Coordinates the processing of manuscripts and reports for public information; edits material for correct structure, clarity and arrangement of format for scientific journals and other media.

Develops and implements new systems or administrative processes to meet Unit needs.

May serve on special committees or special projects.

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 the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. GS-06 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. Qualifying experience for GS-06 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-05 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 preparing or reviewing financial documents; using computer programs to prepare and review written documents; and providing information on policies, procedures, or guidelines. GS-07 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-06 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 preparing or tracking financial forms or reports; maintaining detailed records or files for an office environment; coordinating all aspects of travel for staff or supervisors; and ensuring compliance with regulations for all program administrative procedures. Applicants must be able to type 40 words per minute. 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. Salary Information: AMES, IA - $45,777 - $66,132 BOWLING GREEN, KY - $47,298 - $66,576 BURLINGTON, VT - $46,336 - $66,939 COLLEGE STATION, TX - $46,409 - $65,599 COLUMBIA, MO - $45,409 - $65,599 CORVALLIS, OR - $48,927 - $70,682 EAST LANSING, MI - $ 50,087 - $ 72,358 FAYETTEVILLE, AR - $45,409 - $65,599 GENEVA, NY - $53,512 - $77,306 ITHACA, NY - $53,512 - $77,306 KIMBERLY, ID - $45,409 - $65,599 LAS CRUCES, NM - $45,409 - $65,599 LINCOLN, NE - $45,409 - $65,599 LOGAN, UT - $45,409 - $65,599 LUBBOCK, TX - $45,409 - $65,599 MANHATTAN, KS - $46,150 - $66,670 MISSISSIPPI STATE, MS - $45,409 - $65,599 NEW ORLEANS, LA - $45,409 - $65,599 OXFORD, MS - $45,409 - $65,599 PARLIER, CA - $45,638 - $73,010 PULLMAN, WA - $51,037 - $73,731 RALEIGH, NC $47,418 - $68,502 RIVERSIDE, CA - $45,409 - $65,599 SIDNEY, MT - $45,409 - $65,599 STILLWATER, OK - $45,409 - $65,599 STONEVILLE, MS - $45,409 - $65,599 WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - $45,409 - $65,599

Requirements

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. 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/. The U.S. Government utilizes Trusted Workforce 2.0 to implement Continuous Vetting (CV) as a-whole-of government approach to personnel security. If selected for this position, you will be subject to continuous automated record checks of criminal, financial, and public record databases throughout your period of eligibility or employment, replacing traditional periodic reinvestigations. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period depending on your appointment type, unless previous federal service is creditable. During this time your employment will be evaluated, and we may consider: your performance and conduct, the needs and interests of the agency, whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government, and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

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 is being concurrently announced under Delegated Examining Announcement Number ARS-S27Y-13092767-NW. 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.