Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of the Commissioner (OC), Office of the Executive Secretariat (OES) located in Silver Spring, MD.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Decides the appropriate course of action on correspondence addressed to FDA and the Commissioner.
• Reviews all internal and external documents, summarizes topic/issue, identifies sensitivity, the center or office having functional responsibility for the topic/issue, and decides the appropriate signature level for the response.
• Enters all information into the document tracking system (AIMS) and ensures all assignments are completed by the due date and closed.
• Provides status reports to supervisor to keep them informed of sensitive issues.
• Prepares written material in a clear, concise, comprehensive form matched to intended purpose for the office.
• Maintains effective working relationships with FDA Centers/Offices, White House, DHHS, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Agriculture, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Travel Required

25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
11

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Citizenship Requirement: You must be a U.S. Citizen to be considered for this advertisement unless explicitly stated otherwise.
• Selective Service Registration: All applicants born male, on (or after) 12/31/1959, must be registered with the Selective Service System OR have an approved exemption. Visit www.SSS.gov for more info.
• FDA participates in e-Verify: All new hires must complete the I-9 form; this information will be processed through e-Verify to determine your employment eligibility. If a discrepancy arises, you must take affirmative steps to resolve the matter.
• Background Investigation Requirement: All employees must pass a security investigation. Failing to pass the background check may be grounds for removal or legal action. If hired, you may be subject to additional investigations at a later time.
• Time-in-Grade Requirement: If you are applying as a current Federal employee, you must meet the time-in-grade requirements described in the Qualifications section, generally, 52-weeks of comparable experience at the next lowest grade.
• You must meet ALL requirements by the closing date of this announcement to be considered. Only education, experience, and qualifications attained by this date will be considered. You must continue to meet all requirements through the hiring process.
• Certification of Accuracy: All information concerning eligibility and qualification is subject to investigation and verification. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection, or appropriate legal action.
• Direct Deposit: You will be required to have all federal salary payments electronically deposited into a bank account with a financial institution of your choice.
• Additional selections may be made from this vacancy, within the same geographical area, by other organizational elements from within FDA, through shared corporate recruiting activities.
• Probationary Period: You will be required to complete a one-year probationary period for this position (unless already completed).

Qualifications

The position of Correspondence Analyst falls under the 0301 occupational series. To qualify for this position at grade GS-11, you must meet Time-in-Grade requirements by 11:59 pm EST on 05/24/2019.

In addition to meeting Time-in-Grade requirement above, you must also meet the following:

Have one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, analyzing and evaluating correspondences or technical writings to resolve issues or problems; AND creating and implementing policy and procedures as they pertain to the documents control management system; AND using analytical assessments and reporting formats to disseminate findings.
OR
Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
OR
Have three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D./equivalent degree or L.L.M. degree.

In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the percentage of times the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.

If you are applying based on some other qualifying eligibility (i.e. you are not applying as a current Federal employee), you must meet the specific requirements of the eligibility you are claiming, and must have sufficient past experience to demonstrate that you are minimally qualified for this position. See Unique Hiring Paths on USAJOBS for more information about various ways you may be eligible to apply!

PHS Commissioned Corps Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps may apply online to this announcement. Candidates will be referred to (CC) personnel and not as candidates for conversion to a permanent career or career-conditional appointment.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login , select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.

You must submit supporting documentation to verify your eligibility to apply for this vacancy. For most applicants, an SF-50 will be required. However, if you are applying as a Veteran , individual with a qualifying disability , or a displaced employee , you will be required to provide other supporting documents as applicable. See the Required Documents section for more details.

Education

Foreign Education:
If you are using education completed at foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program.
If you have transferred educational credit from a foreign institution to one in the U.S., you must still show that your foreign education was evaluated by an organization recognized by the Department of Education, even if that foreign education was accepted as transfer credit by a domestic college or university.
For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation .

SUBMITTING YOUR TRANSCRIPTS:
Positions which are scientific or technical in nature often have very specific educational requirements. A transcript is required to verify educational achievement. Pay careful attention to the Qualifications and Education sections to identify vacancies where a transcript is required. Even if you hold a similar position or are a current employee, you are not exempt from transcript requirements.
Electronic Transcript Caution : If you have obtained your transcripts electronically, the file might contain security measures that could prevent our application system from reading the file. Therefore, you should consider asking the institution to provide the file in a non-secured electronic format. Alternatively, you could scan or take a photo of the printed copy of the transcript. If your uploaded transcript cannot be read by our system, you may receive consideration and credit for the information we can access.
See the Application Manager Documentation for tips on submitting your paper-based documents.

Additional information

ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• Pre-employment physical required: No
• Drug testing required: No
• License required: No
• Mobility agreement required: No
• Immunization required: No
• Bargaining Unit Position: Yes
• If you are serving, or have served in the last 5 years (from 05/24/2019) as an Executive Branch political, Schedule C, or Non-career SES appointee, HHS/FDA may be required to obtain approval by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prior to beginning employment. You can find out if you have held one of these appointment types by looking at your Standard Form 50s in your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), in Section 5 where the legal authorities are listed. If you have served or are currently serving, you must provide a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting this appointment. In addition, you will be required to respond to the question in the assessment and certify your responses to the questionnaire. Political Appointees FAQ - OPM
• Veterans Preference: If you plan to apply based on Veterans Preference, please pay careful attention to the "Required Documents" section for more information about what to provide in your application. USAJOBS Veterans Site .
• Schedule A: If you plan to apply under Schedule A based on a disability, please pay careful attention to the "Required Documents" section for more information about what to provide in your application. U SAJOBS Individuals with Disabilities Site .
• Career Transition Programs: If you are a displaced Federal employee and plan to apply under CTAP or ICTAP, please pay careful attention to the "Required Documents" section for more information about what to provide in your application. U SAJOBS Career Transtion SIte .

All requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement (05/24/2019); only education and experience gained by this date will be considered. You must continue to meet all requirements throughout the entire hiring process.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the job opportunity announcement closes (at 11:59 pm ET on 05/24/2019), a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted, the information will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether you are qualified for this particular position.
If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, you may be deemed ineligible, or your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your skills and abilities. Additionally, we will review your supporting documents and resume to determine if you are in the "Area of Consideration" for this vacancy. Government-Wide Merit Promotion vacancies may only accept applications from a limited audience, pay careful attention to the "Who May Apply" and the "Hiring Paths" information. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Basis of Rating: Merit Promotion Procedures for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be used to rate and rank candidates. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Qualified candidates will be ranked into one of two categories: Best Qualified or Qualified.

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

Technical Competence (Correspondence Control)

Analyzing and Evaluating

Writing

Oral Communication

To preview the application questionnaire, click the link below.
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10500405

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

• Resume

Additional documentation which may be required for some applicants:

• Cover Letter
• DD-214
• Professional License or Certificate, Performance Appraisals, Awards, etc.
• VA Letter or other Veteran-supporting documents
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50
• Transcript

If you need instructions or assistance with submitting documentation, please see the Applicant Help Site - Documents page. If you are unsure what documents might be required of you, please review the USAJOBS FAQ article: " What types of documents might I need to provide? " or contact the FDA Applicant Help Des k.

For detailed information about submitting transcripts, please see the Education section.

RESUME REQUIREMENTS
The federal government has very specific resume requirements. If you have not written a federal resume before, please watch this Resume Writing Tutorial video or review thisl Resume Writing FAQ to learn what details you should, and should not, include in your resume. A CV (curriculum vitae) may not contain enough information to meet these resume requirements.
At a minimum, your resume should list the position title, employer, start and end dates (including month and year), salary (or grade and step), hours worked per week, and a list of duties performed or accomplishments, for EACH position listed.

CURRENT & FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES:
You will need to submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 ( Standard Form 50 - Notice of Personnel Action ) to verify your eligibility status.
Your SF-50 must show the following information:

Full position title;

Appointment type;

Occupational series;

Pay plan, series, grade, and step;

Tenure code; and

Service Computation Date (SCD).

If your most recent SF-50 is from a COLA/pay adjustment, please ensure it contains the information listed above. If it does not, then you should also include your most recent SF-50 that does show your last promotion, execution of appointment, or grade / step increase.
Learn more about the SF-50 on the USAJOBS SF-50 Help Page .

VETERANS PREFERENCE
You must submit a DD-214 form (Certificate of Release or Discharge) that has the dates of service and discharge status.

• Active Duty Members: To claim status Under the VOW (Veterans Opportunity to Work) to hire Heroes Act of 2011, submit written documentation from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application package.
• Parents of Deceased or Disabled Veterans: To claim status under Gold Star Fathers Act of 2015, you must submit a copy of the deceased or disabled veterans' DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from the armed forces that has the dates of service and discharge status AND the SF-15, Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. Please follow the instructions in the SF-15 on required documentation to be submitted.
• Widow or Widower: To claim preference, you must submit a copy of the deceased or disabled veterans' DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from the armed forces that has the dates of service and discharge status AND the SF-15, Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. Please follow the instructions in the SF-15 on required documentation to be submitted.
• Spouse of a Living Veteran: To claim preference, you must submit a copy of the veterans' DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from the armed forces that has the dates of service and discharge status AND the SF-15, Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference, and Documentation of Veteran's Inability to Work Because of a Service-Connected Disability. Please follow the instructions in the SF-15 on required documentation to be submitted.

See the Feds Hire Vets site for detailed information about documentation requirements. USAJOBS also maintains a help page for Veterans .
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Individuals with Disabilities (Schedule A):
Individuals with intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities, may apply for appointment through the Schedule A hiring authority. Certified verification of a disability from a licensed medical professional; a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist; or any Federal, state, or District of Columbia agency or U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits will be required. Learn more on the USAJOBS Individuals with Disabilities Site .

Displaced Federal employees who qualify for CTAP/ICTAP:
If you are a former Federal employee who was displaced due to a Reduction-in-Force (RIF) or surplused by some other means, please submit a copy of the separation letter or RIF notice from your agency. To be selected under I/CTAP, you must still be found well-qualified for this position. Learn more on the USAJOBS Career Transition Assistance Site .

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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.