Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Grants and Policy Operations, Corporation for National and Community Service in Washington, DC. The Grant Review Specialist is responsible for managing grant competitions, including planning and executing grant reviews for applications submitted to the Corporation for National and Community Service for funding; conducting policy analysis and development related to grant application reviews; and supporting other pre-award grant-making related activities.
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Responsibilities

The selectee will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

• Manages assigned grant competitions and plans and executes application reviews for grant and cooperative agreement, in collaboration with programs staff and in accordance with CNCS policies and procedures, and unit controls. Coordinates with appropriate CNCS program personnel to ensure that the goals for each review are achieved. Works with program staff on identified issues of concern;
• Provides technical expertise, advice and guidance concerning the full range of grant reviews and selection processes, and advises staff on all matters concerning competitive processes for grants and cooperative agreements, in accordance with relevant federal laws and regulations, policies and practices;
• Conducts periodic reviews and analysis of established grant making practices, procedures, policies and regulations related to the grant application review process to ensure they meet the requirements of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and other federal requirements, and to ensure adequacy, accuracy and appropriate implementation. Interprets findings and prepares documentation for management decisions on matters identified;
• Develops and disseminates new policies, guidance, and procedures, and support reforms, innovation and improvements to the agency grant application review process;
• Identifies best practices in grant reviews and selection activities and develop strategies for introducing them agency-wide;
• Designs, develops, and delivers training and presentations on CNCS grant application review and selection processes, requirements, and other related matters, including training for external and internal reviewers;
• Ensures proper documentation through the grant application review and selection process;
• Responds to internal and external inquiries; and,
• Participates on agency-wide teams, including serving as liaison to other departments in the agency, carries out or assists with special assignments, and performs other duties related to the position.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
3

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a United States Citizen
• A 2-year probationary period is required for new Federal employees
• Merit Promotion applicants must submit a SF-50 to verify Status and grade
• Must be telework ready
• Satisfactory completion of a background investigation

Qualifications

Applicants must have one year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to at least the mid-range of the NY-02 pay band, which would be at or equivalent to, the GS-9 level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes directly related work experience in administering competitive grant application review processes for grants and cooperative agreements; managing grants; interpreting and applying federal laws and regulation, analyzing and developing policy and procedures; and providing training and technical assistance to applicants and grantees.

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

Such experience must be clearly documented in the applicant's resume.

Education

If you are qualifying based on education alone, you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. Such education must be from an accredited institution and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work. You must submit an unofficial copy of your college transcript. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. educational standards.

You may also qualify based on a combination of education and experience, if applicable.

Additional information

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.

Veteran's Preference: If you are claiming 5-point or 10-point veteran's preference, you must submit documentation described below in "Required Documents."

Special Employment Consideration: Persons with disabilities, disabled veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the Armed Forces, VISTA volunteers, some Peace Corps employees and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for noncompetitive appointment. If you are eligible and would like to be considered for one of these noncompetitive appointments, applicable documentation that supports your eligibility must be submitted with your application package.

Ethics Requirement: Our Agency is committed to the highest ethical standards and, as an employee you will be covered by the criminal conflict of interest statutes (18 U.S.C. 201-209) and the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (5 C.F.R. part 2635). Additionally, you may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) or Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 278e) within 30 days of your appointment date and on an annual basis thereafter.

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:

• Interpersonal Skills
• Oral/Written Communication
• Project Management
• Technical Competence

Important Note: Your resume must support your answers to the job specific questions. High self-assessment on the Occupational Questionnaire that is not supported by the information in your resume or supporting documents can/will result in elimination from further consideration. If you do not answer all of the job specific questions you will not be considered. Incomplete applications (resume and required supporting documents) will be considered ineligible.

Qualified applicants will be placed in one of the following three categories:

1 - Qualified Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements as described in the Qualifications section of this announcement.
2 - Well Qualified Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrates proficiency based on the answers to the job specific questions.
3 - Best Qualified Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrates high level proficiency based on the answers to the job specific questions.

NOTE: Status candidates will be considered under the provisions of the Corporation's Human Resources system which allows for:
1) Non-competitive referral of lateral candidates; and
2) The separation of status and non-status applicants for referral purposes.

Status candidates will be referred on one selection list only, i.e., either merit promotion or non-competitive. Nonstatus candidates who are eligible for Noncompetitive referral, e.g. Peace Corps, VRA, etc., will be referred under Noncompetitive procedures only. For Noncompetitive categories, See "Special Employment Consideration" below under "Other Information."

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing

Required Documents

• Resume showing relevant experience (cover letter optional);
• Unofficial transcript (if qualifying based on education):
• Veterans' Preference Documentation (DD-214, VA Letter, and SF-15 if claiming 10-point preference; DD-214 if claiming 5-point preference), if applicable;
• For Merit Promotion Eligibility: SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (must indicate tenure and position occupied), if applicable;
• Documentation supporting eligibility for Non-Competitive appointment, e.g., Schedule A (severely disabled), eligible veterans (VRA or 30-percent or more disabled), VISTA, Peace Corps, etc., if applicable;
• Completion of the Assessment Questionnaire, which includes responses to the narrative questions

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.