Duties

Summary

At NSF, you will use your administrative support expertise in an exciting, challenging, and team-oriented environment. You will have the opportunity to use your current skills to help make NSF's vision of the future become reality. NSF also offers a variety of formal and informal learning and development opportunities that you can use to build new skills and advance your career. If you're seeking variety and challenge in a collegial atmosphere, look no further than NSF! More about NSF .

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Responsibilities

Help process grants that are keeping the United States at the leading edge of scientific discovery! Program Assistants work on the front-line supporting the National Science Foundation's efforts to promote and fund the best possible awards through grants, cooperative agreements, and other mechanisms. If you are customer oriented, enjoy working on a variety of automated systems, are organized, and have great communication skills, working as a Program Assistant is the right job for you! The National Science Foundation anticipates multiple openings for these positions.

As a Program Assistant, you will play a key role in the processes involved in all grants and cooperative agreements including soliciting and evaluating proposals, awarding funds, monitoring the status of grants and cooperative agreements, tracking budgets, and preparing a variety of reports. Specifically, you will:

* Work with a variety of automated systems to enter information about grant proposals, to forward information to reviewers electronically, and to facilitate panel review meetings.
* Coordinate the logistics for meetings and conferences of scientific panelists.
* Provide administrative support to staff including handling travel arrangements; assisting in the management of the DD and/or DDD's calendar and scheduling of appointments;
*Participate in the planning/coordination of meetings, including making space reservations, etc.

Competencies

1. Attention to detail and problem solving

2. Computer/IT skills

3. Travel management

4. Analytical skills and initiative

5. Oral and written communication

6. Teamwork and collaboration

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
07

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Background investigation.
• Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt.
• US citizenship.
• Type at least 40 words per minute with no more than 3 errors

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.

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent.

You must meet eligibility and qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date.

You must answer all job-related questions in the NSF eRecruit questionnaire.

All online applicants must provide a valid email address. If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full or blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

This position is in the bargaining unit.

Qualifications

To qualify at GS-5 level you need to have one of the following: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-4 level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include the following: using word processing software to prepare correspondence; responding to routine non-technical inquiries; or other clerical or office support functions. OR Successfully completed four full years of education above high school level. OR Possess a combination of post-high school education and specialized experience.

To qualify for the GS-6 level you need to have: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include the following: using word processing software to prepare correspondence, reports and other documents; tracking pending actions to ensure timely completion of work assignments; coordinating and making travel arrangements; responding to routine non-technical inquiries; and coordinating and handling logistical support for meetings.

To qualify for the GS-7 level you need to have: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include the following: interpreting and applying regulations, policies, and procedures to perform a variety of administrative support duties; developing and maintaining spreadsheets and other financial records; developing work tracking systems to ensure timely completion of work assignments; coordinating and making travel arrangements; and composing/typing reports in final.

At all grade levels you must be able to type at least 40 words per minute with no more than 3 errors.

Education

Education may be substituted for experience as described in "Qualifications" only at the GS-5 level.

While education may enhance skills required for this position; there is no substitution of education for specialized experience at the GS-6 or GS-7 levels.

Additional information

Relocation Expenses Reimbursed will not be paid.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP):
ICTAP and CTAP provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP or CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP or CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified you must meet the following: OPM qualification requirements for the position, all selective factors, where applicable; special OPM approved qualifying conditions for the position; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate, to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and receives a rating of at least "Very Good" on the questionnaire. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP or CTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.
Additional information regarding ICTAP or CTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources

Veteran's Preference:
If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency. For 5-point veterans' preference, please provide your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions. For 10-point veterans' preference, please submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, DD-214, and the required documentation as specified on the SF-15.

NSF has determined that all of its positions are eligible for telework. Work suitable for telework depends on job duties; therefore, employees must receive approval from their supervisor for telework and have a telework agreement in place. Entering into a telework agreement is voluntary.

For additional information on the NSF eRecruit system, please visit our NSF eRecruit Applicant Guide .

This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the National Science Foundation.

The Selected Candidate(s) may be subject to a background investigation.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Ratings will be assigned based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire. In some cases, additional assessment processes may be used.

Review your resume and responses carefully. Responses that are not fully supported by the information in your application package may result in adjustments to your score. A Human Resources Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the selecting official.

Applicants eligible for selection preference under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) must meet the agency definition of "well qualified." At NSF, this means a score of 90.0 or higher.

In the merit promotion selection process, due weight will be given to incentive awards and performance appraisals.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

If you are an NSF employee on or eligible for a permanent, competitive service position or you are an NSF employee who is reinstatement eligible based on prior Federal permanent, competitive service, you need not submit documents to confirm status.

If you are not an NSF employee as described above, but you are eligible under merit promotion , under an Interchange Agreements , under a non-competitive authority , or under a similar authority , you will be required to submit supporting documentation. This will typically require the submission of one or more of the following documents:

1. Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50s) or comparable federal agency forms to verify your eligibility for reinstatement and/or grade/step/salary if you are a current or former permanent federal civil service employee.
• SF-50 must indicate that appointment is/was to a competitive service position with permanent tenure or conditional tenure within the last three years; OR, to a similar position in the excepted service at an agency that has an Interchange Agreement.
• An example of a comparable agency form is a personnel action from a DOD Non-appropriated Fund organization or from the US Postal Service for a current and continuing appointment without a break in service.
• Documents that are NOT comparable and NOT acceptable substitutes for a SF-50 include a SF-52, a Performance Appraisal form, a Personnel Action Request (PAR), or a Request for Personnel Action (RPA).

2. Performance appraisals and awards. If you do not possess or are unable to submit a performance appraisal at the time of application submission, further requests will be made during the interview and selection process.

3. DD-214 (Member-4 copy); and if applicable, the Department of Veterans Affairs Notice of Compensable Disability Rating from applicants requesting consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), Veteran Recruitment Act (VRA), or the disabled veterans appointing authority.

4. Schedule A Certification - from applicants requesting consideration under the Schedule A appointing authority for disabled applicants.

5. Other - Documentation which verifies you are eligible to be appointed to a permanent position in the federal competitive civil service.

If you are requesting consideration under a Special Hiring Authority listed below, you must submit the required documentation as outlined in the regulation or Executive Order. Please also annotate your application to reflect that you are applying under a special hiring authority. If you are requesting consideration under a Special Hiring Authority not listed below, please email eRecruit@nsf.gov or reach out to the point of contact listed on the vacancy announcement.

• Pathways Interns who have completed their educational program, and are eligible for conversion.
• Returned Peace Corp Volunteers
• Certain Military Spouses (Executive Order 13473)
• Former Overseas Employees
• Foreign Service Employees
• Career Service Employees
• Postal Rate Commission Employees
• Government Accountability Office (GAO) Employees
• Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Employees

If you are requesting special employment consideration under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or
CTAP, you must submit documentation provided by your current or former employing agency verifying your eligibility for that program. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible.

You must submit proof of meeting the basic education requirement described in the QUALIFICATIONS paragraph. Therefore, you should submit TRANSCRIPTS (unofficial copies are acceptable) or a DIPLOMA that verifies that the requirement is met.
We also ask that you complete and submit the Applicant Survey . This will help NSF to ensure that our recruiting efforts are attracting a diverse candidate pool; it will be used for statistical purposes only.

All faxing/uploading must be completed before 11:59 PM Eastern time on the vacancy closing date.
If you are faxing your information, please use extreme care in dialing the fax number to assure we receive your information. You will receive an email confirmation of receipt of your faxed/uploaded document(s).

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.