Duties

Summary

This position is located in the U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Secretary, Office of Non-Public Education (ONPE). This position provides a wide range of administrative support for a variety of programs/projects associated with the functions of ONPE.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 50 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 50th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first.

We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.

As an Administrative Specialist, GS-0301-09, you will be responsible for:

Performing a variety of coordination, administrative, and research duties related to the functions and operations of ONPE. Planning and carrying out increasingly difficult and complex assignments and developing new methods, approaches, and procedures to enhance operations; providing advice and guidance on a wide variety of complex issues; interpreting policies, standards, and guidelines; conducting analyses and recommending resolution of complex issues affecting the specialty area.

Reviewing and screening a variety of incoming correspondence and documents making an initial review to determine the nature and content of materials which staff member should be assigned the incoming material for further action and/or review. Prioritizing documents that are time­ sensitive and determining whether items require the attention of the supervisor.

Making all travel arrangements for ONPE staff and, as necessary, arranging invitational travel, including obtaining proper reimbursement and travel documentation, preparing itineraries, making reservations and securing accommodations, notifying organizations and officials to be visited, submitting travel vouchers, and preparing post-travel reports within required time frames.

Providing administrative support to staff including ordering supplies, records management, scheduling meetings and conference calls, and other duties as assigned.

Providing technical guidance and training regarding administrative procedures and policies, such as records management and Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) inquiries, to staff members, including updating and maintaining the ONPE constituent database, and notifying staff of changes in contact data for key stakeholders.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
09

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship
• Background Investigation and Fingerprint Check
• May be subject to serve a one-year probationary period.
• Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

If you are a current federal employee, you must meet all time-in-grade and time-after competitive appointment qualifications within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. To verify that you meet these requirements, we will review your responses to the core eligibility questions on the occupational questionnaire, as well as your submitted resume and required documents. To make an accurate determination, you will need to include on your resume your federal position title, pay plan, occupational series, grade level, agency, dates for which you held the grade level (stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY, OR MM/YYYY to PRESENT), and total hours worked per week.

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).

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements
You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-9 if you possess:
Two years of graduate education.
OR
A master's degree or equivalent degree. Degree must be related to position.
OR
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position (see description below).
OR
A combination of specialized experience and education that when taken as a percentage of the required education and experience total 100% or more.

Specialized Experience for the GS-9
One year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 performing all three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:
1. Experience managing the wide range of administrative operations within a office setting, and proficiency with Microsoft Office products Word, Excel, and Access database software to complete complex or technical assignments.
2. Experience in managing incoming mail and telephone calls, including: ascertaining the nature of the request; directing inquiries to appropriate staff; tracking the status of responses to inquiries; and reviewing outgoing correspondence for proper grammar, spelling, punctuation and format.
3. Experience with arranging domestic travel and all related tasks for staff, including scheduling transportation, making hotel reservations and preparing travel vouchers.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)
The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).

1. Knowledge of administrative policies and procedures, including travel, timecards, filing, records management/retention, correspondence control, internal clearances, audit resolutions and FOIA requests.
2. Knowledge and ability to use various office automation systems and applications such as Microsoft Word, Office 365, Excel, Access PowerPoint, OneNote, SharePoint, and Skype.
3. Skill in briefing colleagues on relevant issues and in communicating recommendations regarding efficiency in program operations.
4. Knowledge of management analysis techniques to identify, consider, make recommendations, and resolve issues or problems.
5. Skill in writing professional communications to prepare responses to emails and controlled correspondence, as well as prepare briefing documents, memos, presentations, and other documents as requested.

Education

Additional information

Veterans' Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email Iwork@ed.gov to schedule a session with a career counselor ("Veterans Counseling Session" should be placed in the subject line of the email).

Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment.

Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check.

Non-Essential: This position is considered non-essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.

Telework: This position is telework eligible.

Bargaining Unit: This position is included in the bargaining unit.

Selections: Agencies have broad authority under law to hire from any appropriate source of eligibles and may fill a vacancy in the competitive service by any method authorized. We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur. We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants:

1. Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications
Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if you are outside of the area of consideration (i.e., who may apply) or your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements.

2. Rating and Ranking
If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required KSAs by comparing your submitted resume and documents against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. (The occupational questionnaire is the list of questions in the automated system that you will have an opportunity to answer once you apply for the position).

Based on the outcome of this evaluation, you will be assigned a numerical score (out of 100 possible). If your responses to the occupational questionnaire are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration.

3. Referral and Selection
If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

You must submit (REQUIRED FOR ALL APPLICANTS):
• A resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire.

If you are qualifying based on education, you must also submit:
• Transcripts showing course titles, number of credits, and dates of completion. You may submit unofficial transcripts as part of your application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to appointment.

If you are a current or former federal employee (including current U.S. Department of Education employees), you must also submit:
• A Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50), which demonstrates your competitive status eligibility. To verify your eligibility, we will review your SF-50 to determine your tenure (block 24) and position occupied (block 34). Examples of sufficient SF-50s include appointments, promotions, within-grade increases, and pay adjustments.

If you currently hold or previously held a federal position at or above the highest grade of this position or you have/had promotion potential at or above the highest grade of this position, you must also submit an SF-50 documenting your highest grade level held or promotion potential. Examples of sufficient SF-50s include appointments and promotions.

• A Copy of your Performance Appraisal and Awards, as applicable. Your performance appraisal and awards are requested to further assess the quality of your experience should your application be referred to the selecting official.

If you are claiming eligibility under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA), you must submit:
• A copy of your DD-214 that shows active service and character of discharge, member copy 4 (Separated Members only); OR
• A certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days from the date of application (Current Active Duty Members only); AND/OR
• The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) AND all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference.

If you are claiming selection priority under Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), please visit:
CTAP: http://www.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/ctap.html
ICTAP: http://www.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/ictap.html

If you are claiming eligibility under any Special Hiring Authority, you must submit:
• Adequate proof of your eligibility (e.g., Documentation of noncompetitive eligibility as a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Documentation of noncompetitive eligibility for employment under Schedule A as a person with severe physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and intellectual disabilities.)

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.