Skip to main content

This job has expired

Education Program Specialist, GS-1720-09 (FPL 12) (MP)

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Washington, D.C
Closing date
Nov 3, 2020
Duties

Summary

This position is located in the US Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Higher Education Programs (HEP) in Washington, DC. This position performs professional work for an educationally related program (or group of programs) directed towards improving American education. Program objectives are achieved through the management of grants, contracts, and loans, as well as through professional leadership and expertise.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

THIS IS AN OPEN CONTINUOUS (STANDING REGISTER) ANNOUNCEMENT OPEN FOR 1 YEAR. THERE WILL BE A CUT OFF DATE ESTABLISHED EVERY 30 DAYS, WHICH A LIST OF ELIGIBLES WILL BE CREATED AND APPLICATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED AND REFERRED BASED ON RECEIPT OF SUBMITTED PACKAGES.

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

As an Education Program Specialist, GS-1720-09, you will:
  • Provide support for the Programs administered by Higher Education Programs (HEP). Provide technical assistance to grantees. She/he will provide technical assistance in the administration and management of funded projects.
  • Assist applicants with requirements for submitting proposals for grants and on appropriate ways of developing program proposals to be submitted in grant applications.
  • Review annual performance reports and make recommendations for continuation of funding based on the extent of substantial progress in grantees achievement of approved objectives.
  • Participate in the peer review process of grant proposals under consideration for awards of grants and contracts. Make funding and policy recommendations to the program staff concerning pending awards and related matters.
  • Participate in the analysis and interpretation of regulations, statutes, policy and procedures, relative to the administration of Federal grant programs.


Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a US Citizen
  • May be required to serve one year probationary period
  • Relocation will not be paid
  • 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

Basic Experience Requirements
You must meet the basic experience requirement for the 1720 series.
  • Degree: that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in a field related to the work of the position to be filled, of which at least 9 semester hours must have been in education courses.

    or
  • Combination of education and experience -- at least 24 semester hours in a field related to the work of the position to be filled, of which at least 9 semester hours must have been in education courses, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience must reflect the level and kind described in C below.

    or
  • Four years of experience that demonstrated a thorough understanding of the principles and practices underlying the work of this series. This experience must have been of such character and diversity to demonstrate that the applicant possesses an understanding of the field comparable to that normally acquired through successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university.

    or
  • At least 1 full academic year of professional teaching experience. This experience is defined as full and primary responsibility, under general supervision, for instruction of assigned students in an accredited school or institution. This includes responsibility for preparing and presenting lessons and for evaluating students' progress, including a determination of the students' success or failure according to established criteria. Serving in an assistant capacity to a professor without the authority to determine the students' success or failure to meet course requirements does not meet this criterion.

  • 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.
    OR
    One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-07) 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 in communicating effectively both orally and in writing through various means.
    2. Experience reviewing and analyzing education policies, regulations, and procedures.
    3. Experience working on multiple assignments simultaneously.

    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 professional education principles and techniques used in the evaluation of proposals and projects for improved education.
    2. Ability to anticipate issues, conceptualize, and execute strategies to support grant management and provide technical assistance to grantees.
    3. Ability to resolve basic problems or issues by application of precedents or established methods and practices.
    4. Ability to communicate both orally and in writing to convey technical information, analyses, findings and recommendations.

    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.

    Financial Disclosure: This position does not require financial disclosure.
    This position is included in the Bargaining Unit.
    Telework: This position is telework eligible.

    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

    Position sensitivity and risk
    Moderate Risk (MR)

    Trust determination process
    Suitability/Fitness

    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.

    Get job alerts

    Create a job alert and receive personalized job recommendations straight to your inbox.

    Create alert