Duties

Summary

This position is located in the USDA Forest Service (FS), Business Operations, Office of Grants and Agreements (OGA) Staff. The incumbent serves as the G&A Policy Branch Chief, advising principal program managers at the agency level and below by interpreting broad legislative and management direction related to grants and agreements requirements and developing policy guidelines for implementation.
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Responsibilities

• Coordinates the agency?s grants and agreements direction and procedures with a variety of internal and external entities.
• Ensures consistent interpretation and application of grants and agreements policies and procedures with other regulatory and policy interconnected agency business areas.
• Identifies the training needs of the workforce and customers on grants and agreements practices and implementation of policy and guidance.
• Direct and oversee the certification program for all Grants Management Specialists.
• Interpret broad legislative and management direction related to grants and agreements requirements.
• Analyzes complex and conflicting regulations and policy and evaluates the effect changes to laws and regulations.
• Oversee difficult and complex technical, project management, and organizational problems using innovative approaches.
• Develop policy guidelines for implementation.
• Leads initiatives to streamline and standardize interpretation, application and compliance with new and existing policies.
• Ensures that the directives system reflects leadership direction and legal and policy requirements related to implementation and monitoring of grants/agreements activities.
• Plans, designs and directs the design and implementation of the program?s data automation systems development.
• Provide technical information for use in planning internal operations and to expedite the completion of work.
• Directs, coordinates and oversees work directly through the use of subordinates.
• Sets and adjusts short and long-term priorities and schedules.
• Evaluate subordinate supervisors and/or leads.
• Makes decisions on training needs and training requests related to employees of the unit.
• Takes action with regards to minor disciplinary measures such as letters of warning, caution or admonishment and recommends other official disciplinary actions.
• Demonstrate leadership in establishing and maintaining a work environment that is free from discrimination and create a sense of inclusion and support for all employees in the workplace.
• Promote and support a positive work environment to create a climate of mutual respect and integrity.
• Reinforce to others that offensive, harassing, and intimidating behavior will not be tolerated.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
• Must achieve a Forest Service Grants and Agreements Non-operational Certification within 18 months of appointment.
• Position is required to file a financial disclosure report, OGE-450.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

For the GS-14: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as advise on legislative and management direction related to grants and agreements requirements; assist in developing policy guidelines for implementation; develop and recommend program policies, objectives, standards, guides, and procedures for grants and agreements operations; analyze regulations and policy, and evaluate the effect to laws and regulations will have upon grants and agreements administration and management; determine the appropriate use and type of documents to utilize for developing agreements, legal acceptability, and compliance with administrative requirements; provide guidance and assignments to subordinates.

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: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

There is no education requirement.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status such as leave without pay is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
This position is eligible for telework and other flexible work arrangements.

For additional information about the duties of the position, please contact: Jacqueline Henry at: jacqueline.henry@usda.gov or at: 703-605-4776.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the competencies listed below:

• Customer Service
• Organizational Awareness
• Supervision
• Technical Competence
• Workforce Environment

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10969247

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

• Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor's phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
• If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit: a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

In addition to the above, you must submit the documents below if you claim in the following:

• Current and former Federal employees: 1) Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing that you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade (or promotion potential) held on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND 2) Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. Do not submit a performance plan.
• Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act Eligible Applicants: please review the Required Documents for Hiring Authorities Quick Guide on the Forest Service website.
• Current permanent FSA County employees: most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action, (SF-50 or equivalent) showing your highest grade (or promotion potential) held on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) per above.
• VEOA, VRA and 30% Disabled Veterans: please review the Required Documents for Hiring Authorities Quick Guide on the Forest Service website.
• If claiming eligibility under a special hiring authority not listed above, please review the Required Documents for Hiring Authorities Quick Guide on the Forest Service website.