Summary

This position is located within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The location of this position will be determined upon selection. In this position, you will serve as a personal assistant to the Research Leader and other professional staff providing various secretarial, administrative, and program support duties, allowing them to focus on the organization's primary mission.

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in Grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: GS-09

Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience performing administrative duties including producing and reviewing official documentation or reports; participating in budget or financial management, human resources, contracting or procurement, or facility management activities. OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or JD., if related. Related degrees may include business administration, business management, project management, or human resources. OR A combination of specialized experience and graduate education as described above.

GS-11

Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is coordinating administrative procedures related to human resources, budgets and facility management; managing contracting or procurement actions; and evaluating and developing administrative management policies, procedures, or operations. OR Education: Successful completion of three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or Ph.D. equivalent doctoral degree, or LL.M., if directly related. Related degrees may include business administration, business management, project management, or human resources. OR A combination of education and specialized experience as described above.

GS-12

Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience providing leadership and oversight to an administrative team; managing all phases of budget formulation and execution; advising management on human resources laws and regulations; and developing business plans to meet administrative requirements for an organization.

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

Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Our job is finding solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table. What we do matters in science and the world. For more information about Agricultural Research Service, go to https://www.ars.usda.gov

• Serve as a personal assistant to the Research Leader and other professional staff.
• Provide various secretarial, administrative, and program support duties.
• Allow the Research Leader and professional staff to focus on the organization's primary mission.

• Producing and reviewing official documentation or reports
• Budget or financial management
• Human resources administration
• Contracting or procurement
• Facility management
• Coordinating administrative procedures
• Evaluating and developing administrative management policies, procedures, or operations
• Budget formulation and execution
• Advising management on human resources laws and regulations
• Developing business plans to meet administrative requirements

• GS-09: One year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07, or a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or a related LL.B. or JD; or a combination of specialized experience and graduate education.
• GS-09 specialized experience includes performing administrative duties such as producing and reviewing official documentation or reports and participating in budget or financial management, human resources, contracting or procurement, or facility management activities.
• GS-11: One year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09, or three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or a related LL.M.; or a combination of education and specialized experience.
• GS-11 specialized experience includes coordinating administrative procedures related to human resources, budgets, and facility management; managing contracting or procurement actions; and evaluating and developing administrative management policies, procedures, or operations.
• GS-12: One year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11.
• GS-12 specialized experience includes providing leadership and oversight to an administrative team; managing all phases of budget formulation and execution; advising management on human resources laws and regulations; and developing business plans to meet administrative requirements for an organization.
• Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time-in-grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression.