Administrative and Program Support Specialist

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-05 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-07 level. One year at the GS-07 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No Award or General Adjustment SF-50’s will be accepted). MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying: GS-07 Specialized Experience: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service that included: 1. Assisting with personnel actions; 2. Providing information to staff regarding HR procedures and policy; and 3. Performing a variety of administrative tasks such as maintaining files, routing mail, and coordinating meetings. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Education: One full year of graduate level study in business administration, human resources, public administration or other directly related field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (MUST submit copies of transcripts). OR Combination of Graduate Education and Experience: Combination of the specialized experience and graduate education described above that when combined totals 100 percent. First, determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determine your education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. (MUST submit copies of transcripts). OR Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): SAA at the baccalaureate level is fully qualifying for the GS-07 grade level. To qualify for SAA, you must have completed all requirements for a bachelor’s degree in business administration, human resources, public administration or other directly related field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work, and meet ONE of the following: A grade point average of “B” (a GPA of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. A grade point average of “B+” (a GPA of 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. *Grade point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Membership in a national scholastic honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. **If more than 10 percent of your courses were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an honorary society. (MUST submit copies of transcripts) GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service that included: 1. Initiating or leading processing of personnel actions. 2. Advising staff regarding HR procedures and policy; 3. Coordinating workshops, conferences, staff meetings & training sessions for a variety of subjects; and 4. Performing human resource or administrative tasks such as reviewing and submitting time and attendance, payroll, and travel submissions. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) 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 J.D. in business administration, human resources, public administration or other directly related field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (MUST submit copies of transcripts). OR Combination of Graduate Education and Experience: Combination of the specialized experience and graduate education described above that when combined totals 100 percent. First, determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determine your education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Only graduate education in excess of 1 year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-09 level. (MUST submit copies of transcripts). IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). 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. The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series
This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) at Spokane Valley, WA. The position provides human resources management services.