Staff Assistant

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/26/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-9 position you must have held a GS-7 or higher. For a GS-11 position you must have held a GS-9 or higher. For a GS-12 position you must have held a GS-11 or higher. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. To qualify at the GS-9: You may qualify based on your education as described below: Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must possess a master’s or equivalent graduate degree which is related to the work of the position or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. (TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education of 1 full year of graduate level education related to the work or possess Superior Academic Achievement (SSA) as an undergraduate. (TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED) SAA is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership: Class standing — Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) — Applicants must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B” or better) as recorded on their official transcript; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B+” or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field. Honor Society Membership — Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. To qualify at the GS-11: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree which is related to the work of the position. (TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education of a master’s or equivalent graduate degree which related to the work of the position or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. (TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED) There is no education substitution for the GS 12 grade level. For all grade levels: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Serving as the point of contact for directing and coordinating inquiries relating to administrative and program issues for leadership. Researching materials and prepares background documents. Maintaining activities calendar, tracking fiscal and program commitments, and prioritizing action items for leadership. Performing duties related to special projects involving program issues that contain conflicting data elements, research studies, performance metrics and policy proposals. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management- Knowledge of planning, coordination, and execution of business functions, resource allocation, and production. Analysis and Problem Solving- Applies the process of discovery that involves the diagnosis of a problem or issue, identification and gathering of relevant information, formulation and evaluation of alternative solutions or courses of action, and selection or recommendation of the preferred solution or course of action. Communication- Effectively expresses information to multiple audiences through clear, convincing oral and written communications; demonstrates logical thinking when describing facts and concepts, and shapes communications to meet the needs of a specific audience; actively listens to others and demonstrates understanding of their comments and/or questions. Planning and Evaluating- Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes. 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary and is performed while sitting at a desk, at conferences, briefings, meetings, and the equivalent. May require prolonged standing in front of groups. Must work multiple projects simultaneously and handle occasional high levels of stress and conflicting priorities. Work may also involve occasional travel and may include prolonged standing, walking, and transport of instructional supplies and/or equipment in excess of 30 lbs. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management’s website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
This position is responsible for performing a wide variety of tasks in support of the functions, responsibilities and priorities of the department Director. They research materials, prepare documents, manage calendars, track fiscal obligations and complete action items for the office.