Address
Form of workSummary
This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans.
The primary purpose of this position is to serve as an Administrative Specialist performing a full range of administrative, research, and analytical duties and a variety of liaison activities and specialist assignments related to all of Office of Policy's mission and functions.
Non-BU: This is a non-bargaining unit position.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Status candidates (current or former Federal employees with career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service), Former Overseas Employees, CTAP/ICTAP, VEOA, VRA (GS-11 and below), 30%+ Disabled Veterans, Individuals with Disabilities, Military Spouses, Peace Corps, Vista, Land Management, and Interchange Agreement eligibles.
Duties
As a Administrative Specialist, GS-0301-11/12, your typical work assignments may include the following:
All DHS-HQ announcements have a 5 business day open period due to the number of applications received. This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 100 applications have been received, whichever happens first.
View common definitions of terms found in this announcement: Common Definitions.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Qualifications
Specialized Experience:
You qualify at the GS-11 grade level if you possess one of the following:
NOTE: Only graduate education in excess of the first two years may be used to qualify for the GS-11 level.
NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. You must also submit a copy of your transcript for review if substituting education for experience.
You qualify at the GS-12 grade level if you possess the following:
Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level.
All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
Time-in-grade: Current General Schedule (GS) federal employees, and those that have served in GS positions within the last 52 weeks, must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade, or a combination of the next lower grade level and an equivalent band in the federal service by the closing of this announcement.
Note: Current or former Federal employees MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment ("position occupied" block 34 on the SF-50 should show a "1"), tenure group (block 24 should show a 1 or 2), grade, and salary. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 Form which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, With-in Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s dated a year apart within the same grade/job). If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment. IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT ALL OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CONSIDERATION AS A STATUS CANDIDATE.
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.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
Education
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; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.
If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.
Additional information
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here:
https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire
The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.
This position may be filled at the GS-11 or GS-12 level. If selection is made at the GS-11 level, promotion to the GS-12 level may occur without further competition.
If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration of Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation for CONFIDENTIAL/SECRET SECRITY LEVEL as a condition of placement in this NON-CRITICAL SENSITIVITY LEVEL position. This review may include financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
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 how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Administration and Management, Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Organizational Awareness, Planning and Evaluating, Problem Solving, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, Teamwork, and Writing
To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
If you are the best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview. To preview the application questionnaire, cli...
This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans.
The primary purpose of this position is to serve as an Administrative Specialist performing a full range of administrative, research, and analytical duties and a variety of liaison activities and specialist assignments related to all of Office of Policy's mission and functions.
Non-BU: This is a non-bargaining unit position.
This job is open to
- Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee. - Federal employees - Competitive service
Current or former competitive service federal employees. - Individuals with disabilities
- Military spouses
- Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
- Veterans
- Internal to an agency
Current federal employees of this agency. - Land & base management
Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency. - Special authorities
Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.
Clarification from the agency
Status candidates (current or former Federal employees with career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service), Former Overseas Employees, CTAP/ICTAP, VEOA, VRA (GS-11 and below), 30%+ Disabled Veterans, Individuals with Disabilities, Military Spouses, Peace Corps, Vista, Land Management, and Interchange Agreement eligibles.
Duties
As a Administrative Specialist, GS-0301-11/12, your typical work assignments may include the following:
- Oversees and executes broad administrative programs of the Office, to include budget, accounting, finance, procurement, human resources, information technology, space and facilities, and property management.
- Analyzes, develops, and implements internal administrative policies, procedures and management processes of the Office through independent reviews, coordination with internal and external offices, preparation of special reports, and extensive research and analysis.
- Conducts research projects on management and administrative issues to assess the effectiveness of operations and writes final reports documenting findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
- Drafts responses to general correspondence or inquiries addressed to the official. Reviews and analyzes presented materials or works with the presenter to develop materials that meet standards for clarity and conciseness.
- Serves as an expert consultant to management regarding administrative programs; meets with individuals to determine the nature of business needs and administrative requests; and speaks authoritatively based on in-depth knowledge of the Office's policies, commitments, and interests.
- Responds to administrative and programmatic problems brought to the attention of office leadership and serves as a liaison and troubleshooter for PLCY leadership on administrative and managerial operations.
All DHS-HQ announcements have a 5 business day open period due to the number of applications received. This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 100 applications have been received, whichever happens first.
View common definitions of terms found in this announcement: Common Definitions.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
- You must successfully pass a background investigation.
- Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required.
- You must submit to a pre-employment drug test.
- Current federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
- You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
- Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
Qualifications
Specialized Experience:
You qualify at the GS-11 grade level if you possess one of the following:
- One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in Federal service, that demonstrates the ability to 1) Support administrative services for an organization, 2) Analyze administrative processes to recommend improvements, 3) Compose written documents (e.g., briefs, memoranda, reports) across levels, and 4) Collaborate with other lines of business (e.g., human resources, information technology, finance) to complete associated tasks; OR
- A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related; OR
- A combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience as described above that, when combined, equal 100% of the total requirement. This will be calculated using your resume and unofficial transcripts or a list of courses/course hours submitted with your application.
NOTE: Only graduate education in excess of the first two years may be used to qualify for the GS-11 level.
NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. You must also submit a copy of your transcript for review if substituting education for experience.
You qualify at the GS-12 grade level if you possess the following:
- One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in Federal service, that demonstrates the ability to 1) Deliver a wide range of office administrative services in three (3) of the following fields: budget, finance, procurement, human resources, information technology, space and facilities, and property management and 2) Analyze administrative processes and recommend improvements to existing process or new procedures to provide improved administrative services.
Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level.
All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
Time-in-grade: Current General Schedule (GS) federal employees, and those that have served in GS positions within the last 52 weeks, must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade, or a combination of the next lower grade level and an equivalent band in the federal service by the closing of this announcement.
Note: Current or former Federal employees MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment ("position occupied" block 34 on the SF-50 should show a "1"), tenure group (block 24 should show a 1 or 2), grade, and salary. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 Form which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, With-in Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s dated a year apart within the same grade/job). If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment. IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT ALL OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CONSIDERATION AS A STATUS CANDIDATE.
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.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
Education
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; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.
If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.
Additional information
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here:
https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire
The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.
This position may be filled at the GS-11 or GS-12 level. If selection is made at the GS-11 level, promotion to the GS-12 level may occur without further competition.
If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration of Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation for CONFIDENTIAL/SECRET SECRITY LEVEL as a condition of placement in this NON-CRITICAL SENSITIVITY LEVEL position. This review may include financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
- Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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 how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Administration and Management, Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Organizational Awareness, Planning and Evaluating, Problem Solving, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, Teamwork, and Writing
To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
If you are the best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview. To preview the application questionnaire, cli...
