Field Operations Specialist

Summary
You will serve as Field Operations Specialist for the Small Business Administration (SBA), Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience (ODR&R), Field Operations Center East - FOCE, Atlanta, Georgia. This position is responsible for leading the disaster field activities and staff assigned to support the ODA loan program for homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, private and non-profit organizations.
This is not a Remote Job/Position
This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency
United States Citizens
Duties
As Field Operations Specialist at the GS-0301-12, some of your typical work assignments may include:

• Oversees and coordinates the activities of all SBA disaster staff assigned to the disaster.
• Assesses the staffing needs and adjusts the staffing at various locations, responds to personnel issues that arise, consults with Human Resources (HR), and assures that adequate supplies and equipment are provided to each location.
• Gathers information to support planning and decision making and disseminates this information to Field Operations management to facilitate in providing response and recovery assistance most effectively.
• Specifically communicates program, policy, and procedural information to Team Leads and Customer Service Representatives (CSR's) and assures timely implementation of changes, clarifications or corrections.
• Plans, develops, delivers, and evaluates a variety of training presentations for Disaster employees.
• Prepares after-action reports and makes recommendations for change based on analysis; attends meetings as assigned.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• This is a Permanent Position, which is a competitive service status position with a full-time work schedule.
• If required to travel to a disaster site, you may encounter hazardous working and/or living conditions, for example, no water or electricity and/or minimal lodging facilities.
• A valid driver's license may be required.
• By applying for this position with SBA's Office of Disaster Assistance, you can enjoy challenging but satisfying work and join a highly motivated and diverse team that helps families and businesses rebuild their lives after a disaster.
• Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur within 180 days from the closing date.
• This position is not included in a bargaining unit.

Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government travel credit card.
• Favorable background investigation and credit check are required.
• Credit score below 500 may negatively impact consideration in the hiring process.
• You may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• This is not a bargaining unit position.

Qualifications
*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. If qualifying based on related unpaid (e.g. volunteer service) experience, you must provide hours worked per week and beginning/ending dates (mm/yyyy to mm/yyyy).
You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Experience:
To receive credit, you must indicate the month and year as well as the average hours worked per week for each employer. Average work hours must be stated on the resume to quantify each period of work experience or that experience will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement.
You must address the specific specialized experience required for each grade level of this position on your resume or application or you will be rated "Ineligible" for that grade level.
GS-12: To qualify you must have at least 1 full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the GS-11 level in the Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skill, and ability to perform successfully in this position. This experience may have been gained in a Non-Federal service position. In addition, this Specialized Experience must demonstrate the following:

• Implementing policies, guidelines, and/or procedures for a disaster or emergency program; and
• Leading or overseeing team operations in the field; and
• Planning and delivering employee training; and
• Assessing the needs of an operational program and adapting the appropriate mix of resources and skills required to meet those needs.

Education
GS-12: There is no educational substitution at this grade level.
Qualification Standards: General Schedule Qualification Standards (opm.gov)
Additional information
If selected for this position, you will be eligible for benefits. The above link is provided for your reference to explore the major benefits offered to most Federal employees.
Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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. 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 Reasonable Accommodation, 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

• 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
• Computer Skills
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Leadership
• Learning
• Oral Communication
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork
• Technical Competence

In order 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.
The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
For this vacancy, the Office of Disaster Personnel will use a Category Rating system to refer qualified applicants for consideration. This is a three-step process. First, your resume is evaluated to determine if you meet the Qualifications, including the Specialized Experience described above, for the grade level(s) that you are applying for. Secondly, if you meet the minimum qualifications requirements, your responses to the questionnaire, including narrative responses, if applicable, will be compared to your resume. If your resume does not support the answers you gave on the questionnaire, you may be rated "Ineligible," or you may be placed in a lower category. Third, your name will be placed in one of the three following categories:

• Best-Qualified - highly proficient with an overall comprehensive level of knowledge, skills and abilities related to this position.
• Well-Qualified - competent in the position with an overall accomplished level of knowledge, skills and abilities related to this position.
• Qualified - an overall basic level of knowledge, skills and abilities related to this position.

Application of Veterans' Preference: The Category Rating process protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-veterans within each quality category. All the veterans must be selected before any non-veterans within each category.
For this position, disabled veterans who meet minimum qualifications for this position and have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% (CPS & CP) are placed at the top of the Best-Qualified category regardless of which category they would otherwise be assigned to.
Preference eligibles who do not have a service-connected disability of 10% or more (XP or TP) are placed at the top of their quality category.

• 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.
• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  Required Documents
  To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
  1. Your Resume showing hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed.
  2. Completed Questionnaire
  
  • Preview at: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12339945
  
  3. Other supporting documents, such as:
  
  • College Transcript(s), if qualifying based on education.
    
    • Unofficial transcripts may be submitted during the application process; however, official transcripts will be required if selected.
  • Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 or other Member Copy showing type of discharge/character of service, SF-15 Form and related documentation, VA letter, etc.)
  • Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)
  
  4. If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here.
  (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire)
  DO NOT SEND YOUR RESUME OR ANY APPLICATION DOCUMENTS TO THE AGENCY CONTACT.
  Your latest resume submitted for this position will be used for qualification determinations and supersedes previous submissions.
  ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:
  1. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP):
  If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, provide a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal (which must show at least a "fully successful" rating or equivalent), and proof of eligibility, i.e., a RIF separation notice or Certification of Expected Separation, a...