Program Assistant

This is an administrative and technical support position under the supervision of the District Conservationist, Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations (ASTF-FO}, The position is responsible for processing and maintenance of records related to NRCS conservation programs and the day-to-day business and offices processes of the NRCS.Qualifications:Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.
Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-05 level: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as performing administrative duties in support of conservation, forestry or agriculture. Examples of specialized experience include:

• Processing, organizing and filing records for business program operations; responding to questions on office programs policies, procedures and operations to employees and outside parties;
• Receiving and processing applications (including reviewing applications for completeness);
• Reviewing incoming/outgoing correspondence for format, grammar, and punctuation; maintaining office filing system;
• Providing telephone and receptionist services; scheduling meetings and providing other clerical and administrative support for an organization;

OR
Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-05 level: 4 or more years of education above the high school level;
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy.
Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-06 level: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as performing complex administrative duties in support of conservation, forestry or agriculture. Examples of specialized experience include:

• Design or develop financial and transactional reports, and correspondences for conservation projects, develop processes and procedures for administrative functions to provide consistency within the office and to outside parties.

Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-07 level: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as:

• Work in support of conservation, forestry or agriculture that involves providing contract administration support services such as using a variety of electronic tools to input, organize and manipulate data;
• Communicating program information and verifying participant eligibility;
• Creating and maintaining case files;
• Tracking contract status and following-up with participants to ensure deadlines are met;
• Reviewing contracts, payments and other technical documents for accuracy and compliance with policy;
• Working with staff and customers to resolve program issues and problems.

Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-06/07 levels.
For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-CLER
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.Education:If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
You must submit a copy of your transcripts to include course number, title, completion and grade. 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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement.
Important: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Click on this link for more information.
Failure to provide all of the required documents/information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.Employment Type: FULL_TIME