Program Specialist

Summary
The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in the National Zoological Park (NZP), Under Secretary for Science and Research, Smithsonian Institution (SI). NZP has the largest unit dedicated to conservation science, developing partnerships across the Institution through the Shared Health Program.
This job is open to

• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency
This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement #24R-LW-310138-MPA-NZP.
More than one selection may be made from this announcement.
Duties
The Program Specialist is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the Shared Health Program.
In this position, you will:

• Establish and maintain expert knowledge and understanding of multi-disciplinary programs.
• Initiate research and investigation of new and improved business practices to provide resolutions to complex problems across the program.
• Develop action plans, workshops, and funding proposals and lead the discussion to identify resources required to support the levels of program operations.
• Identify data required for use in management and direction of projects.
• Serve as the Liaison between Smithsonian Units involved in the multidisciplinary program; serve as the principal resource person of the Advisory Committee, partners, and others; and manage schedules for meetings via teleconference, video or in person.
• Develop agendas, reports, documents, and other resources to promote goals and objectives.

Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

More than one selection may be made from this announcement.
Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.
Qualifications
Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as initiating research and assisting with implementing scientific programs; and communicating with internal and external customers through a variety of methods to include presentations, memos, briefs, evaluations, and/or other written documents.
Or Education: 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.
Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications; For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards.
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.
Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.
Education
Refer to the above for education requirement. Education can be substituted for experience at this grade level.
Additional information
This position is included in the bargaining unit.
Current or Former Political Appointees: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Office of Human Resources. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position title;
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
• Agency; and,
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position. However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period.
Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid.
Selections may be made for vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution (SI). By applying to this position, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more SI hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement.

• Benefits
  The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options.
  Please see Benefits at https://www.si.edu/OHR/benefits for a complete description.
  Flexible Spending Accounts - https://www.fsafeds.com/
  Health Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp
  Leave - http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp
  Life Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp
  Long Term Care Insurance - http://www.ltcfeds.com
  Retirement Program - https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/

How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job-related competencies below:

• Knowledge of research, outreach, and community-oriented activities carried out for a multi-disciplinary program.
• Experience in the implementation of program goals and objectives to resolve complex issues.
• Knowledge of conservation biology that emphasizes endangered species and ecosystems.
• Skill in creating program building partnerships for a large institution.
• Skill in oral communication to assist in the collaboration with professionals and representing museums and services.
• Skill in written communication to assist in grant writing, collaboration with professionals, and representing museums and services.

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

• Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.
• Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.
• Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three", but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.
Important Note:
Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
You may preview questions for this vacancy.

• Benefits
  The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options.
  Please see Benefits at https://www.si.edu/OHR/benefits for a complete description.
  Flexible Spending Accounts - https://www.fsafeds.com/
  Health Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp
  Leave - http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp
  Life Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp
  Long Term Care Insurance - http://www.ltcfeds.com
  Retirement Program - https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/
• 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.
  Your application package should include the following documents:
  
  • Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position.
    For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.
  • Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
  • Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
  • Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.
  
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
  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.
  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
• How to Apply
  Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:
  
  • You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
  • You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process.
  • The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
  • If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.
  
  Agency contact information
  Fallon Lawson
  Phone
  202-601-9494
  TDD
  202-633-6409
  Fax
  000-000-0000
  Email
  LawsonF@si.edu
  Address
  SMITHSONIAN
  Office of Human Resources
  POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517
  Suite 5060
  Washington, District of Columbia 20013-7012
  United States
  Next steps
  At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives m...