ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST

Summary

You will serve as a ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST with Office of the Secretary of Interior. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

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Duties

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Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

• Provides administrative support to senior executives and other high-level officials including; the Assistant Secretary (AS-PMB), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS), Deputy Assistant Secretaries (DASes), the Director, Deputy Director and Team Leads of the Business and Administrative Services Division (BASD). The incumbent is responsible for performing a wide variety of program, administrative, purchasing, budgetary reallocations, scheduling and support functions. This position reports to the Director of the Business and Administrative Services Division (BASD) and takes instruction from the Deputy Director on daily operations. Provides support for the Regulations and Correspondence Team Lead's daily, and on occasion the incumbent may be asked to provide support services for the AS-PMB front office.
• Reviews correspondence and action documents for the signature and/or surname of senior leadership, office directors, the AS-PMB front office and offices supported by the BASD, ensuring that correspondence packages are complete and all pertinent backup documentation is attached or enclosed. Screens official incoming correspondence and FOIA requests have been routed through the PMB/BASD Correspondence Control Unit (CCU) and entered into the DTS system. Collects data for FOIA requests and coordinates the responsive documents with the correspondence unit and the Office of the Executive Secretariat (OES) on behalf of senior officials within AS-PMB. Finalizes memoranda, reports, spreadsheets, and mandatory paperwork for senior leadership, ensuring all correspondence is grammatically correct, and reference materials are attached to the responsive document.
• Maintains knowledge and application of the regulations and policies related to official travel expenditures for senior staff members, reviews and processes vouchers, authorizations and other associated requirements. Makes necessary travel arrangements for high-level executives and other staff. Plans agendas; makes plane and hotel reservations and notifies officials to be visited. Arranges for any conference facilities, supplies, or equipment needed for meetings. Upon the executive's return, briefs him/her on important developments, writes follow-up notes, and prepares travel vouchers and reports.
• Gathers information related to a wide variety of program issues, new initiatives, assembles and analyzes this data as it relates to the needs of the office. Additionally, the incumbent coordinates projects done by others, gathers and creates briefing materials for the executives from materials provided by others. The incumbent scans/reviews high-priority documents and uses refined judgment to determine whether the executive's time and attention is required.
• Routinely provides status reports, spreadsheets and service updates to management, supported offices, Team Leads, and customers independently, and ensures all services provided are complete from inception to closure.
• Supports the Team Lead for Federal Regulations, Agendas, Printing and Publications, and the Team Lead for Correspondence and FOIA with daily assignments and operations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization's goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Qualifications:

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 08/25/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience . For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level:

Experience : To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

1) Interpreting and effectively communicating administrative policies, regulations, or procedures to individuals;

2) Composing complex material for a specialized audience or broad distribution;

3) Planning and organizing concurrent meetings; AND

4) Planning and performing administrative activities for an office.

Must Meet All

-OR-

Education: Possess 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or LL.M, if related.

-OR-

Combination of Education and Specialized Experience: Possess a combination of graduate level education beyond the first 2 years of progressive graduate study and appropriate experience that together meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. You must include hours per week and transcripts.

Volunteer Experience: 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.

Education

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit:

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

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. (

Related Non-Federal experience or related experience as retired members of the uniformed services may be credited towards computing entitlement to leave accrual, at managerial discretion, providing that experience meets certain criteria. This provision allows new employees to earn annual leave at a higher rate than would otherwise be allowed. (5 Code of Federal Regulations, 630).

All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.

Physical Demands: The work is sedentary in nature but may require the occasional carrying of light items.

Work Environment: The work is in an office setting. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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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.

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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.