Administrative Support Specialist

Summary

This position is located in the Small Business Administration, National Support Network Center in Buffalo, NY. The incumbent serves as the principal administrative operations support specialist responsible for coordinating and maintaining multiple administrative service functions necessary to sustain daily Center operations and disaster response activities.

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Duties

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As an Administrative Support Specialist at the GS-0301-9, some of your typical work assignments may include:

• Coordinates administrative support activities for disaster center operations, including travel, timekeeping, personnel documentation, logistics, supplies, property accountability, and facility support.
• Reviews administrative requests, records, and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with applicable regulations, policies, and established procedures.
• Provides guidance to employees on administrative procedures and resolves routine discrepancies involving travel, time and attendance, documentation, employee access, and other administrative transactions.
• Coordinates logistical and facility support activities, including mail and shipping, inventory and supply management, accountable property, workspace preparation, and facility service requests.
• Maintains administrative tracking systems and records, monitors pending actions and operational workloads, and prepares summary information and reports for management.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen
• You must successfully complete a background investigation.
• You may be required to serve a one-year trial period, if needed.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government travel credit card.
• A credit check is required.
• 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.
• Mandatory Overtime: In order to respond quickly and efficiently to disaster survivors, substantial compensated overtime hours may be required while on assignment (up to seven days a week and ten to fourteen hours a day).

Qualifications

GS-09: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector:

• Performing functions in at least three (3) of the following administrative support areas for an office or organization: Procurement /Supply, Budget, Records Management, Telecommunications, Safety and Security, Time and Attendance/Payroll, Travel, Accountable Property.
• Researching and analyzing problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize/recommend solutions
• Creating correspondence, reports, or other documents; and
• Communicating effectively orally and in writing

These qualifications must be clearly referenced in your resume.

Education: 2 academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education.

OR

Master's degree (or equivalent graduate degree such as LL.B. or J.D. as specified in qualification standards or individual occupational requirements) directly related to the position (e.g. Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration). Education must be in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

OR

A combination of education and experience. For example, 1 full year (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours) of graduate-level education (i.e. 50% of education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position.

If you are a current career or career-conditional federal employee applying for promotion under Merit Promotion you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks in positions at the next level lower than the position being filled.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions.

0301 - Administrative Support Specialist 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.

Generally, time in Non-Pay status as a federal employee is not creditable towards the specialized experience requirement listed above.Selective Placement Factors: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified.

All qualification requirements must be met by 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on 10/20/2026.

Education

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: 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 (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Verify School accreditation. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly.

If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty.

*** 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. *** For further information, click on: Foreign Education.

Additional information

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:

Career and InterAgency Career Transition Assistance Programs: Are programs that applies to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job in their current agency (intra-agency, i.e. SBA employees only).

Inter-Agency Career Transition Assistance (ICTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job at another agency (inter-agency; i.e. not applying to their current or former agency).

You are eligible for CTAP/ICTAP if:

1. You are a current federal employee who meets the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee meaning you have received official notice that your job is no longer needed or that you will lose your job by Reduction-in-Force (RIF).

2. Your agency, or the agency to which you are applying, is accepting applications from within or outside of the permanent workforce.

3. The position to which you are applying MUST BE in the Local Commuting Area of the position of record from which you are being displaced.

4. You meet the qualifications and other requirements of the job for which you are applying. This includes being rated as well-qualified for the position (score of 85 or better based on your responses to the competencies and associated questions listed within the assessment).

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. For additional information visit

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.