Editor

Summary

You will serve as an Editor with the Executive Secretariat and Regulatory Affairs.

This position is also open to public under announcement CBVZ-26-13067382-DE-KS. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.

Pay will vary based on grade level and/or duty location for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

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Duties

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This position serves as an expert on all matters pertaining to recording, tasking, assigning, tracking, reviewing, formatting, coordinating, and managing all Secretarial correspondence, publications, and documents directed to, or signed by, Secretarial Executives-the Secretary of the Interior, the Deputy Secretary of the Interior, or the Associate Deputy Secretary of the Interior. This includes utilizing an automated system to ensure that all Secretarial correspondence items are tasked, assigned, and routed to the appropriate Bureau/Office, ensuring visibility and awareness of the progress toward project completion, and ensuring that each Secretarial correspondence item is consistently tracked, processed, prepared, transmitted, properly closed out, and retained as appropriate.

At the full performance level (GS-13) some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

1. Serves as a liaison with Bureau/Office Correspondence Managers and supports the Deputy Director to ensure the Secretarial Correspondence Unit and OES fulfills the mandates outlined in the Departmental Manual. Identifies and helps resolve misunderstandings or conflicts between Bureaus/Offices concerning a wide range of Secretarial correspondence or other products signed by Secretarial Executives. The work requires the acquisition of information on a variety of subjects in completing assignments and requires a high level of discernment, including the development, analysis, and selection of appropriate information and presentation of the information in a form and at a level representative of the issuing Bureau/Office.
2. Reviews completed work of others to determine whether the appropriate edits were implemented, and the editorial methods used were the most effective. Mentors and/or trains personnel as needed.
3. Evaluates the content, format, and organization of draft correspondence that is to be signed by Secretarial Executives.
4. Gathers, develops, and checks the accuracy of information through research and discussions with Bureau/Office Correspondence Managers, subject matter experts, and program officials, as appropriate. Identifies and addresses irrelevant, unnecessary, and redundant information. Defines or identifies special or unusual terms if not explained in the text. Verifies that all references are pertinent to the subject and are current and deletes those that are unnecessary or inappropriate.
5. Independently researches factual information, verifying it through discussion with the Bureau/Office Correspondence Managers and, as appropriate, the Deputy Director or Senior Secretarial Correspondence Unit staff, to ensure the written materials are created in approved formats reflecting language suitable for use by Secretarial Executives.
6. Independently gathers and compiles data to identify and recommend areas for operational improvement, including advising the Deputy Director on administrative and operational challenges encountered within the area of responsibility, outlining and proposing appropriate solutions, consolidating potential options, and recommending appropriate alternative courses of action.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• 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 will be required to serve a 1 year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.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 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

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 10/01/2026-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-12 grade level:

Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: You must include hours per week worked.

1. Communicating clearly and tactfully, to support Secretarial correspondence activities and to facilitate coordination with Bureau/Office Correspondence Managers, including seeking guidance from senior staff on the most complex or sensitive matters;
2. Managing deadlines, identifying risks and constraints, and coordinating stakeholder needs while executing Secretarial correspondence projects under general supervisory direction, including elevating significant challenges to the Deputy Director for collaboration when needed;
3. Applying proper grammar, sentence structure, syntax, and Federal/Departmental style requirements to draft, review, and edit Secretarial correspondence products, reworking content for clarity and logical sequence with supervisory support for complex subjects or documents;
4. Implementing Secretarial correspondence control, tracking, and management protocols by creating records in an automated control system, assigning items to the appropriate Bureau/Office, and updating project status in accordance with established procedures and with supervisory review for high-visibility or complex assignments;
5. Applying project management principles, policies, and procedures to support the planning, coordination, and completion of Secretarial correspondence actions, including recommending solutions to operational challenges and consulting with the Deputy Director or senior staff on issues requiring higher-level judgement.

MUST MEET ALL.

To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level:

Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: You must include hours per week worked.

1. Communicating clearly, concisely, and with seasoned judgment to convey complex Departmental issues, resolve conflicts, and ensure consistent and effective communication on Secretarial correspondence matters for senior Department officials;
2. Managing multiple Secretarial correspondence projects by establishing timelines, assessing and mitigating risks and barriers, coordinating across Bureaus/Offices, and ensuring project completion in accordance with Departmental standards and expectations;
3. Reviewing, editing, and rewriting correspondence intended for Secretarial Executives using expert knowledge of writing and editing techniques, proper grammar and syntax, and style requirements to ensure clarity, consistency, accuracy, and adherence to prescribed formats;
4. Applying and implementing established Secretarial correspondence control, tracking, and management protocols, guidelines, and procedures within an automated correspondence control system to ensure timely processing, accurate status updates, and proper closure and retention of official records;
5. Applying project management principles, policies, and procedures to plan, coordinate, and execute all phases of Secretarial correspondence actions, including analyzing issues, developing solutions, coordinating requirements with stakeholders, and recommending improvements based on operational needs.

MUST MEET ALL.

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

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

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. (

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.

The duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

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.