Grants Management Specialist

Summary

The positions are located in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Office of Grants and Financial Management (OGFM), Awards Management Division, Kansas City, Missouri.

In this position, you will be an integral member of the Awards Management Division participating in pre-award, award, and post-award phases of non-complex and complex programs for competitive grants and cooperative agreements.

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Duties

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• Prepare grant and cooperative agreement documents with appropriate general and special provisions.
• Identify, analyze, and resolve complex problems regarding administrative and legal requirements and budgetary issues.
• Negotiate grants for research, design, and/or development; and/or operation of specialized systems or educational activities; and long-term research and analytical studies.
• Ensure project costs are reasonable, allowable, and allocable in accordance with applicable cost principles and statues.
• Obtain agreement on arrangements between the potential award recipients and NIFA prior to making an award.
• Develop and incorporate into award instrument special terms and conditions needed for award administration.
• Execute and administer grants under broad authorities contained in enabling legislation and the annual appropriations act.
• Process new and continuing grant awards in accordance with legislation affecting various types of awards to ensure compliance.
• Provide guidance and technical assistance to a network of applicants and award recipients by interpreting a wide range of directives and guidelines.
• Complete close-outs including but not limited to negotiating final indirect and direct allowable costs, disposing property, obtaining release of claims, and settling claims and disputes.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Time in Grade : Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

Minimum Qualifications:

GS-09 Grade Level

Specialized Experience : Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to the GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is assisting others in the application or administration of grants, loans, or other financial assistance; and reviewing applications for grants, loans, or other financial assistance to ensure that they meet established requirements.

OR

Education : Master's or equivalent graduate degree; OR two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR LL.B. or J.D., if related.

OR

Combination of specialized experience and education : To use this option, applicants must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first year of graduate school.

GS-11 Grade Level

Specialized Experience : Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to the GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is reviewing grant applications or files for compliance with established regulations or to determine if costs such as services or equipment are allowable; and providing guidance on interpretation of policies or procedures for the grants application or award process.

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.

OR

Combination of specialized experience and education : To use this option, applicants must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond the second year of graduate school.

GS-12 Grade Level

Specialized Experience : Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to the GS-11 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is reviewing grant and cooperative agreement applications, administering federal awards, or reviewing grant policies or procedures to ensure awards meet applicable regulations such as pre and post award requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements; and providing advice on established regulations, policies, or procedures for grant administration to grantees or cooperators.

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.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website.

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information.

If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed

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 here.

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.

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.