Quality Control Specialist

Summary This position is located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Office of the Administrator, Office of the Agricultural Statistics Board (OASB). The incumbent serves as a Quality Control Analyst, working individually and as a member of a team to ensure that content on the agency's public website is delivered on time, is of high quality, is kept current, and adheres to (established and emerging) web policies, procedures, and guidelines. Responsibilities Maintains the content and presentation of agency-level pages of the website. Monitors the agency's external website email accounts, responding to inquiries and/or referring them to subject-matter experts. Creates folders in the Content Management System (CMS) with corresponding files to be published and sends final published content to authors for review/approval. Works closely with technical specialists to ensure the continuous improvement of the web content and document management systems and processes. Keeps current with the agency statistical programs and products in order to provide good quality customer service, ensuring timely and accurate responses to inquiries. Provides quality control of the publishing process, ensuring that all tasks (automated and manual) comply with accepted standards of quality and web-based best practices. Performs daily web posting activity to ensure high-quality content, customer requests are addressed in a timely manner, and all publishing deadlines are met. Ensures that the posting requests are complete and error-free, verifies information to make sure all guidelines are followed. Ensures compliance with agency policies, Office of Communications regulations, and Agricultural Statistics Board clearance procedures to achieve maximum communication effectiveness for NASS and for targeted audiences and subscribers. Independently ensures the day-to-day operations of the public website run smoothly and efficiently. Serves as the agency's web administrator and is the first point of contact for inquiries from the public website. Works with staff throughout the agency to develop, deploy, manage, and maintain all web content, including data products, visualizations, publications, and various types of informational pages. Advises statisticians, public affairs specialists, and other content contributors on how best to formulate, package, and structure information for optimum presentation. Requirements 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. Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period unless previous federal service is creditable. During this time your employment will be evaluated, and we may 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. 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 Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Minimum Qualification Requirements: GS-12 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to 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 managing web content and product development; ensuring quality and effective distribution; and executing communication programs that convey statistical information. 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. Education There are no education requirements for this position. 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. 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. 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. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements. Work Environment: The work is performed in a typical office setting. Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. The final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official.