Program Support Assistant (OA)

Summary

This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Field Organization, Southeast Area in Byron, GA.

In this position, you will serve as a personal assistant to the Research Leader (RL) and other professional staff, coordinating a wide variety of administrative and clerical tasks essential to the program administration of the Management Unit.

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Duties

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• Providing technical and procedural advice to management and staff on administrative processes to management.
• Planning and organizing the work by coordinating priorities and commitments of the office in order to serve as liaison, prepare background material, and anticipate information requests.
• Providing training and advisory services to the Research Leader (RL) and professional staff in all program administrative procedures ensuring compliance with regulations.
• Preparing, maintaining, and transmitting Time and Attendance reports.
• Preparing travel requests and vouchers for foreign and domestic travel for office staff.
• Providing problem resolution in the areas of budget and accounting, agreements, travel, human resources, files management, correspondence preparation and control, time and attendance, office automation systems, and purchasing/procurement.

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.
• 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.

GS-06

Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. Qualifying experience for GS-06 includes one year of specialized experience at the GS-05; or its non-Federal equivalent that included experience applying guidelines involving program and administrative processes; assisting in developing and executing the annual budget (e.g. financial plans, preparing financial reports, tracking); and providing customer service to visitors and staff.

GS-07

Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience at the GS-06 grade level ; or its non-Federal equivalent that included experience applying guidelines involving program and administrative processes; assisting in developing and executing the annual budget (e.g. developing financial plans, monitoring spending, preparing financial reports, tracking); providing customer service to visitors and staff; operating a personal computer, printers, scanners, word processing, spreadsheets or presentation software and coordinating all aspects of travel for staff or supervisors.

All applicants must be able to type at least 40 words per minute.

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

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

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.
• Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. The final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official.
• This position is designated as a bargaining unit position and is represented by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).

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.