Program Assistant

If selected as a Program Assistant, you will perform administrative support work associated with animal health field activities. Your work will contribute to the effectiveness of the Veterinary Services Field Operations, their District, other VS operations, actions of non-federal governments, and activities or economic well-being of various stakeholders outside the government.

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• The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity.
• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Collaborates with field personnel to insure appropriate data is maintained and resolves non-hardware, non-software problems in data collection.
• Oversees office activities related to emergency response; e.g., communicates with state, federal, industry, academic, and private responders.
• Enters data on suspects, reactors, infected herd tests and follow-up supplemental tests into computer database.
• Maintains inventory of all official identification ear tags with numbers conforming to policy, enters identification data into the national database and changes the information to keep it up-to-date.
• Identifying resource needs, resource costs, and available funds to meet procurement priorities, procuring supplies, equipment, and/or services.
• Assists with ensuring that sampling agreements, informal contracts, formal contracts and fee basis agreements are properly negotiated, executed and paid.
• Compiles, organizes, and maintains documentation in an electronic document management system to include correspondence, software development and documentation, etc.
• Enters data into financial systems, collects data for input, prepares the estimated obligations report, maintains a salary and benefits spreadsheet and reviews the fund report.

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• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Valid state driver's license is required at the time of application.
• All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.
• The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required.

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

FOR THE GS-05 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-04 grade level) that demonstrates:

• Using software packages to produce a variety of documents, e-mail, and updating calendars.
• Utilizing standard office procedures in order to conduct routine work and knowing when to refer issues to a supervisor for further guidance.
• Preparing routine correspondence or reviewing the correspondence of others, ensuring that spelling, grammar, and formatting are correct.
• Entering data into pre-existing spreadsheets or databases for record-keeping purposes.

OR successfully completed four full years of education above the high school level.Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if:

• You are qualifying for the position based on education.
• You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education.
• This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university

This position does not have an education qualification requirement.

• 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.
• First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.
• Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
• Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection.
• Promotion Potential: 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.
• 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.

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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 window Learn 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.