Summary This is a term position located in a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) field office within the State of New York. This administrative and technical support position is generally under the supervision of the District Conservationist, Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations, or other higher graded employee. The position is responsible for processing and maintenance of records related to conservation programs and the day to day business and office process of the NRCS. Responsibilities Track the status of Farm Bill contracts through reports and communications with staff. Prepare reports describing problems that are recurring or causing significant delays or costs, the corrective actions needed or taken, and the need for additional time or resources. Draft and finalize contract administration letters and documents related to status reviews, contract implementation, contract modifications, and potential cancellations or terminations. Assist with outreach events to promote organizational programs. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying: GS-05 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Organizing and routing incoming and outgoing mail in accordance with agency requirements; Completing administrative duties such as filing and tracking documents for an office; Communicating with internal and external contacts in-person and in-writing to exchange and present information related to administrative work; and Utilizing software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, electronic mail, desktop publishing, calendar, database and/or graphics for office automation. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) Education: Successful completion of four full years of education above the high school level for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. (You must submit transcripts.) Combination: A combination of post-high school education and specialized experience as described above that total 100% when combined. Determine the total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determine the education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. (You must submit transcripts.) GS-06 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Interpreting and applying conservation program requirements to provide information to customers; Communicating with internal and external contacts in-person and in-writing to exchange and present information related to administrative work; Preparing and reviewing correspondence, reports, and/or other documents using proper grammar, format, and spelling; and Organizing and digitizing information by scanning documents and saving files into an electronic file format for records management. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) GS-07 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Interpreting and applying conservation program requirements to track contracts, monitor program funds, and assemble documents; Utilizing computer software and database management to maintain, consolidate, extract, retrieve, and submit information in various systems; Monitoring progress of work/projects/tasks to determine compliance and consistency with projected priorities and objectives; and Purchasing office supplies, services, equipment with a purchase card while maintaining transaction records for reconciling purposes. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-06 and GS-07 grade levels. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). 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. The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series Education You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify all education requirements (i.e. substitution of education and/or basic education requirement). If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement. You must document all requirements on every vacancy; we cannot use previous determinations as a basis for rating. All required information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. This information must be received by the closing date of this announcement. Non-submission of these documents will result in non-consideration. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov) Additional Information This is a term position that is not to exceed (NTE) two years and may be eligible for reappointment for up to two years. 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 be eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Other flexibilities are possible dependent upon availability and/or the position and its associated duties. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor. PLEASE NOTE: In the interest of filling these positions as efficiently as possible, we are requiring the following: If called for an interview, applicants must be available to interview within 3 business days of being contacted. If a tentative job offer is extended, selectee will have 2 business days in which to accept or decline. Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized; Management may authorize superior qualifications & enhanced annual leave for applicants who are deemed to be highly qualified. Relocation expenses may be authorized as allowable by Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and USDA policy. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the USDA with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ctap