Administrative Specialist
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
- You must successfully pass a background investigation.
- Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required.
- You must submit to a pre-employment drug test.
- Current federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
- Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
- This is a Drug Testing Designated Position (TDP).
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret Security Clearance.
- May be required to work other than normal duty hours, which may include evenings, weekends, holidays, and/or overtime
- Work may require travel away from the normal duty station.
Specialize Experience
You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in Federal Service or private/public sector equivalent experience. For this position, specialized experience is defined as:
- Knowledge of standardized administrative principles, policies, objectives, practices, and procedures in the department and organization such as administrative procedures, work processes, and standard operating procedures, in order to facilitate work for the department and understand the correct course of actions.
- Comprehensive knowledge of the organization's counterterrorism programs, structures and activities and senior headquarters requirements to be able to identify a course of action and solution for any questions or concerns that come to the attention of the incumbent.
- Knowledge of standard administrative practices to perform recurring administrative and correspondence management assignments dealing with readily discernable issues and clearly defined subjects and to prepare for higher-level work.
- Knowledge of analytical principles, concepts and techniques in order to plan and conduct analyses of straightforward organizational issues, recommend improvements in organizational effectiveness and processes, and participate in the resolution of difficult management problems.
-OR-
Substitution of Education for Experience
You may substitute education for experience at this grade level by possessing one of following:
- A master's or equivalent graduate degree
- 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree
- LL.B. or J.D., if related;
Combination of Education and Experience
You may qualify at this grade level if you have a combination of education and experience (i.e. 6 months specialized experience and over 18 graduate level credits).NOTE: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify for the next grade level. You must submit a copy of your transcripts for review.
GS-11 Level: You may qualify at this grade level by meeting one (1) of the following below:
Specialized Experience
You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in federal service (GS-9) or private/public sector equivalent experience. For this position, specialized experience is defined as:
- Knowledge of organization, mission, programs, and functions of the organization, and the relationship of administrative support activities to the mission.
- Knowledge of advanced management, organizational concepts, principals, practices and their application to respond to a spectrum of policy, program, and administrative issues.
- Extensive knowledge of a wide variety of the organization's administrative concepts, practices, rules and processes is needed to analyze high-level administrative problems and requirements and make recommendations for management decision-making, and to manage a variety of administrative processes.
-OR-
Substitution Of Education For Experience
You may substitute education for experience at this grade level by possessing one of following:
- Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
- 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree
- LL.M., if related
Combination Of Education And Experience
You may qualify at this grade level if you have a combination of education and experience (i.e. 6 months specialized experience and over 36 graduate level credits).
NOTE: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify for the next grade level. You must submit a copy of your transcripts for review.
All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
Time-in-grade: Current General Schedule (GS) federal employees, and those that have served in GS positions within the last 52 weeks, must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade, or a combination of the next lower grade level and an equivalent band in the federal service by the closing of this announcement.
Note: Current or former Federal employees MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment ("position occupied" block 34 on the SF-50 should show a "1"), tenure group (block 24 should show a 1 or 2), grade, and salary. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 Form which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, With-in Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s dated a year apart within the same grade/job). If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment. IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT ALL OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CONSIDERATION AS A STATUS CANDIDATE.
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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
Education
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; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.
If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.
Additional information
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:
https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire
The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.
Pursuant to Executive Order 12564 and DHS policy, DHS is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Headquarters personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing and all applicants tentatively selected for employment at DHS Headquarters are subject to drug testing resulting in a negative test result.
If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration of Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation for Critical-Sensitive as a condition of placement in this Top Secret level position. This review may include financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
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