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Supervisory Facility Operations Specialist

Agricultural Research Service

Ithaca, NY · HybridFull-time$90–116K/yrPosted today

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At a glance

Compensation
$90–116K/yr
Location
Ithaca, NYHybrid
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

The Supervisory Facility Operations Specialist works for USDA’s Agricultural Research Service at the Robert W. Holley Center in Ithaca, New York. The role plans, directs, and oversees daily operations of two facilities and the maintenance, remodeling, repair, and long-term functionality of their buildings, structures, and grounds. It also supports research conducted by agency scientists and is considered sensitive due to its information-protection responsibilities.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Contracting and ProcurementFacilities LeadershipPlanning and EvaluatingLeadership and SupervisionTeam BuildingConflict ManagementCultural AwarenessStrategic ThinkingTechnology ManagementPolitical SavvyCommunicationFacilities OperationsBuilding Systems Troubleshooting

Qualifications

GS-11 Comparable ExperienceSafety Standards ComplianceFacility Records or OperationsConstruction and Maintenance ContractsOne Year Specialized ExperienceLift 50 PoundsTravel by Motor Vehicle

Full job description

Summary

This position is in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northeast Area, Robert W Holley Center of Agriculture and Health, Ithaca, New York. In this position, you will plan, direct, and oversee the day-to-day operations of two facilities and the maintenance, remodeling, repair, and long-term functionality of their associated buildings, structures, and grounds.

Duties

  • Participate in strategic planning and provide recommendations and budget proposals regarding facility operations.
  • Serve as primary facilities contact in response to emergency notifications from fire and police regarding incidents after normal work hours when required.
  • Analyze and diagnose building system problems as required for electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
  • Manage maintenance of facility records and documentation including drawings specifications, manuals, warranty information, and building modifications.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to the 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 experience maintaining facility or property records or operations; ensuring compliance with safety standards or regulations; and managing contracts for construction, repair or maintenance projects. 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. Physical Demands: Work involves tasks and visits throughout the federal facilities and requires considerable and strenuous physical exertion (walking, standing, bending, inspecting and adjusting technical devices). More strenuous activity may be required, such as inspecting inaccessible utilities, frequently climbing tall ladders or operating personnel lifts and forklifts, making minor repairs, or assisting in lifting heavy objects (up to and includes 50 pounds), and using appropriate equipment. Travel is required especially by motor vehicle. Work Environment: Work is in an office or laboratory setting, greenhouses/head house, wet laboratories, warehouses, and other facilities. The work involves high risks from exposure to potentially dangerous situations or unusual environmental stresses. Repair work may occur in a harsh outside environment under extremely hot temperatures, and often requires climbing ladders. Duties require a range of safety and other precautions. The incumbent must take special safety precautions including wearing special protective items such as safety glasses or goggles, gloves, steel toe shoes, hard hats, etc. USDA-ARS scientists work on a wide range of agricultural issues. The agency's research aims to find practical solutions to agricultural problems, often translating scientific findings into tools and technologies that can be used by farmers, ranchers, and food producers. The National Farm Security Action Plan elevates American agriculture as a key element of our nation's national security. This position supports and/or assists the research that is being conducted by USDA-ARS scientists and is considered to be sensitive as the duties require protection of private, controlled unclassified, or proprietary information with a moderate impact degree.

Education

This position does not have an education qualification requirement. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below: Contracting/Procurement Facilities Leadership and Supervision Planning and Evaluating Supervisory/Managerial Competencies 1. Ability to lead and accomplish work through others (i.e. team building, conflict management, cultural awareness, strategic thinking, technology management, and political savvy.) 2. Ability to communicate with individuals or groups from diverse backgrounds in a variety of situations. Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred. Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service. Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right. To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13102323 Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status. You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status). Other 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. Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA). Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period. For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information. . This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. 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. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, 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.

How this job compares

Set against the 2,186 open Facilities Management jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 29, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$90–116K/yr
  • New York median$102–139K/yr120 salary ranges
  • US median$123–200K/yr1,373 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $103K, is 17% below the New York median midpoint ($124K) — in the middle half of Facilities Management salary ranges in New York.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 190 open Facilities Management jobs in New York and 2,186 across the US. 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in New York
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience — less than three in four Facilities Management postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 1,567 postings).
Education
267 of the 2,186 open Facilities Management jobs (12%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 29, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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