Recent Graduate (Program Specialist)

Summary

This is an excepted service appointment under the NIH Pathways Recent Graduate Program. NIH Recent Graduates receive on-the-job training for one year and complete at least 40 hours of formal interactive training while in the program. Assignments are aimed at developing the employees' skills and knowledge to progressively perform more difficult duties.

Duties

As a Recent Graduate (Program Specialist) your typical work assignments may include: Participate in the development and implementation of comprehensive plans and strategies for projects, actions, and activities. Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of programs or operations to identify issues and make recommendations for improvement. Provide organizational support for planning, analyzing, coordinating, and evaluating the development of priorities, resource allocations, work force management, and/or performance objectives. Provide technical support to program staff during the development of projects or programs. This announcement can be used to fill a variety of administrative positions such as: Auditor, Accountant, Human Resources Specialist, Program Specialist, Administrative Technician, Administrative Officer, Management/Program Analyst, Budget Analyst, Engineer, Architect, Property Management Specialist, Grants Management Specialist, Contract Specialist, Purchasing Agent, Librarian, Technical Information Specialist, Archivist, Health Specialist, Data Scientist, Writer-Editor, IT Specialist, as well as many others. Qualifications

To be eligible for appointment, you must be a recent graduate who has completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree, or certificate from a qualifying, accredited educational institution with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. A valid certificate program is post-secondary education in a qualifying educational institution that is equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study, as defined by your university. The certificate program must also be a part of an accredited college-level, technical, vocational, trade, or business school curriculum. AND You qualify at the GS-07 level, if you meet one of the following qualification requirements: A. You have completed one (1) full academic year of graduate level education, if related. OR B. You meet one of the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) based on a) graduating within the upper third of the graduating class in a college, university, or major subdivision such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; b) having a grade point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; c) being elected for membership in a national scholastic honor society. Note: SAA must be based on a related curriculum that is qualifying for the position being filled. OR C. You have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: providing support for program planning and analysis activities; using tracking and reporting systems; gathering and compiling data; using a computer to research information and prepare documents; and assisting in reviewing information and analysis of findings OR D. You have a combination of post baccalaureate education that is related to the position and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. You qualify at the GS-09 level, if you meet one of the following qualification requirements: A. You have completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, if related OR B. You have at least 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: assisting in the development and implementation of program practices and procedures; participating in administrative or management studies, such as analyzing data, developing formats to report the results of studies; and providing support for program planning and analysis activities utilizing integrated reporting systems OR C. You have a combination of post baccalaureate education and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay. Do not copy and paste the duties or specialized experience from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. People listed as knowing your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin before receiving an offer. Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree due to military service obligation may have as much as six years after degree completion to apply. Veterans are granted exclusion for their time served. Therefore, if a Veteran graduates and then serves on active duty for four years, his/her service time is subtracted for the purposes of the two-year calculation. While conversion is not guaranteed, Recent Graduates may be converted to a career-conditional appointment (a term position lasting 1-4 years or a permanent position) upon successful completion of all program requirements specified by the Pathways Participant Agreement. To be eligible for conversion to a permanent or term position, Recent Graduates must: Successfully complete at least 1-year of continuous service in addition to all requirements of the Program. Demonstrate successful job performance. Meet the Office of Personnel Management's qualifications for the position to which the Recent Graduate may be converted. To learn more, please visit: http://www.opm.gov/HiringReform/Pathways/program/graduates/. Preview application questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13059456

Education

You must submit a copy of your transcripts. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package; however, official transcripts will be required prior to receiving an official offer. Please note that unofficial transcripts attached to the application must reflect that the degree or certificate has been awarded or conferred. The date that the degree was awarded or conferred must meet the program criteria at the time of application. Applicants must have graduated with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. We do not round the GPA. All documents must be received at the time of application. 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 Click here for information on Foreign Education. How You Will Be Evaluated

Traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply to this vacancy. Applications will be evaluated against the basic qualifications. Veteran's Preference does apply. If you are claiming Veterans' Preference, you MUST submit supporting documents with your application package to verify your preference claim and receive preference. These documents may include but are not limited to: DD-214 member 4 copy (which indicates character of service), SF-15, VA Letter and/or Activation/Deactivation orders. If you are a veteran, click here for additional information and about required documents. Selections will be made in preference order. All individuals in the highest preference group must be selected before making selections from the next lower preference eligible group. All preference eligibles must be selected before making selections from the non-preference eligible group. You will be assessed on the following competencies: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Other Information

This position is designated as a "non-emergency/teleworker" position, and the selected candidate will be considered a "non-emergency/teleworker" employee. In the event of closure, you must be available to telework or request leave. Visit our Help Applying page for helpful information on the application process. 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 receive 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 closing of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: Reasonable Accommodation. We may make additional selections for similar positions within the commuting area(s) of the locations listed through this vacancy announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s). If selected, you may be eligible to receive a salary above the minimum based on superior qualifications and/or a special need of the Government for your services. This applies to employees paid under the General Schedule (GS) and Federal Wage System (FWS) pay systems and is at the discretion of the hiring manager. A salary above the minimum must be approved before the appointment. A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for prior work experience or active-duty uniformed service that otherwise would not be creditable for the purpose of determining his or her annual leave accrual rate. All creditable service must be directly related to the duties of the position being filled and decisions to allow for such credit must be finalized prior to theselectee's entrance on duty. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations. NIH may repay certain outstanding Federally insured student loans to facilitate the recruitment and retention of highly qualified people. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.