Program Support Assistant

Summary

You will serve as a/an Program Support Assistant for the Small Business Administration (SBA), US Small Business Administration, Field Operations Center East - FOCE in Atlanta, Georgia. This position provides technical, administrative, and clerical support to facilitate workflow. Responsibilities also include answering questions or referring inquiries to functional areas or specialists.

Duties

As a Program Support Assistant at the GS-0303-7, some of your typical work assignments may include:

• Utilizes Microsoft Office software to create, update, or automate various items, such as spreadsheets, reports, documents, presentation/briefing material, and emails.
• Develops and/or maintains a variety of databases; produces reports in various formats; reviews internal and external correspondence for grammar, format, typographical accuracy and conformance to established guidelines.
• Establishes and maintains physical and electronic folders and files; maintains library of correspondence, records, publications, memos, regulations, etc.,
• Receives and responds to telephone calls and visitors; coordinates with staff to obtain and/or provide information; maintains manager's appointments, calendar of events and meetings.
• Communicates with employees, supervisors, external partners, and the general public regarding center and program information, rules, and/or regulations.
• Coordinates or assists with time and attendance, travel requests and obtaining supplies.
  
  
  

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• This is a Term appointment in the Competitive service with an Intermittent work schedule.
• Mandatory Overtime: In order to respond quickly and efficiently to disaster survivors, substantial compensated overtime hours may be required during heightened Disaster Activity.
• If required to travel to a disaster site, you may encounter hazardous working and/or living conditions, for example, no water or electricity and/or minimal lodging facilities.
• By applying for this position with SBA's US Small Business Administration, you can enjoy challenging but satisfying work and join a highly motivated and diverse team that helps families and businesses rebuild their lives after a disaster.
• Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur within 180 days from the closing date.
• This is not a bargaining unit position.
  
  
  

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government travel credit card.
• Favorable background investigation and credit check are required.
• You may be required to complete a one-year Trial period.
• This is not a bargaining unit position.
• A valid driver's license may be required.
• Credit score below 500 may negatively impact consideration in the hiring process.
  
  
  

Qualifications

Generally, time in Non-Pay status is not creditable towards the specialized experience requirement listed below.

You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Experience: To receive credit, you must indicate the month and year as well as the average hours worked per week for each employer. Average work hours must be stated on the resume to quantify each period of work experience or that experience will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement.

You must address the specific specialized experience required for each grade level of this position on your resume or application or you will be rated "Ineligible" for that grade level.GS-07: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service, obtained in either the private or public sector:

• Performing at least four (4) administrative functions for an organization or office, such as preparing or reviewing correspondence and/or reports for correct grammar and format; receiving and distributing mail; preparing time and attendance records and resolving errors; maintaining databases; monitoring progress on action items; and responding to requests for information; AND
• Establishing and maintaining records/files including protecting personally identifiable information; AND
• Experience utilizing mobile and desktop productivity applications such as web browsers, email, spreadsheets, and word processing.
  
  
  

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's Qualifications web site:

Qualification Standards: General Schedule Qualification Standards (opm.gov)

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.

All qualification requirements must be met by 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on 06/20/2024.

Education

Education may not be substituted for experience for this position.

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: 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 (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Verify School accreditation. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. *** If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. *** For further information, click on: Foreign Education.

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.phptitle=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

Career and InterAgency Career Transition Assistance Programs:

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job in their current agency (intra-agency, i.e. SBA employees only).

Inter-Agency Career Transition Assistance (ICTAP) is a program that helps "surplus" or "displaced" federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job at another agency (inter-agency; i.e. not applying to their current or former agency).

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. For additional information visit www.sss.gov.

Telework may be available. For information on Telework visit: http://www.telework.gov/

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

The 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.

For this vacancy, we will use a Category Rating system to refer qualified applicants for consideration. This is a three-step process. First, your resume or other application is evaluated to determine if you meet the Qualifications, including the Specialized Experience described above, for the grade level(s) that you are applying for. Secondly, if you meet the minimum qualifications requirements, your responses to the questionnaire, including narrative responses, if applicable, will be compared to your resume or other application. If your resume does not support the answers you gave on the questionnaire, you may be rated "Ineligible," or you may be placed in a lower category. Third, your name will be placed in one of the three following categories:

• Best-Qualified - highly proficient with an overall comprehensive level of knowledge, skills and abilities related to this position.
• Well-Qualified - competent in the position with an overall accomplished level of knowledge, skills and abilities related to this position.
• Qualified - an overall basic level of knowledge, skills and abilities related to this position.
  
  
  

Application of Veterans' Preference: The Category Rating process protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-veterans within each quality category. All the veterans must be selected before any non-veterans within each category.

For this position, disabled veterans who meet minimum qualifications for this position and have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% (CPS & CP) are placed at the top of the Best-Qualified category regardless of which category they would otherwise be assigned to.

Preference eligibles who do not have a service-connected disability of 10% or more (XP or TP) are placed at the top of their quality category.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Clerical
• Computer Skills
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Manages and Organizes Information
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork
• Writing
  
  
  

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.

Required Documents

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 3. Other supporting documents, such as:

• Your Resume showing hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed.
• Completed Questionnaire
• Preview at: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12442264
• Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 or other Member Copy showing type of discharge/character of service, SF-15 Form and related documentation, VA letter, etc.)
• Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)
• If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here. https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire
  
  
  

DO NOT SEND YOUR RESUME OR ANY APPLICATION DOCUMENTS TO THE AGENCY CONTACT.

Your latest resume submitted for this position will be used for qualification determinations and supersedes previous submissions.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:

• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP):
  
  
  

If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, provide a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal (which must show at least a "fully successful" rating or equivalent), and proof of eligibility, i.e., a RIF separation notice or Certification of Expected Separation, and SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.In addition to meeting all qualification requirements and selective placement factors (if applicable), CTAP/ICTAP eligibles must meet the Well-Qualified criteria with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above for the position in order to be given priority consideration. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is also on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at: CTAP/ICTAP. http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.

You are eligible for CTAP/ICTAP if:

• You are a current federal employee who meets the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee meaning you have received official notice that your job is no longer needed or that you will lose your job by Reduction-in-Force (RIF).
• Your agency, or the agency to which you are applying, is accepting applications from within or outside of the permanent workforce.
• The position to which you are applying MUST BE in the Local Commuting Area of the position of record from which you are being displaced.
• If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form.
• If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
  
  
  

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.