Summary
About the Position: Since May of 1864, Arlington National Cemetery has served as the nation's premier military cemetery and shrine honoring those men and women who served in the Armed Forces.
Management may select at any of the grade levels announced. This recruitment provides promotion opportunity to the target grade of the position without further competition when selectee is eligible and recommended by management.
Duties
- Prepare grave sites for interment services by placing planks, greens, chairs, tarpaulins, tents, and lowering devices, and removing equipment following the interment services.
- Operate dump trucks, stake and platform trucks, pickup trucks, and tractors and tractor attachments to transport work equipment and materials around the cemetery.
- Back fill grave sites using shovel and hand tamper, levels grave sites and replaces floral items on graves, and removes excess soil from graves by loading in truck or trailer.
- Place grave markers to specified height and alignment in accordance with section layout plan.
- Set up for special ceremonies in such areas as the amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
- Assist in the loading and unloading of trucks, assuring that it is not overloaded and that the load is properly and safely distributed.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
- This position is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a pre-placement physical exam.
- This position requires the incumbent to possess or be able to obtain and maintain a valid state driver's license.
- This position requires applicants to pass a drug test prior to employment and be subject to random drug testing for the duration of employment.
- This is as a Mission Essential (ME) position and is occupied by an agency designated Emergency employee. You will be expected to report to or remain at your worksite during dismissal or closure situations.
- This position may require scheduled work hours that include evenings, weekends, holidays, and other schedules.
Qualifications
Who May Apply: US Citizens
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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
There is no specific length of training or experience required. However, you must be able to demonstrate, through experience shown in your written application materials that you possess the sufficient knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the work of this position without more than normal supervision.
Minimum Qualifications (Screen Out Element): Ability to do the work of a(n) Cemetery Caretaker ~ without more than normal supervision. WG-
06: Screen-Out Element: I have the ability to perform common Cemetery Caretaker tasks including manipulating hand and foot controls to stop, start, and maneuver riding mowers, small tractors and pickup trucks which tow pre-adjusted grounds maintenance equipment; following safety rules and regulations for moving, loading/unloading vehicles; applying fertilizer evenly, in preparing soil mixtures, and in planting seeds and shrubs and able to spot obvious plant diseases and blights, and unusual or poor plant growth; I work under supervision of a work leader or journey-level employee who reviews my work for completion. - Failure to meet this Screen out Element will result in an ineligible rating.
WG-05: Screen-Out Element: I have the ability to perform some Cemetery Caretaker tasks including digging, squaring holes with tools such as pneumatic tampers, picks, and shovels; cutting grass with heavy walking-type power mowers; operating hand or gasoline driven pumps to empty water from holes; setting and aligning masonry. I work under normal supervision of a work leader or journey-level employee who observes tasks in progress and upon completion to make sure they are properly performed. - Failure to meet this Screen out Element will result in an ineligible rating.
- Ability To Do The Work Of The Position Without More Than Normal Supervision Screen Out
- Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specification, etc. (includes blueprint reading)
- Ability To Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
- Knowledge of Equipment Assembly, Installation, Repair, etc.
- Knowledge of Materials
- Technical Practices (theoretical, precise, artistic)
- Use of Measuring Instruments
- Physical Effort: The work requires frequent walking, standing, pushing of carts, bending and stooping. Frequent arm and leg movements are required when operating a tractor and equipment controls to compensate for terrain features. The incumbent often lifts and handles heavy equipment attachments when connecting them to tractors. The incumbent lifts objects weighing up to 50 pounds while loading and unloading cargo. Heavy physical effort is used by the incumbent in constantly reaching, bending, turning and moving hand, arms, feet and legs to operate heavy duty tampers. Considerable strain can be caused by the constant vibration, jerking and jolting of the tampers in setting headstones and tamping graves.
- Working Conditions: Works outside and is occasionally exposed to bad weather condition while loading and unloading vehicles. Due to driving in all types of traffic and weather and is exposed to the possibility of serious accidents. The incumbent is subject to cuts, bruises, and broken bones.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.
Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category.
- Best Qualified. Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
- Highly Qualified. Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
- Qualified. Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for the announced position.
You may claim Military Spouse preference.
Military Spouse Preference (MSP) applicants will receive preference consideration and will be placed (if selected) at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined best qualified, up to and including the full performance level.
You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.
DoD Priority Placement Program (PPP) Applicants will receive preference consideration at the full-performance grade level only.
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.
As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
1. Your resume:
- Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
- If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
- For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
- For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
2. Other supporting documents:
- Cover Letter, optional
- Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/02/2024 to receive consideration
- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12547817).
- Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
- It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
- Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Next steps
If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.
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