Clarification from the agency

This position is open to career transition assistance plan (CTAP), Reemployed Priority List (RPL), and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) eligible candidates who meet the eligibility requirements for priority consideration. VEOA eligibles may also apply.

• Leads and orchestrates enterprise executive operations including governance forums, decision review boards, senior leadership engagements, external relations, and partnership development.
• Establishes and enforces executive workflows, issue management processes, and escalation pathways to align Office of Inspector General activities with statutory mission and strategic priorities.
• Directs complex, agency-level analyses of organizational structure, management systems, and administrative operations to diagnose systemic issues and recommend improvements.
• Develops authoritative recommendations that inform policy, resource allocation, and organizational design decisions.
• Exercises supervisory personnel management responsibilities.
• Advises staff regarding policies, procedures, and directives of higher-level management or headquarters.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served. Refer to Next Steps section for more information.
• Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.

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 the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

To qualify for the GS-15: Applicants must demonstrate one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-14 level in the Federal service or comparable level of experience from outside the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing the following duties:

• Providing senior advisory support to executive leadership by analyzing policy, communications, and operational issues, and developing strategies to convey complex information to internal and external audiences.
• Leading communications efforts for a federal agency, including developing and executing communication plans, managing digital and social media content, and ensuring consistent, accurate messaging across platforms.
• Building and maintaining collaborative relationships with federal agencies, congressional offices, state and local governments, and other stakeholders to communicate program priorities, respond to inquiries, and support legislative and oversight engagements.
• Analyzing program data, communications metrics, and operational challenges to improve program effectiveness, stakeholder understanding, and mission outcomes.
• Overseeing organizational operations to include assigning and reviewing work, monitoring progress toward organizational goals, and recommending process improvements to strengthen communication, coordination, and workflow efficiency.

NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the GS-0301 series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: General Schedule Qualification Standards

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on your responses to questionnaire items focused on the minimum qualifications (specialized experience), and a structured resume review to verify the experience you claim in the questionnaire is documented in your resume.

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process, including the application, questionnaire, and submission of the required documents. Overstating your education or experience in your application materials may result in your removal from consideration.

Application Questionnaire: Applicants must complete a questionnaire as part of the application process. Applicants who respond that they meet the minimum qualifications (specialized experience) for the position will move on to the next phase of the assessment process.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. SMEs will review ONLY two (2) pages of your resume, starting at your work experience.SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., Links embedded in your resume will not be opened.).

Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, 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/12916039

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

Resume that includes: Personal Information: name, address, contact information; Education; Work Experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title (month/year), series, grade (if applicable);other qualifications. Resume cannot exceed 2 pages.

• USA Jobs restricts resume uploads to a maximum of 2 pages. Resumes attached in other sections (such as "Documents" or "Other") will not be considered if longer than two pages. If multiple resumes are submitted, the resume submitted last (based on time stamp) will be the only one reviewed as a part of your application. To ensure readability, resumes must be formatted using an easy-to-read font (such as Lato, Calibri, or Arial) with a minimum font size of 10-points and margins no smaller than 0.5 inches. Failure to follow these formatting guidelines may result in disqualification from further consideration.
• To receive full credit for relevant experience, you must list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume.
• For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?

Current and former Federal employees:

• Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade held (or promotion potential) on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND
• Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. A performance plan is not an acceptable substitute.

Veteran Hiring Authorities: VEOA: DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, that shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment.
If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference.

Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), current performance appraisal with rating of at least "Fully Successful" or equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

Next steps