Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
- Résumé and supporting documents are required (See How to Apply)
- Must be suitable for federal employment, as determined by a background investigation
- May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
Qualifications
In order to qualify, you must meet both the education and experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. To qualify for the basic education requirement, a copy of your unofficial transcript(s) must be provided with the application. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
BASIC REQUIREMENT:
1. Bachelor's degree (or higher) in community planning or related field such as urban affairs, architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, civil engineering, sociology, geography, economics, political science, or public administration that included at least 12 semester hours in the planning process, socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, and urban and regional economic analysis, and development finance.
Note: Applicants with degrees in related fields, such as those listed above, who do not have 12 semester hours of specified course work must have had at least 1 year of work experience in community planning acquired under the supervision and guidance of a community planner.
OR
2. A combination of education and experience - courses equivalent to a major in one of the above disciplines, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the above disciplines of which at least 12 semester hours were in the planning process, and socioeconomic and physical elements of planning: plus, appropriate experience or additional education.
- AND -
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, in addition to the basic education requirement, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying:
GS-13 Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized work experience, equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the federal service, managing a variety of projects and providing expert advice and innovative planning solutions on several areas related to urban planning and design; coordinating with other stakeholders to including federal, district and regional representatives, as well as the general public; performing complex research and analysis of master plans, site plans, and other projects and plans; preparing and presenting written reports and recommendations on plan and project proposals in graphic form to various audiences; reviewing and analyzing plans and projects with the integrated use of technical planning and one or more of the design tools, such as Sketchup, InDesign, GIS and CAD; and, preparing and conducting public engagement activities.
For current or formal Federal employees applying under the Merit Promotion authority: In addition to the above qualifications, status applicants must have served at least one (1) year at the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. These applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements, including the time-in-grade restriction.
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.
Education
ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education
Additional information
If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and are claiming 5-points 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 also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans.
Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see Verify Registration : Selective Service System)
Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a federal service position within the competitive service or federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85% or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
We will review your application and documentation submitted to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements and a subsequent structured resume review will determine the best qualified candidates to refer to the Selection Panel for consideration. Please be sure to give examples in your resume and explain how often you use the skills related to this position, the complexity of the knowledge you possess, the level of people you interact with, and the complexity and sensitivity of the issues you handle. Your relevant personal, educational, and work experiences will be evaluated on the following fundamental competencies:
1. Knowledge of established urban design and planning principles, methodologies, analysis techniques, and related policies.
2. Ability to devise innovative resolutions to complex planning issues.
3. Ability to communicate effectively in verbal, written, and graphic form.
4. Skills in performing comprehensive research and analysis on various urban planning areas such as land use, zoning, population densities, transportation, environmental conditions, historic preservation, and physical design considerations such as development pattern, use, function, and spatial relationships among building and open spaces.
5. Experience with partneringand developing strategic relationships to further planning goals.
The Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your résumé showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.
2. Other supporting documents:
- Cover Letter, optional
- College Transcript(s)
- Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g., DD-214 Member Copy 4 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.)
Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.