Editor

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to U.S. Citizens or Nationals; and Career transition eligibles (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL).

This position serves as an expert on all matters pertaining to recording, tasking, assigning, tracking, reviewing, formatting, coordinating, and managing all Secretarial correspondence, publications, and documents directed to, or signed by, Secretarial Executives-the Secretary of the Interior, the Deputy Secretary of the Interior, or the Associate Deputy Secretary of the Interior. This includes utilizing an automated system to ensure that all Secretarial correspondence items are tasked, assigned, and routed to the appropriate Bureau/Office, ensuring visibility and awareness of the progress toward project completion, and ensuring that each Secretarial correspondence item is consistently tracked, processed, prepared, transmitted, properly closed out, and retained as appropriate.

At the full performance level (GS-13) some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

1. Serves as a liaison with Bureau/Office Correspondence Managers and supports the Deputy Director to ensure the Secretarial Correspondence Unit and OES fulfills the mandates outlined in the Departmental Manual. Identifies and helps resolve misunderstandings or conflicts between Bureaus/Offices concerning a wide range of Secretarial correspondence or other products signed by Secretarial Executives. The work requires the acquisition of information on a variety of subjects in completing assignments and requires a high level of discernment, including the development, analysis, and selection of appropriate information and presentation of the information in a form and at a level representative of the issuing Bureau/Office.
2. Reviews completed work of others to determine whether the appropriate edits were implemented, and the editorial methods used were the most effective. Mentors and/or trains personnel as needed.
3. Evaluates the content, format, and organization of draft correspondence that is to be signed by Secretarial Executives.
4. Gathers, develops, and checks the accuracy of information through research and discussions with Bureau/Office Correspondence Managers, subject matter experts, and program officials, as appropriate. Identifies and addresses irrelevant, unnecessary, and redundant information. Defines or identifies special or unusual terms if not explained in the text. Verifies that all references are pertinent to the subject and are current and deletes those that are unnecessary or inappropriate.
5. Independently researches factual information, verifying it through discussion with the Bureau/Office Correspondence Managers and, as appropriate, the Deputy Director or Senior Secretarial Correspondence Unit staff, to ensure the written materials are created in approved formats reflecting language suitable for use by Secretarial Executives.
6. Independently gathers and compiles data to identify and recommend areas for operational improvement, including advising the Deputy Director on administrative and operational challenges encountered within the area of responsibility, outlining and proposing appropriate solutions, consolidating potential options, and recommending appropriate alternative courses of action.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/01/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level:

Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: You must include hours per week worked.

1. Communicating clearly and tactfully, to support Secretarial correspondence activities and to facilitate coordination with Bureau/Office Correspondence Managers, including seeking guidance from senior staff on the most complex or sensitive matters;
2. Managing deadlines, identifying risks and constraints, and coordinating stakeholder needs while executing Secretarial correspondence projects under general supervisory direction, including elevating significant challenges to the Deputy Director for collaboration when needed;
3. Applying proper grammar, sentence structure, syntax, and Federal/Departmental style requirements to draft, review, and edit Secretarial correspondence products, reworking content for clarity and logical sequence with supervisory support for complex subjects or documents;
4. Implementing Secretarial correspondence control, tracking, and management protocols by creating records in an automated control system, assigning items to the appropriate Bureau/Office, and updating project status in accordance with established procedures and with supervisory review for high-visibility or complex assignments;
5. Applying project management principles, policies, and procedures to support the planning, coordination, and completion of Secretarial correspondence actions, including recommending solutions to operational challenges and consulting with the Deputy Director or senior staff on issues requiring higher-level judgement.

MUST MEET ALL.

To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level:

Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: You must include hours per week worked.

1. Communicating clearly, concisely, and with seasoned judgment to convey complex Departmental issues, resolve conflicts, and ensure consistent and effective communication on Secretarial correspondence matters for senior Department officials;
2. Managing multiple Secretarial correspondence projects by establishing timelines, assessing and mitigating risks and barriers, coordinating across Bureaus/Offices, and ensuring project completion in accordance with Departmental standards and expectations;
3. Reviewing, editing, and rewriting correspondence intended for Secretarial Executives using expert knowledge of writing and editing techniques, proper grammar and syntax, and style requirements to ensure clarity, consistency, accuracy, and adherence to prescribed formats;
4. Applying and implementing established Secretarial correspondence control, tracking, and management protocols, guidelines, and procedures within an automated correspondence control system to ensure timely processing, accurate status updates, and proper closure and retention of official records;
5. Applying project management principles, policies, and procedures to plan, coordinate, and execute all phases of Secretarial correspondence actions, including analyzing issues, developing solutions, coordinating requirements with stakeholders, and recommending improvements based on operational needs.

MUST MEET ALL.

Volunteer Experience: 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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of any additional assessment(s) required for this position.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into the following categories:

• Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position

• Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job

• Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of the USA Hire Assessment, if required.

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.

Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.

Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/01/2026 - unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement:

1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates in month-year format (include month/day/year format if needed for 52 weeks of experience), and indicate hours worked per week (or full-time). Your resume must clearly show how long you have held each grade/rank. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. Your 2-page resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements. If you have federal experience, you should include series, and grade for each position held, and if experience is part of a career ladder position, you must clearly distinguish the job duties and length of time working for each grade level. More information on how to write a Federal Resume: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include
2. Complete All Required Assessment(s).
3. All college transcript(s), if qualifying based on education. Please submit both undergraduate and graduate level transcripts, as applicable.
4. Veterans Preference Documentation, if applicable. Veterans must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (member 4 copy) or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Parent or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.va.gov/records/ or call 1-800-827-1000. If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active-duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
5. Interagency Career Transition (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP): You MUST submit proof of eligibility including 1) copy of the agency notice, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc.; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be well qualified. For more information visit: USAJOBS Help Center - Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL).

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from all documents.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

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