Executive Assistant - Pathways Recent Graduates

Clarification from the agency

All Recent Graduates who are United States Citizens/Nationals

This is an excepted service appointment under the Pathways Recent Graduates Program. This appointment is a one-year career development program. At the successful completion of the program requirements, you may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a Federal career or career-conditional appointment. For more information on the Pathways Program, please visit:https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/

If selected for this position, you will serve as the Executive Assistant to the United States Attorney for the District of Oregon. You will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing administrative and analytical support to senior management for the United States Attorney's Office (USAO), District of Oregon.

Typical work assignments will include:

• Coordinates office operations and administrative activities for the district.
• Provides comprehensive administrative support to senior management by coordinating daily operations, managing executive calendars, prioritizing appointments, and resolving scheduling conflicts.
• Reviews and analyzes a wide range of incoming and outgoing executive level correspondence and makes determinations as to its appropriate disposition according to the district, Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA), and Department of Justice (DOJ) procedures and guidelines.
• Ensures thorough research and coordination with others inside and outside of the office and fully briefs executive staff members on meetings and attendees prior to events.
• Composes and prepares correspondence using correct format, spelling, and grammar. Types a variety of material in final form from rough drafts, notes, or verbal instructions.
• Tracks assignments, suspense dates, and action items to ensure timely completion.
• Arrange travel for the United States Attorney (USA) and First Assistant United States Attorney (FAUSA). Secures accommodations and maintains contact while the USA and FAUSA are in a travel status and informs of important developments.
• Serve as a liaison with internal and external offices and coordinates with staff and works closely with Division Chiefs, Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) staff, and Department of Justice (DOJ) staff in scheduling and coordinating visits, meetings, and itineraries.
• Screens telephone calls and visitors' requests to speak with the United States Attorney (USA) and First Assistant United States Attorney (FAUSA). With supervisory assistance determines which matters to handle personally and which to refer to other management officials.
• Handles special assignments that are of a highly sensitive nature.
• Provides administrative support for cross-functional workgroups, task forces, or committees by coordinating logistics and maintaining project documentation.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• You must submit a transcript or proof of degree/certificate.
• Recent Graduates serve a trial period for the entire duration of their excepted service appointment.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

To be eligible for a recent graduate appointment, ALL of the following requirements must be met:

• Recent Graduates must have obtained a qualifying associates, bachelors, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying accredited educational institution within the previous 2 years unless military service interfered with a veteran's eligibility to apply during that two year time frame. Veterans meeting the above exclusion may apply within 2 years of discharge or 6 years from the date of receipt of the degree whichever comes first. (Go to http://www.ed.gov/accreditation?src=rn to verify accreditation status).
• Recent graduates must be United States citizens or owe permanent allegiance to the United States. (Currently, natives of American Samoa, Swains Island and certain inhabitants of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are the only groups that owe permanent allegiance to the United States.)
• You must successfully complete a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
• All recent graduates are required to sign a Pathways Recent Graduate Participant Agreement.
• Recent Graduates serve a trial period for the entire duration of their excepted service appointment.
• Qualification requirements as outlined below

Transcript must be submitted to determine eligibility.

GS-07: To be eligible at the GS-7 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience.

Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level. Examples of specialized experience include drafting and preparing routine correspondence; tracking tasks; assisting with scheduling meetings and appointments; communicating effectively; using a variety of office automation hardware and software.

Education: One full year of graduate level education that must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Education at the graduate level must have be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

Superior Academic Achievement: Possess a Bachelor's Degree AND possess at least one of the following criteria: class standing in the upper third of the graduating class; an overall GPA of 3.0 OR at least a 3.0 based on courses completed during the final two years of my curriculum; a GPA of at least 3.5 based on the average of required courses completed in my major field OR based on the average of required courses completed during the final two years of my curriculum; OR election to membership in a national scholastic honor society.

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 1 full year.


GS-9:To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience.

Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience coordinating and communicating with various personnel; researching information related to project assignments; composing a variety of written material; reviewing a variety of correspondence created by others ensuring clarity, spelling, punctuation and grammatical accuracy; and coordinating and planning events. Knowledge of computer applications to monitor, extract, and analyze data and obtain printouts and reports.

Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Business Public Administration) a Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); OR 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 1 full year.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational Questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, you may be referred to the selecting official or if Veterans' Preference must be adjudicated, your application will be placed in one of three grouping categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within each of these groupings, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. All CP/CPS preference eligibles that meet minimum qualification and eligibility requirements will be included in the "Best Qualified" grouping.

You will be rated on the following Competencies:
Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork

Go to OPM Website for the definition of each competency.

The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 10 minutes to complete.

You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:
- Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).

- Required: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:

• Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
• Employer name and contact information,
• Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
• Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
• A list of duties performed and accomplishments.

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.

- Required: Unofficial transcript or proof of accredited degree/certificate showing award date. (Note: If you are selected for this position, an official transcript/certificate will be required prior to your first day.)

- Required, if applicable: Veterans' Preference documentation. (See required documentation below.) Please note, if you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming by checking the appropriate box in the assessment questionnaire to indicate your preference and submit the required documentation as specified below.

- Required Veterans' Preference Documentation:

• In order to verify your Veterans' Preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates: ) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with a release/discharge date no later than 120 days from the closing date of this announcement, and 3) the character of service (e.g., Honorable); In addition, if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower if a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," dated October 2013 and the required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim.

- Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position title;
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
• Agency; and
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

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