Grants Management Specialist (Senior Program Officer)

Clarification from the agency

Open to all U.S. Citizens and individuals eligible under the Inter-Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP).

If selected for the Grants Management Specialist (Senior Program Officer) position, the incumbent will carry out substantial responsibility for one or more discretionary grant programs within the Office of Museum Services. These grant programs are often characterized by a high volume of potential applicants; a need for extensive outreach to potential applicants regarding the availability and requirements for grants; and a need to build and maintain a substantial network of professional contacts in the relevant professional communities. Typical work assignments will include but are not limited to the following:

• Manages complete cycles of one or morediscretionary grant programs (e.g., the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture, Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture, Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services, or other agency grant programs), from the development of application guidelines through accepting applications, organizing peer review, making awards, monitoring grant-funded projects, and closing out grants.
• Educates potential applicants about the availability and requirements of grant programs through one-on-on counseling and group presentations.
• Builds and maintains a substantial network of professional contacts in various organizations (e.g., African American museums, American Latino museums, Native American Museums, or r related cultural heritage organizations institutions of higher education, and museum service organizations) for information sharing and peer reviewer recruitment.
• Serves various organizations (e.g., African American museums, American Latino museums, Native American museums or related cultural heritage organizations, institutions of higher education, and museum service organizations) as an expert and source of information about the agency's grant programs and the ways in which these grant programs may assist various organizations to serve their communities.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
• If not previously completed, a background security investigation will be required for all appointees. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System.
• Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
• Resume and supporting documents (see Required Documents).
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Your resume must include detailed information as it relates to the responsibilities and specialized experience for this position. Evidence of copying and pasting directly from the vacancy announcement without clearly documenting supplemental information to describe your experience will result in an ineligible rating. This will prevent you from receiving further consideration. In order to minimally qualify at the GS-13 grade level, applicants must meet the below experience requirements:

You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as: (1). knowledge of the purpose and values of museums within communities and the roles and responsibilities and functions of museum staff in order to analyze trends, best practices or developments related to funding opportunities; (2). knowledge or experience with interpreting grants management laws, policies, and procedures to provide counseling to external and internal stakeholders; (3). knowledge or experience with reviewing and awarding grants and administering awards for grants and cooperative agreements; (4). experience or skill in leveraging the expertise of and building cooperative relationships with external stakeholders in various organizations/fields (e.g. subject-matter specialists in African American museums, American Latino museums, Native American museums or other museum disciplines) to develop contacts and provide program-related information.

NOTE:

1. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

2. 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.

3. Your resume and application materials should demonstrate that you possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs). Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your application or resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the KSAs identified in the specialized experience definition. Cite specific examples of experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position. DO NOT write, "See resume" in your application.

4. Your resume must include detailed information as it relates to the responsibilities and specialized experience for this position. Evidence of copying and pasting directly from the vacancy announcement without clearly documenting supplemental information to describe your experience will result in an ineligible rating. This will prevent you from receiving further consideration.

How you will be evaluated

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

This announcement uses the Rule of Many, Cut-off Score (Assessment-Based) mechanism method under 5 CFR § 332.402. IMLS will provide the selecting official with a sufficient number of names to consider at least three candidates per vacancy. If fewer than three eligible and available candidates per vacancy result, IMLS will expand the group in accordance with our pre-announced supplement strategy and OPM policy.

The Rule of Many protects the rights of Veterans by adding to the passing score of candidates eligible for either 10-point or 5-point preference. Disabled veterans with a 10% or more service-connected disability are placed at the top of a certificate of eligibles regardless of score (except for General Schedule (GS) scientific and professional positions at GS-9 or above (or equivalent) grade levels). Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher). Ties in ratings are broken by veterans' preference eligibility, that is, preference eligible candidates are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each rating.

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 results of the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment required for this position. Please outline your experience and/or education for these competencies in your resume. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Compliance
• Customer Service
• Grants Management
• Oral Communication

If you are minimally qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational Questionnaire and the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. 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. Your application will then be rated and ranked. If you are found to be among the Best Qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete. To preview the Occupational Questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13014136.

The online USA Hire Competency Based Assessments will take up to 2 hours to complete. Applicants will have 48 hours from the date of application submission to complete the online questionnaire, and will be evaluated on the below-listed competencies:

• Attention to Detail
• Computer Skills
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Applicants will receive an email to complete the online questionnaire, if the minimum qualifications for the position are met. Please check your junk/spam email boxes to ensure receipt of the online questionnaire invitation.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. (Required): Your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire.
2. (Required): Your responses to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment (if notified).
3. (Required): Your resume showing relevant experience and dates (month/year) of employment and work schedule for each (e.g., part-time XX hours per week or fulltime) (cover letter optional). Please limit your resume to 2 pages and include only information that demonstrates you meet the eligibility for this position.
4. (Required, if applicable): Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Inter-agency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)? If so, submit:

• A copy of your Reduction In-Force (RIF) separation notice; OR notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate OR; notice of disability annuity termination or certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a work-related (OWCP) compensable injury; OR certification that you are eligible for Special Disability Retirement as a Former Military Reserve/National Guard Technician.
• A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification letter of inability to place you through the Reemployed Priority Listing (RPL), etc.
• A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
• Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

5. (Required, if applicable): DD-214 or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days, or letter referencing service-connected disability from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Standard Form (SF) 15.
6. (Required, if applicable): Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

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

NOTE: Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted. If your materials are not received by the closing date, your application will be evaluated solely on the information available, and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. Also, if you do not provide a valid email address, you may not be notified of the outcome of your application.

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