Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current federal employees and special hiring authorities under merit procedures. More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement.

This position is located organizationally in the Division of Horticulture (AFM-HS), Facilities Management (AFM), National Gallery of Art.

In this position, you will:

• Prepare and disperse horticultural chemicals as required, including fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Maintain proper records associated with all applications of horticultural chemicals in areas of responsibility. Maintain DC pesticide license and relevant categories related to ornamentals and turfgrass.  

• Prepare and implement maintenance and planting schedules. Schedule includes pruning, mowing, edging, fertilizing, pesticide and herbicide application, water requirements and proper timing for each function. They also formulate renovation schedules for different landscape areas as needed. Possess knowledge and ability to select and use proper equipment to complete project tasks; has ability to perform basic maintenance and repair of equipment if necessary. The incumbent creates schedules for special projects in association with sculpture installation or building renovation. 

• Serve as assistant snow removal coordinator sufficient to devise and implement snow removal plan. Ability to monitor local weather to schedule staff when needed; determine the have proper equipment and supplies ready for each storm, i.e.: salt, shovel, fuel, equipment, and manpower; monitor the progress of staff during the storms; and ensure that the site is accessible during and after storms.

• Disperse horticultural information in response to inquiries from the public, horticultural staff, contractors, and other National Gallery of Art staff. Provides direction to staff and volunteers on daily basis to ensure tasks are completed correctly.                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• See "Other Information" section regarding Selective Service requirements.
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website. It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit appropriate documentation prior to the closing date. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant experience as it relates to this job announcement. Be clear and specific when describing your work history since human resources cannot make assumptions regarding your experience.

This position is being advertised concurrently under Delegated Examining procedures under announcement # NGA-26-123-DE. 

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). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week.

Qualifications

Applicants can substitute education for specialized experience as follows:

Two full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the position. 

Submission of transcripts is required if substituting education.

Specialized Experience Statement: Candidates must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent in responsibility to the GS-07 level in the Federal service or private sector, experience maintaining a garden for a museum or cultural institution and experience operating and maintaining various irrigation systems for multiple large gardens.  

OPM Qualifications Standard: General Schedule Qualification Standards

Individual Occupational Requirements: Horticulture Series 0437

Associated Group standard: Professional Work in the Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Group, 0400

Merit promotion applicants must meet the time-in-grade requirement as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. One year at the GS-07 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level. 

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

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.

Note: Applicants who are referred to the hiring office for selection consideration may be required to submit writing and/or work samples as part of the interview/selection process. If the hiring office decides to request a writing and/or work sample as part of its selection process, the vacancy contact will reach out to you by email to: (1) inform you of this requirement; and (2) provide further instructions.

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 how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): 

Horticulture - Knowledge of cultivating flowers, plants, and trees.

Project Management - Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance.

Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

All qualified non-competitive applicants and all qualified Merit applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

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.

The National Gallery of Art uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official.

• Your resume should include relevant work experience, applicable education and your contact information. For current or previous federal employees, include the pay plan, series and grade.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your Resume (no more than 2 pages)showing the applicant's name, email address, work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed to include pay plan, series, and grade level for relevant federal experience. Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support minimum qualifications.

• Do not include the following types of information in your resume:
  • Classified or government sensitive information
  • Social Security Number (SSN)
  • Photos of yourself
  • Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
  • Encrypted and digitally signed documents

2. Other supporting documents:
   • Cover Letter, optional
   • Most recent Performance Appraisal, optional
   • SF-50 Your most recent Promotion, Within Grade Increase (WRI/WGI), or Appointment/Conversion SF-50 - Notification of Personnel Action showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held.
   • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act, Veterans Recruitment Appointment, and 30% Disabled Veteran Eligible: DD-214, SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days.
   • Schedule A, Persons with Disabilities Appointment Eligibles: Schedule A letter from a physician, local, state, or federal rehabilitation office citing your eligibility under 5 CFR 213.3102 (u).
   • Certain Military Spouses Eligible under E.O. 13832: Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders; OR verification of the member's 100% disability (VA Letter); and/or verification of the member's death while on active duty (DD-1300 and Death Certificate) AND verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
   • Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment. Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable. 
   • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, the veteran must be a preference eligible or a veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.

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

Next steps