Secretary (Office Automation) Job in Sacramento, CA

Vacancy No. BOR-CGB-25-DE-12618359-AM Department Bureau of Reclamation
Salary $54,203.00 to $78,033.00 Grade 7 to 8
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/20/2024 Close Date 12/3/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Sacramento, CA


Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Secretary (Office Automation). Make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.

Duty Location: Sacramento, California

Duties

Serves as Executive Secretary and initial point of contact for correspondence to be signed in the Deputy Regional Director'(DRD).

Provides guidance to administrative support staff and authorizer regarding correspondence policies and practices. Acts as a member of Reclamation's Correspondence Handbook Team.

Edits and offers a critique on internal management documents, pointing out aspects such as lack of clarity or understandability and questions on substantive content.

Maintains appointment schedules making final commitments. Screens all calls and visitors and determines which calls can be answered personally and which should be directed elsewhere.

Maintains the confidential files of all sensitive material. Also establishes and maintains general administration and other confidential files in the immediate office.

Receives and reviews all incoming mail and correspondence. Refers only that which requires personal attention. Determines what correspondence should be routed to the Executive Staff Members and others and sets controls and deadlines.

Conducts a thorough substantive review of all correspondence and action documents prepared for signature to ascertain conformance with established Reclamations policy, adequacy and clarity of information, format, and expressed view of the manager. Attempts to resolve conflicts through consultation with the subordinate officials or, if necessary, calls the problem to the attention of the manager.

Determines nature of call or business of visitors, if business requires the attention of technical or staff specialists, decides whether the importance of business, rank, or position of visitor is such as to require personal attention of superiors or if the visitor should be referred to the appropriate division or staff concerned with specific subject.

Prioritize and schedules activities for the Deputy and Assistant Regional Directors (RD), ensuring appropriate representation of internal staff, Federal, state, and public officials are present. Exercise control over calendars, with authority for commitment of time for appointments, conference and speaking engagements.

Adjustments to calendars are frequently required due to unforeseen situations; response to and resolves unanticipated developments requiring changes and adjustments in plans, e.g., scheduling supervisor to see high ranking officials.

Serves in a liaison capacity between the Deputy and Assistant RDs and Washington, Denver, other Regions, Federal and state officials, Area and Regional Office staff, and water users on a variety of subjects, in coordinating meetings and schedules, meeting deadlines, addressing concerns, obtaining information, and providing assistance.

Provides guidance to Regional administrative support staff as a participating member of Reclamation's Executive Leadership Assistant (ELA) Group.

Serves as a timekeeper or back-up timekeeper for the Directorate and/or assist other Directorates, as needed.

Obtains and monitors the use of supplies, equipment, or services for the office.

Uses office automation systems and various Microsoft software packages/programs, to accomplish work.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents).
You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications).
You must maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times as the position requires operation of government vehicles on government and public roads. Failure to maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times will result in removal from the position.
You may be required to work Overtime.
You must be able to type 40 W.P.M.
This position handles a broad range of confidential and/or sensitive issues (from personnel-related issues that must remain confidential to policy matters that cannot be prematurely disclosed outside the office's management team). Maintains strictest confidentiality in the performance of duties.

Qualifications

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume.

To qualify at the GS-07, you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-06 level in federal service having demonstrated experience with but not limited to: Planning and performing office automation duties requiring different approaches and methods and/or program to another; Screening and answering telephone calls; Arranging conferences when required; Reviewing correspondence, reports and other documents for proper format, grammar, punctuation, and mathematical correctness and writing simple or complex non-technical correspondence; Providing administrative support services such as preparing personnel actions, timekeeping and ordering and maintaining supplies; Retrieving, gathering, and generating data, as well as using various word processing, spreadsheet, power point applications.

To qualify at the GS-08, you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-07 level in federal service having demonstrated experience with but no limited to: Planning and performing complex office automation duties requiring different approaches and methods from one assignment and/or program to another; Gathering and summarizing information from files and preparing material/documents for supervisor's use in responding to inquiries, recognizing which information is, or is not, relevant to issue at hand; Screening and answering telephone calls; Arranging conferences when required; Reviewing correspondence, reports and other documents for proper format, grammar, punctuation, and mathematical correctness and writing simple or complex non-technical correspondence; Briefing on important and office related facts, issues, and reports; Providing administrative support services such as preparing personnel actions, timekeeping and ordering and maintaining supplies; Retrieving, gathering, and generating data, as well as using various word processing, spreadsheet, power point applications.

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.

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors if applicable, by 12/03/2024.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

Additional information

You may be required to serve an initial probationary period. Current, permanent Federal employees who are selected from this announcement may be required to serve a probationary period.

Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you MAY BE offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information, visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) expenses MAY BE authorized with the exception of the Guaranteed Home Sale Provision or first-post-of-duty relocation expenses are authorized, as applicable. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law December 2017, suspends the moving expense deduction and the exclusion from income of qualified employer reimbursements of moving expenses that was allowed under previous tax laws. Employer reimbursements for moving costs are now generally taxed at the same rate as ordinary income.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you MAY BE offered a Student Loan Repayment Benefit (SLRB). The decision to offer an SLRB will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information, visit: SLRB Program.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you MAY request consideration for a Superior Qualifications Appointment. For information, visit: OPM Fact Sheet.

Related non-Federal experience or related experience as retired members of the uniformed services MAY BE credited towards computing entitlement to leave accrual, at managerial discretion, providing that experience meets certain criteria. This provision allows new employees to earn annual leave at a higher rate than would otherwise be allowed. (5 Code of Federal Regulations, 630). For information, visit: Creditable Service for Annual Leave

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

This position is designated as a LOW RISK position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated SF85 Background Investigation (T1 or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.

Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

NOTE: Salary breakdown for grades:
GS-07 - $54,203 - $70,466
GS-08 - $60,027 - $78,033

Benefits

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.

Category rating and selection procedures will be used to evaluate applications from this announcement. If an applicant meets the basic qualification requirements, his/her on-line responses to the vacancy assessment questionnaire will be used to determine the quality and extent of his/her experience, education, training, etc., for placement in one of the following categories: 1) Best Qualified, 2) Well Qualified, and 3) Qualified. Qualified candidates will be assigned a numerical score on a scale of 70-100. The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. 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). The assessment questionnaire will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide to the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Clerical
  • Computer Skills
  • Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
  • Oral Communication


The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12618359

Your answers will be verified against information provided in your resume. Your resume must clearly support the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. You must make a fair and accurate assessment of your qualifications. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than what is apparent in the description of your experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training (or that your resume/application is incomplete), you could be rated ineligible or your score could be lowered.

For evaluating the quality of candidates for referral to the selecting official, a three-phased process will be used.

Phase 1: Applicant resumes will be reviewed by Human Resources to ensure they meet the basic qualification requirements (see definition of specialized experience). If applicants meet basic qualifications and score at least a 70 on the initial phase, they will continue on to the second phase and will be given an interim score based on the applicant assessment questionnaire, which will take the applicant approximately 30 minutes to complete when initially applying. With information received from the applicant assessment questionnaire in the first phase, applicant's will be evaluated on the following Competencies: Clerical, Computer Skills, Customer Service (Clerical/Technical), and Oral Communication

Phase 2: Candidates who pass the first phase, your resume will be review by the SME panel board. Subject Matter Expert(s) will review your resume and apply a score.

Phase 3: Candidates will be given a final score which combines the scores from the first and second phases. Those candidates who score as best qualified will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Required Documents

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED CONTINUED:
Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to opt in of having your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.

Please submit the supporting documents outlined below applicable to your claimed eligibility status and the position and grade to which you are applying. Failing to submit required documents will result in non-consideration due to an incomplete application package.

RESUME: You must submit a resume that demonstrates how skills and experiences through job duties meet the qualifications and requirements listed in the job announcement to be considered for the job. Each job experience must include dates of employment including start and end dates (month and year), work schedule (full-time or part-time), and hours worked per week. For more information, click here.

VETERANS: If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service. If claiming disability preference, you must also submit the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15. For more information, click here.

CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAMS: Permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. You must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including selective factors, education and experience requirements) and score at least 85.0 on the assessment questionnaire as established, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For more information, click here.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Applications (resume, assessment questionnaire, and supporting documentation) for this vacancy MUST be received online BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, DC time) on 12/03/2024. To apply, click the blue APPLY ONLINE button at the top of the page.

Do not submit photographs with the application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - applicant must remove any images from badges, licenses, etc.

Agency contact information

BOR CA Great Basin Human Resources Office
Phone
916-978-5476
Fax
916-978-5563
Email
mpjobs@usbr.gov
Address
Office of the Regional Director
Bureau of Reclamation
2800 Cottage Way
Sacramento, CA 95825
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Upon successful submission of the application packet, applicants will receive a confirmation email from USAJOBS. If this email confirmation is not received by the applicant, the application has not yet been accepted by the system.

After all application packages have been received, resumes and supporting document(s) will be reviewed to ensure applicants meet the basic qualification requirements. Each applicant who meets the basic qualifications will be further evaluated on the information provided in the resume, application questionnaire, and other assessment criteria identified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. Best-qualified applicants will be referred to the selecting official. After making a tentative job offer, a suitability and/or security background investigation will be conducted. A final job offer is typically made within 40 days after the deadline for applications. Applicants should monitor their status for positions with the Bureau of Reclamation by regularly checking their public status notifications in the USAJOBS profile.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


© 2006-2024, exclusive of U. S. government job opportunity announcements