Program Support Assistant (OA)

Agricultural Research Service•Washington, DC

About The Position

This position is located in the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Northeast Area, Public Horticulture & Engagement Unit in Washington, DC. The Program Support Assistant serves as a personal assistant to the Research Leader and other professional staff, coordinating administrative and clerical work essential to the Management Unit’s program administration. The position is the Unit’s primary administrative business-process contact and primary purchase-card holder. It supports administrative processes related to research activities, budgeting, purchasing, personnel, travel, and program documentation. The position may be eligible for flexible work arrangements under agency policy and applicable collective bargaining agreements. A recruitment or relocation incentive may be authorized at the hiring official’s discretion.

Requirements

Meet the applicable U.S. citizenship or U.S. national requirement.
Meet applicable Selective Service registration requirements for males born after December 31, 1959, unless exempt.
Pass required background investigation and/or fingerprint checks, E-Verify, and continuous vetting; federal payments must be received by direct deposit.
Serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period, depending on appointment type, unless prior federal service is creditable.
For GS-06: One year of specialized experience comparable to GS-05, including office administrative assistance (such as travel, HR actions, budgeting, program paperwork, and time and attendance), purchasing and procurement tracking, and generating administrative data from databases.
For GS-07: One year of specialized experience comparable to GS-06, including office administrative assistance (such as travel, HR actions, budgeting, program paperwork, and time and attendance), purchasing and procurement tracking, developing and establishing Unit administrative procedures and controls, and generating administrative data from databases.
Type at least 40 words per minute.
Current USDA federal employees applying for promotion must meet the 52-week time-in-grade requirement at the next lower grade.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary administrative business-process point of contact for the Unit.
Coordinate logistics for internal and external meetings with Unit staff, including setting up, testing, and maintaining audiovisual equipment.
Serve as the Unit’s primary cardholder and review purchase requests for accuracy and completeness.
Advise on requirements for projects, research plans, annual progress reports, research associate proposals, manuscripts, international travel proposals and follow-up trip reports, and cooperative agreements, grants, and trusts.
Maintain tracking logs and transaction records for budget, purchasing, and personnel actions.