Administrative Specialist

Full Job Description

This position is part of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

The incumbent serves as a key member of the Office of Administration team, responsible for coordinating a wide range of complex administrative and program management functions for personnel security, human resources, records management, facilities and equipment maintenance, internal controls, contracts, and travel and transportation.

At the GS-9 level, you must meet one of the following qualifications: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 level.

Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled.

Specialized experience for this position includes: assisting with coordinating and monitoring a variety of administrative functions and services within an office, including those associated with acquisition/financial management, human resources, personnel security programs and clearance processing, travel management, and general administrative functions; experience evaluating management operations and making recommendations to address process and workflow efficiencies; making facilities and space utilization recommendations; and overseeing facilities maintenance contracts and performance; OR A master's or equivalent graduate degree; or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.B.

or J.D., if related; OR A Combination of education and experience as list above.

At the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following qualifications: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 level.

Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled.

Specialized experience for this position includes: coordinating and monitoring a variety of administrative functions and services within an office, including those associated with acquisition/financial management, human resources, personnel security programs and clearance processing, travel management, and general administrative functions; experience evaluating management operations and making recommendations to address process and workflow efficiencies; making facilities and space utilization recommendations; and overseeing facilities maintenance contracts and performance; OR A Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M., if related; OR A Combination of education and experience as list above.

Applicants must carefully review the information in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section for important information and instructions pertaining to the multi-hurdle assessment process for this position.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).

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).

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Major Duties:

Serves as the Agency travel advisor, responsible for providing guidance in support of preparation for making travel, hotel and other arrangements related to domestic and international business mission related travel by agency staff.

Conducts training for the Agency on travel related processes and procedures and period reviews of Agency processes to ensure accuracy and proper use.

Works closely with Agency offices to implement new travel processes and/or initiatives, including working directly with partnering organizations.

Serves as a Contracting Officer Representative responsible for the management of administrative/operational contracts including managing and tracking contract related funds and working with the Acquisition's Office to ensure effectiveness of contract support.

Provides assistance related to staff recruitment, payroll, hiring and retention, training and workforce development programs, and informational technology support for operational applications.

Provides support for the Personnel Security Program and Assistant Information Systems Security Officer, including support with applying Department of State and agency regulations for all personnel security related processes and procedures.

Works closely with the Director and Deputy Director of Administration to ensure that the operational needs of the agency are met efficiently, expeditiously, and in accordance with agency and federal policies and procedures.

Evaluates, recommends and facilitates implementation of new approaches and alternatives to address current or anticipated implementation issues.

Analyzes the workflow of specific administrative programs to determine if processes can be streamlined or made more customer friendly.

Participates in the continual review and evaluation of activities to remove any barriers to achieve streamlined, cost-effective operations. Highlights redundancies and areas for improvement.