Program Specialist

Summary

This position is located within the Agricultural Research Service at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, in Manhattan, KS. In this position, you will have two primary responsibilities: To serve as the Certifying Official for the NBAF suitability assessment and monitoring program, and to serve as the primary source for organizing and sharing key information within the organization about the NBAF's high-reliability program to foster leadership capabilities and psychological safety.

Duties

• Works with NBAF Select Agent Team and NBAF Responsible Official to develop and maintain a suitability assessment and monitoring program.
• Works closely with the Communications Director to implement strategic short and long-range activities to build and monitor NBAF’s high-reliability organization program.
• Participates in developing and coordinating training programs to manage risks and create facility foundations to support safe, sustainable operations and processes.
• Helps create and deliver measurable surveys to monitor the level of psychological safety and enhance employee wellbeing, performance, and operational effectiveness.
• Negotiates on key issues with management regarding requirements and methods to fulfill program objectives, which requires engaging stakeholders, anticipating and handling questions, and presenting reports.
• Assists in developing internal policies, drafting and updating standard operating procedures, creating assessment tools, establishing performance metrics, and preparing technical summaries for review.
• Participates in, facilitates, and documents complex interviews, ensuring adherence to legal, ethical, and privacy standards governing the handling of sensitive personal information.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. GS-11 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience creating and validating interview and survey methodologies; creating training programs; monitoring staff engagement; developing and executing industrial organizational psychology program activities; and providing guidance to leadership to ensure staff follow facility-wide policies and standard operating procedures. OR Education: 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 specialized experience and Ph.D level education as described above. GS-12 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience developing and executing organizational programs and policies; creating and evaluating assessment tools and performance metrics; writing and validating interview and survey methodologies; and building and implementing industrial organizational psychology training programs. 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Required documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. Resume that includes: Personal Information: name, address, contact information; Education; Work Experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); other qualifications. Resume cannot exceed 2 pages. If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation. If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted. If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference visit FedsHireVets. Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), current performance appraisal with rating of at least "Fully Successful" or equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.