Summary This position is located in the Office of Health Services, Peace Corps Headquarters, Washington DC. The purpose of this position is to serve as a Special Assistant to the Associate Director (AD) and provide administrative, technical, and professional support in all areas affecting OHS' administrative operations. Responsibilities The Special Assistant performs the following major duties: Maintains and exercises control over the supervisor's calendar, with complete authority for time commitments. Schedules and prioritizes appointments and meetings for the supervisor, accepting or declining invitations on own initiative and in accordance with protocol requirements. Screens all telephone calls and personal visitors, frequently representing the highest levels of international, national, state, and local governments or health scientists, practitioners, educators, top agency managers medical staff or members of the general public. Personally handles routine inquiries and those requiring knowledge of the organization's activities or its internal administrative procedures. Refers inquiries requiring technical program knowledge to an appropriate staff member for follow up. Remaining inquiries are sent to the supervisor's attention with supporting background materials Researches special projects involving substantive knowledge of OHS operations and polices. Uses standard approaches to perform a variety of duties related to special projects involving administrative or program management issues. Assist with research using data from diverse sources. Extracts and assembles information. Uses advanced analytical techniques to develop conclusions. Develops written reports or oral presentations to recommend changes to programs or procedures. Reviews all submissions to the AD/OHS, including memoranda, policy papers, correspondence, documents, etc. and determines follow-up actions required while ensuring appropriate coordination between OHS staff and other staff offices. Addresses those that do not require the AD"s attention and identifies those that must be considered immediately. Works in close association with the AD on the preparation of issues papers. Congressional inquiries and other documents. Reviews all documents used in public relations for adherence to OHS and Agency policy. Such documents include but are not limited to news releases, periodicals, marketing plans, and recruitment publications. Independently drafts, edits, reviews, and proofreads a full range of informational and promotional materials (e.g., brochures, fliers, press releases, announcements, and letters) relevant to the agency products and services. Receives, screens, and tracks documents and requests; reviews conformance with appropriate agency policies and completes necessary documents to process various administrative actions and requests. Serves as buffer and acts as liaison between the supervisor and organizational staff by providing accurate and timely advice on procedures, reports, requirements, and other matters necessary to implement the supervisor's policies, directives, and instructions. Keeps the office informed, as appropriate, on administrative and other matters. Should serve as a main source for quick information, past practices, Other duties as assigned within this PD. Requirements Conditions of Employment Please read this announcement in its entirety prior to submitting your application. You must be a U.S. Citizen. You must be at least 18 years of age. All Federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. For additional information, see www.sss.gov. You must complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency. You must go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. These documents must be unexpired original or certified copies. You must successfully complete a background security investigation with favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet this requirement will be grounds for employment termination. Prior to employment, and in compliance with statutes 5 USC 3322 and 22 USC 2507b, Peace Corps will conduct a check of Peace Corps records for both Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and former Peace Corps employees. All new employees are required to certify and submit a state of understanding acknowledging adherence to the Peace Corps condition of employment prior to day 1 of employment with the Peace Corps. This position requires a public trust background investigation. This is a bargaining unit position. A one-year probationary period is required. The initial appointment to this position cannot exceed five years. Qualifications All qualification requirements must be met by 07/17/2024 (the closing date of the announcement). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. To ensure full credit for your experience, please indicate the start and end dates (month, day, and year) of employment, the number of hours worked per week, and the location of employment in your resume. Qualification claims will be subject to verification. Specialized Experience: This vacancy is being announced at one grade level: Specialized Experience at the FP-05 (GS-09): To be minimally qualified for this position at the FP-05 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level in the normal line of progression, FP-7 or GS-07 level which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience includes: Experience analyzing, interpreting, and assuring application of Agency policies in operations as well as-to suggest policy and-procedural changes to streamline and improve operations; Experience researching and analyzing data of a routine and non-routine nature affecting policy and procedures; Experience gathering information and data to draft variety of documents that may include policy papers, reports, memoranda, procedures, and general correspondence; Experience applying administrative concepts and practices sufficient to enable the incumbent to recommend changes in administrative policies, devise and install procedures affecting subordinate organizations and foresee administrative problems and requirements. AND Time-in-Grade (TIG) Requirements: Current or Formal Federal employees, including current Peace Corps employees, must meet applicable TIG requirements to be considered eligible. To meet TIG for positions above the FP-09 (GS-05) grade level, you must have served at least one year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade (or equivalent) in the normal line of progression for the position to which you are applying. All current or former Federal employees (including internal employees) must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). Please note: Past experience that satisfies the Specialized Experience MUST be well documented within your resume. Failure to provide this information in your resume with corresponding start and end dates (month, day, and year) of employment, the number of hours worked per week, and location of employment may result in disqualification from further consideration. Specialized Experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector, or through volunteer work done with National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) or other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. Additional information on qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site. Peace Corps employees are employed using the Foreign Personnel (FP) pay scale. The FP pay plan does not follow the same structure as the GS pay plan. In the FP pay plan, as the grade-level numbers decrease the level/pay for the position increases. The FP-09 is the lowest entry-level grade and the FP-01 is the highest senior-level grade. Education Additional Information The minimum and maximum salaries listed on this announcement include locality pay. If you are a current federal employee, your agency may grant you reemployment rights in accordance with Section 310 of the Foreign Service Act, 22 USC 3950. You must request and be granted reemployment rights prior to separation from your current federal agency. Peace Corps Information: This is a federal civilian job in the Excepted Service. Peace Corps employees are paid on the Foreign Personnel (FP) pay scale. Telework eligible positions do not guarantee telework. See Peace Corps Manual Section 623 for agency policy regarding telework. The Peace Corps uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities. This is a drug-free workplace and we promote a drug-free environment. Additional hiring needs may be filled through this vacancy. Intelligence Background Information: Peace Corps Manual Section 611 is applicable to this position: This prohibits the employment of certain persons previously engaged in intelligence activities or connected with intelligence agencies within the past 10 years. If you have ever worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), you are not eligible for employment at the Peace Corps in any capacity, and you should not apply for employment. Acceptance of employment with Peace Corps precludes employment by certain intelligence organizations for a specific period of time, determined by the employing agency, after Peace Corps employment ceases. Applicants who are found to be otherwise qualified will be required to submit a completed Intelligence Background Questionnaire upon request, indicating whether the applicant has been involved in or has had any connection with intelligence activities or related work and, if so, the nature and dates of his or her involvement. Failure to meet this requirement will result in disqualification from further consideration. If you have any other type of possible intelligence connection, your application will not be further considered until you submit this form. Except when the CIA or the National Security Agency (NSA) is involved (see below), if your connection with an Intelligence Agency involves an immediate family member who works or has worked in intelligence, the immediate family member should complete the form, not the applicant. Usually relying on memory is sufficient to answer most if not all of the questions. If you have an immediate family member who works or has worked for the CIA, you should not give them this form to complete. Please contact your relative in person-not by phone, email, social networking, or any other means that is not in person- and ask him or her to contact the Office of General Counsel at the CIA. If you or an immediate family member have been employed by or associated with the NSA, you or your family member must contact the NSA Prepublication Review Office at 443-634-4095.