Summary

This position is located in the Continuity and Planning Division of the Office of Homeland Security (OHS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in Washington, DC. The primary purpose of the position is to serve as a USDA recognized authority in the development, implementation and administration of plans for coordinated USDA national response and the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), and formulation of policy regarding USDA Continuity of Operations programs.

Duties

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• Identifies, evaluates and communicates to leadership the latest technology and tools used for protecting against threats to agency personnel and critical infrastructure.
• Develops and performs preventive, preparedness, response and recovery actions and measures to secure agency facilities and infrastructure from all types of disasters and emergencies.
• Provides departmental leadership for developing, maintaining and carrying out the Continuity of Operations (COOP) for USDA according to PPD-40, FCD-1, and departmental regulations.
• Provides direct technical and management assistance 24-7 in notification and activation of Continuity of Operations (COOP) personnel during a crisis; directs COOP personnel to Emergency Relocation Facilities (ERFs) and coordinates logistics.
• Interprets new Presidential and Departmental policies and directives and appropriately advises management and leadership.
• Responsible for leading, implementing and monitoring the development and administration of USDA's Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning program and other emergency preparedness and response activities.
• Represents USDA at meetings and conferences by participating on national, departmental and interagency homeland security, emergency preparedness and response teams and working groups.
• Formulates, develops and revises national and headquarters policy, protocols, procedures, guidance documents and instructions for implementing and maintaining an effective Continuity of Operations (COOP) program.
• Develops strategies, approaches and methods for mitigating areas where USDA is vulnerable, coordinates the restoration of critical infrastructure and monitors the implementation of mitigation activities.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• If selected, you may be required to serve a probationary or trial period as applicable to appointment type. Refer to Next Steps section for more information.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Selected applicant must undergo and successfully obtain and maintain a background investigation for a Top Secret SCI clearance. You must meet initial and periodic suitability determinations based on favorable background investigations and updates.
• Selectee must submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and random testing thereafter. Final appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results for illegal drug use.
• This position is considered critical-essential, and as such may be required to return to his/her assigned duty station outside of normal duty hours to provide support to USDA policymakers, particularly during crisis periods.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions and specialized experience, as defined below.

Time in Grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

Specialized Experience:

GS-14: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service or equivalent responsibility in the private sector/pay systems that has equipped the candidate with the particular competencies to successfully perform as an Emergency Management Specialist. For this position, the specialized experience is experience developing and implementing policies, procedures, and standards related to continuity of operations, continuity of government, resiliency, and emergency management 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

There is no education substitution at the GS-14 level.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or RPL eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

Physical Demands:

Work is primarily sedentary. However, the incumbent may be required to work extended hours at remote locations under austere conditions during emergency preparedness exercises and actual emergencies. During emergency events, the incumbent must be capable of working under high pressure, stressful and unstable conditions. The incumbent is "on call" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Work Environment:

The work is performed primarily in an office setting. Occasional travel is required to other departments, contractor sites, and training sites. Long distance travel to field locations and emergency relocation sites occurs approximately 15-20% of the work year. The incumbent must be prepared to relocate to emergency sites where accommodations and daily routines may be considerably more austere than the normal work environment.

In the event of an emergency, USDA's Office of Homeland Security (OHS) employees may be subject to 24 hour on-call availability. This service may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites that require functioning under intense physical and mental stress.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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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.

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.