Summary

This position is located in the Office of the Deputy Administrator, Animal Care (AC). You will operate as a full member of the Leadership Team and perform work supporting the Deputy Administrator and Associate Deputy Administrator on sensitive issues that determine or influence Program and Agency policies.

Duties

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• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Serves as the primary liaison between the Animal Care Office of the Deputy Administrator and the Administrator and the APHIS Office of the Administrator, ensuring timely and accurate information flow.
• Keeps senior AC leadership informed of issues, developments, and operational considerations that directly impact policy formation, strategic planning, and daily program management.
• Develops speeches, talking points, presentations, and executive communications that clearly convey priorities, decisions, and organizational direction on behalf of AC leadership.
• Reviews and refines program submissions for externally required reports to ensure accuracy, alignment with agency and AC leadership priorities, and consistency with established policy positions.
• Oversees the development of decision memoranda, information memoranda, and briefing materials essential to timely executive decision-making-often on emerging or high impact issues requiring rapid turnaround.
• Tracks and monitors actions of interest to the Deputy Administrator, providing concise, periodic status updates and ensuring follow through across responsible units.
• Directs and integrates the work of the Deputy Chief of Staff, ensuring alignment of activities with broader AC priorities, organizational processes, and performance expectations.

Requirements

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Qualifications

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

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

FOR THE GS-14 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-13 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Preparing speeches, briefings, and talking points for leadership on sensitive or high visibility issues.
• Coordinating and consolidating input from multiple programs and stakeholders to support executive operations.
• Tracking and managing high priority action items for leadership, providing status updates and securing approvals.
• Developed reports and decision memos on emerging or high.
• Planning and facilitating meetings, preparing agendas and background materials, and monitoring follow-up actions.

Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

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

This position does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP 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/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
• Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).
• 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.
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015.
• Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
• Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection.
• 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.