Summary
This position serves as a Supervisory Education Program Specialist in the Monitoring and State Improvement Planning Division, Office of Special Education Programs, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the Department of Education. This position supervises staff and performs professional work supporting the administration of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act formula grant programs, including knowledge of Federal grants management and fiscal requirements.
Duties
APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 200 applications, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first. We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application. As a Supervisory Education Program Specialist, GS-1720-15, you will be responsible for: Serving as a nationally recognized expert and providing professional leadership and guidance to department and outside officials in planning, developing, evaluating and implementing educational programs. Providing analytical support and advice on short- and long-range priorities, strategies and policies, including the development and assessment of innovative approaches and the impact of major legislative and administrative actions. Advising officials on program plans and priorities that are fundamentally significant in establishing, meeting and evaluating mission objectives, policies, and overall program goals. Developing a range of alternatives for the solution of policy problems. Maintaining ongoing communication and partnerships with offices across the federal government to support OSEP in effectively implementing its discretionary and formula grant programs and meeting program goals and outcomes. Supervising professional staff to ensure that they are held accountable for high-quality results. Maintaining a work environment that fosters innovation and continuous improvement and has processes and procedures in place that support efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability.
Requirements
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has interagency agreements (IAAs) with other agencies to ensure efficient delivery of funded programs and activities and move closer to fulfilling the President's promise to return education to the states. Employees may receive detail assignments to these agencies in support of the IAAs. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Key Requirements: Must be a US Citizen. Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service. Must complete a Background Investigation and Fingerprint check. Must be determined suitable for federal employment. Relocation expenses will not be paid. You may be subject to serve a one-year supervisory probationary period. You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. 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, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience.
Education
This position has a positive education requirement. Basic Requirements: A. Degree: that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in a field related to the work of the position to be filled, of which at least 9 semester hours must have been in education courses. OR B. Combination of education and experience -- at least 24 semester hours in a field related to the work of the position to be filled, of which at least 9 semester hours must have been in education courses, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience must reflect the level and kind described in C below. OR C. Four years of experience that demonstrated a thorough understanding of the principles and practices underlying the work of this series. This experience must have been of such character and diversity to demonstrate that the applicant possesses an understanding of the field comparable to that normally acquired through successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university. OR D. At least 1 full academic year of professional teaching experience. This experience is defined as full and primary responsibility, under general supervision, for instruction of assigned students in an accredited school or institution. This includes responsibility for preparing and presenting lessons and for evaluating students' progress, including a determination of the students' success or failure according to established criteria. Serving in an assistant capacity to a professor without the authority to determine the students' success or failure to meet course requirements does not meet this criterion. Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please click Foreign Education.
How you will be evaluated
We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants: 1. Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements. 2. Rating and Ranking If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, we will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required KSAs by comparing your submitted resume and documents. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials, and the result of the USA Hire Assessment(s) required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies. Under category rating procedures you are placed into one of three categories based on the evaluation results: Best Qualified -Candidates who possess the type and quality of experience that substantially exceeds the position's minimum qualifications, including appropriate quality ranking factors. Highly Qualified- Candidates who possess the type and quality of experience that exceeds the position's minimum qualifications. Qualified-Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications and are proficient in some but not all of the position's requirements. Based on the outcome of this evaluation, your application data may be further assessed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel. If your qualifications are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration. Veterans' Preference: Veterans' preference eligibles will be ranked ahead of qualified non-preference eligibles within each category for which they are qualified. Qualified veterans' preference eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more (CPS and CP) will be placed at the top of the Best Qualified category, except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 grade level or higher. 3. Referral and Selection If you are found to be amongst the best qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.