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This position is located in the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), United States Botanic Garden (USBG), Horticulture Division, Curatorial Branch. The selectee directs all aspects of the living collection curation and management and serves as an authoritative source of information on botanical and conservation issues relating to the mission of the USBG.
Learn more here: US Botanic Garden
Learn more about this agency08/15/2022 to 09/26/2022
$89,834 - $116,788 per year
GS 12
No
No
Not required
No
Permanent - Permanent, Full Time
Full-time - This is an Excepted Service position and does not require or confer Civil Service Competitive Status
Excepted
13 - Full Performance Level is GS-13
Yes
Yes
USBG-2022-322
671460900
The closing date of this announcement has been extended to 09/26/2022. See Requirements section of this announcement for information on who may apply.
This is a developmental position in which the incumbent performs progressively more complex duties and responsibilities on a gradual basis leading to the full performance level of GS-13.
** The selectee will be designated as an “Emergency Essential Employee” and will be required to work in emergency situations.
MAJOR DUTIES:
The selectee serves on the USBG’s supervisory team, contributing leadership and guidance to the organization’s operations and museum quality collections.
Supervision
Exercises the full range of supervisory responsibilities for the Plant Curatorial Team, which includes botany and plant records. Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for employees, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system. Writes detailed performance plans for employees that direct and guide the collections development, verification, labeling, and database management and maintenance. Provides advice and counsel to employees related to work and administrative matters. Develops performance improvement plans (PIPs), recommending personnel actions as necessary. Initiates disciplinary measures as appropriate to the authority delegated in this area. Resolves problems for subordinates. Approves schedules, leave, premium pay, and certifies timesheets through an electronic system. Provides for employee skills enrichment and development through identification of opportunities for coaching, mentoring and training.
Plants Collections Management and Development
Determines, approves and oversees plant acquisitions for the USBG, including the accessioning and deaccessioning of plant material in accordance with the USBG Curatorial Policy. Provides expert assessment of the living plant collection, including developing short- and long-term plans for the collection’s composition, acquirement and succession. Chairs the USBG Collections Committee. Working closely with the Plant Specialist, Botanist and Plant Records Specialist, oversees the living collection database, directing data entry, ensuring its accuracy, and supervising regular and systematic inventories of the Garden’s living collection. Leads the process for plant accreditations applications. Participates in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) program. Provides expertise, planning and oversight for the safeguarding or deaccessioning of plants during all Garden renovation and construction projects. Organizes and manages plant-collecting expeditions (domestic and international) for acquisition of new living plant materials in accordance with the USBG Curatorial Policy. Provides leadership in domestic and international plant exchanges on behalf of USBG, obtaining and completing documentation necessary for legal requirements and agreements.
Horticulture Advice, Guidance and Outreach
Organizes and implements training of USBG staff in living collections management and curatorial practices. Working with gardener supervisors, develops and maintains a plant propagation program that includes pollination, spores, seeds, division, cuttings, and tissue culture, as applicable. Coordinates with Plant Health Care Specialist to recommend proper growing conditions for plants, considering cultural factors and nutrient and pest management protocols to achieve optimal plant growth. Collaborates with the Conservation and Sustainability Horticulturist on a range of issues related to rare or endangered plant species and sustainability topics and practices. Consults with and advises affiliated agencies and institutions on matters related to plant collections development and management. Represents the USBG in national and international meetings related to mission and living collection. Supports the USBG’s communication and outreach efforts by conducting interviews and contributing to articles and postings related to the USBG mission and living collection, in coordination with the Public Affairs Specialist.
Science Programs
Locates and reviews pertinent scientific literature in order to identify appropriate plant collections management protocols and methods in conjunction with the Conservation and Sustainability Horticulturist, Horticulture Manager, Supervisory Horticulturist, and Gardener Supervisors. Manages plant introduction and release program. Working closely with the Deputy Executive Director and Horticulture Manager, plans, coordinates, and evaluates sustainability, conservation, and scientific programs and projects.
Educational Program
Provides assistance to the Learning and Engagement Division in promoting horticultural education and in coordinating consultation requests. Teaches classes, leads tours, offers workshops, and presents lectures to Garden audiences, professionals, and other stakeholders. Provides subject matter expertise for exhibits, interpretation, programs, resources, and other educational products.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet one of the categories below:
Experience supervising a workforce covered by a collective bargaining agreement is desirable, but not required.
You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the 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 at OPM qualification standards
Specialized experience: is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
Candidates for the GS-12 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-11) grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position must demonstrate the following:
In addition to meeting the specialized experience requirements, applicants must have the following:
Degree: Horticulture; or a related discipline of basic plant science that included at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, of which at least 16 semester hours were in horticultural subjects such as those dealing with the breeding, care, management, production, and post-harvest handling of horticultural crops.
--OR--
Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in horticulture or a related discipline of basic plant science that included course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
Courses in botany, plant physiology, plant taxonomy, plant pathology, genetics, agronomy, horticulture, and similar courses may be used to meet the 30-semester-hour requirement in basic plant sciences.
The 16-semester-hour requirement in horticulture includes course work in basic horticulture and course work related to any of the recognized subject-matter fields of horticulture, i.e., fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, nursery work, seed production, or course work in related areas of science, such as micro-biology, entomology, plant pathology, plant physiology, or genetics that is directly related to horticultural work.
Special Instructions for Foreign Education:
Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment.
Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part of foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree.
You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing if selected.
Welcome Veterans. The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) gives veterans' preference rights in the legislative branch to certain veterans as applied by the Congressional Accountability Act. Veterans' preference is applied on this vacancy announcement. If you are a veteran and have been separated under honorable conditions, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility; SF-15, if applicable; and Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of disability, if applicable. For more information, please visit OPM vet guide
If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.
DRUG TESTING: The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC’s suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment with the Agency. A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. We will schedule, provide, and cover the cost for the drug test.
The selectee(s) under the vacancy announcement for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to be eligible for employment at the Architect of the Capitol.
The Architect of the Capitol is an E-VERIFY Participant. E-VERIFY is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment authorization in the United States. If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the DHS Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" electronic system. For more information on E-Verify, please visit http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtm
The Architect of the Capitol is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, genetic information and/or disability.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.
Moving expenses are not authorized.
Relocation expenses are not authorized.
Probationary Period- Selectee(s) is subject to the completion of a one-year trial/probationary period, regardless of whether or not a trial/probationary period has been completed previously with the Architect of the Capitol or another Federal agency.
This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies in any of the jurisdictions of the Architect of the Capitol.
All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Review your resume and responses carefully. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your responses to job specific self-assessment questions.
Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement.
The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies:
Your responses to the self assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating. You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions. Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter.
Your resume must support your answers to the self assessment questions. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or disqualification for further consideration.
Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).
The Architect of the Capitol's job application process is designed to ensure that we only ask you for the information that is absolutely needed to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility for the position.
To apply for this position, you only need to submit online the following: a) your resume and 2) answer the online vacancy assessment questionnaire. The online questionnaire contains eligibility and screening questions and other relevant supplemental information. No additional documentation or attachment is required at the time of application.
We ask that you prepare and submit a resume that best describes fully your background experience, skills, abilities, education, training and other relevant credentials. The resume should include dates of employment.
Nothing further is required until it is requested by the staff of the Human Capital Management Division. If additional documentation is required for a position, you will be asked to provide it during the selection process or upon selection. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume.
For example, we may ask you to provide documents such as college transcripts, copy of diploma or proof of Federal employment status. If the position requires a license or certification, we will ask candidate(s) to provide proof at the time of selection.
If you are claiming veterans' preference, we may ask you to submit proof of Veterans preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, the SF-15 plus proof required by that form).
If you fail to provide the required documents, we will withdraw a tentative job offer made and/or remove you from further consideration.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
You MUST apply online. FORMS RECEIVED BY FAX, EMAIL OR U.S. POSTAL SERVICE DELIVERY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying. You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page.
NEED HELP?
If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available! If you have problems completing your on-line application, contact the Monster Hiring Management Help Desk at 1-866-656-6831 or by e-mail at MGSHELP@monster.com. The help desk is available Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. You may call and leave a voice mail message at all other times.
All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs “Saved Documents” feature.
If you are unable to apply on-line, you may visit our Employment Center for technical assistance in entering your application. The Employment Center is located at 441 Second & D Streets S.W., Washington, D.C., Room H2-178, and is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You may call (202) 226-7000 for directions.
You will receive a notice generated by the USAJobs System when you have successfully submitted your application. After all application packages have been received, we will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.
You can check the status of your application by logging into http://www.usajobs.gov. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJobs Account, editing your profile and changing the ‘Notification Settings’ to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within two (2) weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/671460900. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is a living plant museum that informs visitors about the importance, and often irreplaceable value, of plants to the well-being of humans and to earth's fragile ecosystems.
Established by the U.S. Congress in 1820, the USBG is one of the oldest botanic gardens in North America and provides engaging, educational experiences to over one million visitors annually. Since 1934, it has been administered through the Architect of the Capitol.
The mission of the USBG is to demonstrate the aesthetic, cultural, economic, therapeutic and ecological importance of plants to the well-being of humanity. Learn more at https://www.usbg.gov.
