An official website of the United States government
This position is at the U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG). The USBG is a public garden in the legislative branch and was established by Congress in 1820. The Garden inspires people to appreciate, study, and conserve plants to enrich society locally and globally. We provide educational experiences to 1 million visitors annually, present horticultural displays and exhibits, strive to break down barriers to inclusion, and advance the exchange of ideas and information. Learn more: U.S. Botanic Garden.
Learn more about this agency11/25/2024 to 12/16/2024
$82,764 - $107,590 per year
GS 11
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
11
Yes
Yes
No
USBG-2025-041
820990600
Applications will be accepted from all U.S. Citizens.
The incumbent serves as the Horticulturist (Supervisory Gardener) leading the Exhibits and Displays Section. The incumbent supports the USBG mission by overseeing planning, development and maintenance of the temporary exhibits and greenhouse crops and supervises a team of employees assigned to the Section.
Major duties include:
Supervision
Exercises the full range of supervisory responsibilities for a team of gardeners assigned to the Exhibits and Displays Section. Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for employees, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system. 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. Provides for employee skills enrichment and development through identification of opportunities for coaching, mentoring and training.
Responsible for furthering the goals of equal employment opportunity (EEO) by taking positive steps to ensure the accomplishment of EEO.
Responsible for utilizing a thorough knowledge of and compliance with applicable AOC and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety rules and regulations to ensure that work progresses in a safe manner.
Exhibit Evaluation, Planning and Design
Performs evaluation, planning and design of specialized areas of horticulture. These areas include, but are not limited to, seasonal shows, exhibits and rotating displays. Critically evaluates shows, exhibits and displays for aesthetic, educational, health, safety, efficiency and sustainability features and considerations.
Prepares and plans projects for both the short and long-term as they relate to USBG priorities and master plans. Project planning includes all aspects of overseeing exhibit and display installation including plants, hardscape, labels, irrigation, aesthetic elements, equipment and labor. Develops crop growing schedules and supervises their progress.
Designs exhibits and displays for maximum effect for aesthetics, education, safety and sustainability. Investigates new varieties of plants to be grown for display at the USBG and participates in the selection of plant sources.
Works with Botanist, Plant Records Specialist and Gardeners to properly accession and label plants and maintain detailed accession records in accordance with the Collections Management Plan and Curatorial Policy.
Greenhouse and Exhibit Maintenance
Manages and participates in all aspects of greenhouse and exhibit preparation and maintenance for optimal plant health and aesthetics. Uses expert knowledge of greenhouse control systems to determine, manage and create ideal cultural conditions for a wide diversity of plant material. Manages and supervises the USBG Foliage Program that supplies plants for congressional spaces.
Works with Plant Health Care Specialist to oversee plant health and an integrated pest management program for all Exhibits and Displays areas. Monitors pest populations and life cycles; determines threshold levels and applies the appropriate physical, cultural, biological or chemical controls. Applies amendments to growing media as needed for optimal plant health.
Collaborates with other divisions and sections of the USBG to develop, execute and maintain educational horticultural exhibits.
Operates a wide variety of motor vehicles and equipment in accomplishing exhibit installation, greenhouse operations and plant delivery.
Plant Cultivation
Oversees and coordinates the propagation and maintenance of a wide variety of plants for seasonal displays, exhibits and shows as well as indoor foliage plants for the Foliage Program. These include, but are not limited to greenhouse crops including tropical, annual and vegetable plants, as well as herbaceous perennial, woody, aquatic and bog plants.
Explores methods to improve planting, cultivating, nutrient management, and insect and disease control to achieve optimal plant quality in greenhouse, nursery, and display situations. Recommends priorities and strategies for optimal growth of outdoor garden plants.
Administration
Coordinates employee schedules to ensure daily coverage. Approves schedules, leave and premium pay through an electronic system.
Contacts vendors, obtains quotes and prepares orders of plants and hard goods for supervisor’s review and authorization.
“To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet
one of the categories below:
To apply pesticides in the District of Columbia Applicants must possess a valid and unexpired D.C. Pesticide Applicator’s License or a valid, unexpired State pesticide license with D.C. reciprocity in categories 3A, 3B, 3C. If not, you must be able to obtain the license within 6 months of the effective date of appointment.
Experience supervising a workforce covered by a collective bargaining agreement is desirable.
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:
One (1) year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.
To be creditable, candidates must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in Federal service.
Examples of specialized experience include the following: (1) Evaluating and diagnosing structural and horticultural issues in plant materials and trees to determine the proper corrective action; (2) Installing new plant materials following plans and approved horticultural practices and procedures; (3) Preparing and maintaining special beds including pruning, weeding, mulching, fertilizing, spraying plant materials, and applying pesticides; (4) Supplying and arranging special foliage for events, and promoting knowledge and understanding of plants. (5) Coordinating the production of standard and non-standard plant specimens, such as temperate plants, tropical and subtropical plants, and display crops; and (6) Leading or supervising employees in the performance of horticultural work.
OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience. In order to substitute education for specialized experience, you must have three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree in a field of study related to the duties of the position.
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:
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/820990600. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The mission of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is to serve Congress and the Supreme Court, preserve America's Capitol and inspire memorable experiences. The AOC is responsible for the maintenance, operation, development and preservation of 18.4 million square feet of buildings and more than 570 acres of land throughout Capitol Hill. The AOC provides a welcoming and educational environment for millions of visitors through the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and the US Botanic Garden. Learn more at www.aoc.gov.
The AOC prides itself on its Core Values of Respect, Integrity, Safety and Empower (RISE).
