Program Specialist

Summary

Summary

This position is located within the Agricultural Research Service at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, in Manhattan, KS.

In this position, you will have two primary responsibilities: To serve as the Certifying Official for the NBAF suitability assessment andmonitoring program, and to serve as the primary source for organizing and sharing key information within the organization about the NBAF's high-reliability program to foster leadership capabilities and psychological safety.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

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• Works with NBAF Select Agent Team and NBAF Responsible Official to develop and maintain a suitability assessment and monitoring program.
• Works closely with the Communications Director to implement strategic short and long-range activities to build and monitor NBAF's high-reliability organization program.
• Participates in developing and coordinating training programs to manage risks and create facility foundations to support safe, sustainable operations and processes.
• Helps create and deliver measurable surveys to monitor the level of psychological safety and enhance employee wellbeing, performance, and operational effectiveness.
• Negotiates on key issues with management regarding requirements and methods to fulfill program objectives, which requires engaging stakeholders, anticipating and handling questions, and presenting reports.
• Assists in developing internal policies, drafting and updating standard operating procedures, creating assessment tools, establishing performance metrics, and preparing technical summaries for review.
• Participates in, facilitates, and documents complex interviews, ensuring adherence to legal, ethical, and privacy standards governing the handling of sensitive personal information.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Drug Test Required.
• Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period unless previous federal service is creditable.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.

Qualifications

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

GS-11

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience creating and validating interview and survey methodologies; creating training programs; monitoring staff engagement; developing and executing industrial organizational psychology program activities; and providing guidance to leadership to ensure staff follow facility-wide policies and standard operating procedures.

OR

Education: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.

OR

A combination of specialized experience and Ph.D level education as described above.

GS-12

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience developing and executing organizational programs and policies; creating and evaluating assessment tools and performance metrics; writing and validating interview and survey methodologies; and building and implementing industrial organizational psychology training 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

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

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.
• 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.
• If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.
• This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.
• Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. The final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official.
• This is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). 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.

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.



Help

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.

Job Description

Summary

This position is located within the Agricultural Research Service at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, in Manhattan, KS.

In this position, you will have two primary responsibilities: To serve as the Certifying Official for the NBAF suitability assessment andmonitoring program, and to serve as the primary source for organizing and sharing key information within the organization about the NBAF's high-reliability program to foster leadership capabilities and psychological safety.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

• Works with NBAF Select Agent Team and NBAF Responsible Official to develop and maintain a suitability assessment and monitoring program.
• Works closely with the Communications Director to implement strategic short and long-range activities to build and monitor NBAF's high-reliability organization program.
• Participates in developing and coordinating training programs to manage risks and create facility foundations to support safe, sustainable operations and processes.
• Helps create and deliver measurable surveys to monitor the level of psychological safety and enhance employee wellbeing, performance, and operational effectiveness.
• Negotiates on key issues with management regarding requirements and methods to fulfill program objectives, which requires engaging stakeholders, anticipating and handling questions, and presenting reports.
• Assists in developing internal policies, drafting and updating standard operating procedures, creating assessment tools, establishing performance metrics, and preparing technical summaries for review.
• Participates in, facilitates, and documents complex interviews, ensuring adherence to legal, ethical, and privacy standards governing the handling of sensitive personal information.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• Drug Test Required.
• Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period unless previous federal service is creditable.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.

Qualifications

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

GS-11

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience creating and validating interview and survey methodologies; creating training programs; monitoring staff engagement; developing and executing industrial organizational psychology program activities; and providing guidance to leadership to ensure staff follow facility-wide policies and standard operating procedures.

OR

Education: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.

OR

A combination of specialized experience and Ph.D level education as described above.

GS-12

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience developing and executing organizational programs and policies; creating and evaluating assessment tools and performance metrics; writing and validating interview and survey methodologies; and building and implementing industrial organizational psychology training 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

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

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.
• 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.
• If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.
• This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.
• Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. The final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official.
• This is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). 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.

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.



Help

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.