Job Listing: Social Services Assistant

Duty Locations

 1 vacancy - CHINCOTEAGUE, VA 1 vacancy - NEWBURYPORT, MA 1 vacancy - Cambridge, MD 1 vacancy - LAUREL, MD 1 vacancy - Baring, ME Social Services Assistant (YCC Group Leader), GS-0186-05

Working for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is more than a career.  It is a commitment shared by more than 9,000 men and women representing a diverse range of professions, backgrounds, and specialties who are dedicated to conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. 

From the Arctic Ocean to the South Pacific, the Atlantic to the Caribbean, Service personnel are working hard to ensure future generations will be able to enjoy nature's beauty and bounty.

A total of five positions are available at the following national wildlife refuges: Chincoteague NWR in Chincoteague, VA; Patuxent NWR in Laurel, MD; Moosehorn NWR in Baring, ME: Parker River NWR in Newburyport, MA, and Chesapeake Marshlands NWR Complex in Cambridge, MD.

Who May Be Considered:  All U.S. Citizens

Many locations have locality pay rates.  Click on this link to view salary tables for all locations:  http://www.opm.gov/oca/08tables/index.asp

Please note that these are temporary positions not to exceed ten weeks.  The positions may be extended up to 2 years.

Filing Instructions/Deadline:  Completed applications must be received by Wednesday, April 09, 2008.  There are 2 steps that must be completed.  Please read the entire announcement for specific instructions on how to apply.

One or more positions may be filled through this announcement.

 

Major Duties

In this position, you will serve as the lead for a crew of Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) enrollees, ages 15 to 18, in a variety of land resource improvement projects, stream and water improvements, and fish and wildlife habitat improvement projects which contribute to the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Duties include providing guidance and direction in all phases of work projects to ascertain proper performance; answering enrollees' questions about projects and providing a learning experience to the enrollees; planning and working on educational projects; setting weekly priorities and preparing work schedules; assigning duties to enrollees; and planning and implementing a well-balanced and integrated conservation education program designed to enhance enrollees understanding of the natural environment.  You will also be responsible for demonstrating the proper use of hand and power tools to the enrollees and will be responsible for their safety. 
The work of this position requires both office and outdoor work.  Temperature and weather extremes may be encountered in the performance of outdoor work.  Field activities may include wading through dense vegetation and wetlands and multiple encounters with insects such as black flies and mosquitoes.  The work requires physical exertion such as walking over wet, rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces, bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, climbing, or other similar activities.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes both of the following parts:

Your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire, and
Your résumé and any other documents specified in the Required Documents section of this job announcement.

Use Application Manager for convenience and quickest processing. Track your progress to a Complete Application Package using the My Application Packages checklist and status displays in Application Manager. Your Application Package status must be Complete by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 09, 2008.

Option A:  Application Manager

To begin, choose one of these options:

If your résumé is going to come from the USAJOBS Resume Builder, you begin the process by clicking the Apply Online button near the bottom of this page. Your résumé will be attached only to the Application Package you complete and Submit immediately after you click the Apply Online button for this job announcement, not to any Application Packages you may already have created.
If your résumé is going to be one you prepared outside of USAJOBS Résumé Builder, click this link to begin the process:  Online Questionnaire.

To return to Application Manager at any time, simply go to https://ApplicationManager.org.

 

Option B:   Paper Assessment Questionnaire

If it is not possible for you to use Application Manager, you can write your answers on paper.   Follow these steps:

You can print a copy of this job announcement so that you can read the questions offline.
Obtain and print a copy of the OPM Form 1203-FX, which you will use to provide your answers. You can obtain the form at this URL http://www.opm.gov/Forms/pdf_fill/OPM1203fx.pdf or by calling USAJOBS by Phone at (703) 724-1850; after the introduction, press 1, and listen for instructions.
You may submit the Form 1203-FX, resume, and any supporting documents either by fax, by mail or in person.
By Fax: If you are faxing a Form 1203-FX, do not use a separate cover sheet. Simply make sure the Form 1203-FX is on top of any other documents you are faxing. If you are faxing any documents without the Form 1203-FX on top, always use the official cover sheet which is here -- http://staffing.opm.gov/pdf/usascover.pdf -- and be sure to fill it out completely and clearly.   The fax number is 1-478-757-3144.   Feed all documents into your fax machine top first so that we receive them right-side up.
By mail or in person:  

Philadelphia Services Branch
US Office of Personnel Management
600 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
USA

Attention: PH181949

 

 

Instructions for completing the paper Assessment Questionnaire (OPM Form 1203-FX): 

If you are applying to this announcement by completing the OPM 1203-FX form instead of using the Online Occupational Questionnaire method, you will need to print the vacancy announcement and refer to it as you answer the questions. You may omit any optional information; however, you must provide responses to all required questions. Be sure to double check your application before submission.  You are encouraged to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and submit your documentation using the Online method since it is the most efficient way to process your application. The method that we highly recommend is outlined under "OPTION A."   If you are unable to submit your responses Online, please use the following step-by-step qualifications questionnaire instructions as a guide to filling out the required questionnaire on the OPM Form 1203-FX:

Social Security Number

Enter your Social Security Number in the space indicated. Providing your Social Security Number is voluntary, however we can not process your application without it.

Vacancy Identification Number

The Vacancy Identification Number is PH181949.

1. Title of Job

POSITION TITLE: Social Services Assistant

2. Biographic Data

All biographic information is required, except for your telephone number and the contact time.

3. E-Mail Address

4. Work Information

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

5. Employment Availability

6. Citizenship

Are you a citizen of the United States?
7. Background Information

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

8. Other Information

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

9. Languages

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

10. Lowest Grade

Enter the lowest grade level (05-05) you will accept.

05
11. Miscellaneous Information

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

12. Special Knowledge

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

13. Test Location

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

14. Veteran Preference Claim

15. Dates of Active Duty - Military Service

16. Availability Date

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

17. Service Computation Date

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

18. Other Date Information

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

19. Job Preference

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

20. Occupational Specialties

If available, select at least one occupational specialty.

001 Social Services Assistant (YCC Group Leader)
21. Geographic Availability

Select/enter at least one geographic location in which you are interested and will accept employment. Please note: You may select no more than 2 locations.

The location code for this position is:

0280 NEWBURYPORT, MA1438 Cambridge, MD0948 LAUREL, MD1437 Baring, ME1422 CHINCOTEAGUE, VA
22. Transition Assistance Plan

23. Job Related Experience

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

24. Personal Background Information

If you are applying by the OPM Form 1203-FX leave this section blank.

25. Occupational/Assessment Questions:

1. From the descriptions below, select the letter that describes the education or experience you have that demonstrates your ability to perform GS-5 Social Services Assistant duties:

A. I have a Bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited college or university with a major field of study or at least 24 semester hours of study in biology, chemistry, botany, environmental science, natural resource management, education, social or human behavior, or a similar course of study that would have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
B. I have at least one year specialized experience comparable to the GS-4 level or higher, performing most of the following duties: leading community or residential recreation or training programs; assigning work to volunteers; assisting in the development of natural resource educational projects or programs; and providing guidance or advice to program participants on mission, duties, or responsibilities.
C. I have less than one year of specialized work experience as described in B and have not yet completed four years of education above high school as described in A. I do have, however, a combination of experience as described under letter B above and education as described under letter A above which, when combined, is equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. (Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours may be used in this calculation). To calculate your percentage of education, first determine the total number of semester hours that exceed 60 semester hours (or your school's definition of one year of study), then divide the total number of your excess semester hours by 30 (or your school's definition of one year of study). To calculate your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%.
D. My education and/or experience is not described above.

In this part, you will respond to questions about experiences you have had that are related to the requirements of the job for which you are applying. Carefully review the response descriptions listed below. For each question or statement, select the one response description that best describes your experience, education, or training.

A- I have not had education, training or experience in performing this task.
B- I have had education or training in performing this task, but have not yet performed it on the job.
C- I have performed this task on the job. My work on this task was monitored closely by a supervisor or senior employee to ensure compliance with proper procedures.
D- I have performed this task as a regular part of a job. I have performed it independently and normally without review by a supervisor or senior employee.
E- I have supervised performance of this task or am normally the person who is consulted by other workers to assist them in doing this task because of my expertise.

2. Reports enrollee time, progress, and performance

3. Assigns work and sets priorities for students or volunteers

4. Reports discipline problems to supervisor

5. Leads students or volunteers in natural resource and/or fish and wildlife habitat improvement projects

6. Surveys working conditions to point out hazards and unsafe situations to program enrollees

7. Develops conservation educational talks or programs

8. Demonstrates proper, safe use of hand and power tools

9. Plans educational projects

10. Provides guidance to students or volunteers on job duties and assignments

11. Explains conservation concepts and goals

12. Answers questions about projects and mission of organization

13. Counsels enrollees on personal and/or group matters

 

Required Documents:

For this job announcement the following documents are required:

Resume
Qualifications Questionnaire
Transcripts, if applicable
Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable

To submit the documents requested follow the instructions below: Your resume, curriculum vitae, the Optional Application for Federal Employment (OF 612), or any other written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications  can be submitted electronically using the document upload process ( there will be an option at the end of the announcement ), fax, mail or by hand-deliver. Please ensure that your resume contains your full name, address, phone and your social security number. Please do not submit extra information.

 

Contact Information:
Philadelphia Services Branch

Phone: (215)861-3074

Email: philadelphia@opm.gov


Or write:
Philadelphia Services Branch
US Office of Personnel Management
600 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

USA


What To Expect Next:

Once the assessment questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email (if you provided an email address) that your submission was successful.  Once the application process is completed in its entirety, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the job requirements. A review will be made of your responses to the occupational questionnaire and the documentation you submitted in your resume to support your responses. Narrative Statements, if required, will also be reviewed. Applicants that are found among the most highly qualified may be referred to the hiring official for consideration. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience your score will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. You will receive notice via email or by mail, if no email address was provided by you during the application process, once this process is completed (generally 4-6 weeks).  If your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly by that office for a possible interview.