Staff Assistant, Executive Office, Office of Administrative Management
Description
NCATS, a major research component of NIH, seeks applications from outstanding candidates to fill a staff assistant position (GS-301-9/11/12). The opening is in the Executive Office within the Office of Administrative Management in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Core Responsibilities
The selected candidate will support the associate director for administration and the associate deputy director for administration and will:
- Serve as a representative for the office on all matters related to implementation of policy, plans, and programs.
- Direct and implement administrative functions for the office.
- Keep supervisor fully informed of current conditions throughout the organization and take appropriate action to ensure that administrative activities are properly implemented.
- Analyze organizational programs and activities through review of reports and initiate or recommend action to correct problems and improve programs.
- Review and make recommendations on new or changed programs and plans; and formulate and propose plans, programs and policies to ensure proper and consistent implementation of the organization's goals and objectives.
- Develop short- and long-term plans for the office, set priorities, and establish work requirements.
- Assign administrative work based on priorities and personnel availability.
- Establish and implement standards for the efficient operation of the office.
- Exercise responsibility for the internal document control management.
Qualifications
To qualify for the position at the GS-0301-9 level, you must have:
- Completed a master’s or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.B. or J.D., if related.
OR
- One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks:
- Identifying procedures required for the completion of an administrative project
- Responding to inquiries concerning organizational projects and activities.
- Distributing and drafting responses to internal and external correspondence
OR
- A combination of post baccalaureate education related to the position and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.
To qualify for the position at the GS-0301-11 level, you must have:
- Completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.M., if related.
OR
- One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks:
- Analyzing administrative problems, developing recommendations and synthesizing the data into reports or briefings.
- Implementing administrative functions for an office; and coordinating with internal and external stakeholders on administrative matters of interest.
OR
- A combination of post-baccalaureate education related to the position and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.
To qualify for the position at the GS-0301-12 level, you must have:
- One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks:
- Assigning administrative work to staff and providing direction on administrative assignments.
- Monitoring the status of sensitive issues, special concerns and projects for the office
- Serving as an office/organizational representative to internal and external stakeholders on issues regarding administrative plans, goals and objectives.
- Analyzing and evaluating internal administrative policies, procedures and processes.
For additional information related to education requirements, evaluation criteria and required documents, see vacancy announcement NIH-SR-MP-26-12940907.
Salary/Benefits
Salary will be based on qualifications, experience and accomplishments. A full civil service benefits package is available. It includes retirement; health, life and long-term care insurance; and participation in a Thrift Savings Plan (401[k] equivalent).
How to Apply
Interested individuals should apply from May 28–June 1, 2026, via USAJobs.gov. This announcement will close at 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 1, 2026. Candidates should apply to announcement number NIH-SR-MP-26-12940907. This position is open under merit promotion (MP) procedures, you must be a current or former federal employee eligible to apply under merit promotion procedures or otherwise be eligible as a status applicant (e.g. Veterans Employment Opportunity Act) OR be an individual who is eligible through an OPM interchange agreement or for a non-competitive appointment. The announcement is for Montgomery County, Maryland.
Please direct questions about applying to Tara Bright via brighttj@mail.nih.gov.
Additional Information
All information provided by candidates will remain confidential and will not be released outside NCATS’ search process without a signed release from candidates. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and NIH are Equal Opportunity Employers.
Employment is subject to the successful completion of the preappointment process (e.g., background investigation, verification of qualifications and job requirements, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents).