Summary The Dept. of Commerce ranked top 5 in the 2023 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government among large agencies for the 12th year in a row! This showcases the Dept's continued commitment to increasing employee engagement, employee satisfaction, & positive perceptions towards diversity, equity, accessibility, & inclusion. Come join our team! NIST works with industry and science to advance innovation and improve quality of life. We're looking for an Administrative Specialist to join our team! Responsibilities The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is based at NIST and its mission is to enhance the productivity and technological performance of U.S. manufacturing. MEP is a public-private partnership. Through its collaborations at the federal, state and local level, MEP Centers work with manufacturers to develop new products and customers, expand and diversify markets, adopt new technology, and enhance value within supply chains. The MEP Program serves as a bridge to other organizations and federal research labs that share a passion for enhancing the manufacturing community. If hired as an Administrative Specialist for MEP, you will: Work with the MEP Senior Leadership Team to document goals, policies, & objectives for the program. Interpret & analyze administrative guidance and provide guidance to staff on work assignments, objectives, priorities, & deadlines. Research, analyze, and manage the coordination and implementation of various regulations, memoranda, orders, circulars, reports of special boards & committees & other reference materials. Develop written documents such as controlled correspondence, spreadsheets, memoranda, reports, presentations, briefing packages, & other materials for use by management. Analyze complex budgets for accurate entry into information systems/databases Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for the ZA-II, applicants must have: One year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level (ZA-I at NIST). Specialized experience is defined as: experience carrying out complex administrative assignments involving tasks such as writing and interpreting guidelines, analyzing options, and resolving problems that arise experience completing reports and/or making program recommendations to management experience researching background information for reference and/or program materials OR Master's or equivalent degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D., if related OR A combination of education and experience. 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. For application tips, please refer to this site: Application Tips If requesting reconsideration of your qualification determination, please refer to the following site: Applicant Reconsideration Education This position allows applicants to qualify with education. Transcripts must be submitted to validate that the education requirement has been met. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. However, an official copy will be required before a final offer of employment. Education completed outside of the U.S. must be evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that it is comparable to education received in accredited institutions in the U.S. Click here to view more information about this from the Department of Education's website. A copy of the foreign education evaluation (containing the results with a course by course listing) is required with your application. Additional Information This position is covered under NIST's Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS), a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent. Learn more about the APMS here! We may share your application package with other selecting officials at NIST with opportunities like this one. Additional selections may be made through this vacancy. Click all links in this vacancy announcement to view additional information or instructions. You MUST select at least ONE ELIGIBILITY to be considered for this position. All documents submitted for this announcement must be legible to make qualification or eligibility determinations. A probationary period may be required. NIST strives to build a flexible and encouraging work environment to bring out the best in our employees. To help our employees balance responsibilities at home and at work, NIST offers a variety of work-life flexibilities such as: Telework Flexible work schedules Paid parental leave Paid vacation Sick leave Family-friendly leave Childcare subsidy program for qualifying families Back-up child care program Child and elder-care resources On-site childcare center Lactation spaces Wellness programs Fitness center Employee assistance programs