Summary This position is in Region 5, Mission Support Division, Acquisition and Assistance Branch, Assistance Section 1. About Region 5 This is an office-centered position--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis. *EPA offers work-from-home and work schedule flexibilities as described in the Benefits section. Responsibilities You will: Provide cradle to grave management of complex grants and cooperative agreements. Provide expert grants advice for the post-award process and on grants policy and regulations. Represent Grants Office in meetings or workgroups to develop or revise national policies, guidance and tools for grants specialists and project officers to use. Plan and develop special projects that require a breadth of planning and coordination due to the degree of difficulty or the broad scope of the project. You will spend more than 50% of your work time on contracts, grants/cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements. One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section. You must be a U.S. citizen. #LI-Onsite If you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year probationary period if appointed as Competitive Service or a two-year trial period if appointed as Excepted Service. This position is designated as Moderate Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date. You must meet time in grade requirements no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement. If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter. Qualifications NOTE: You must meet qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. To qualify for the GS-13 level, you must have 1 year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level defined as experience applying grant management systems to resolve issues; developing and analyzing cooperative agreements or financial reports; manage grant resources, and develop recommendations for systems and/or business process changes. Your answers to the online assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas: Ability to analyze applicant/recipient business management activities and capabilities and/or formulate recommendations on pending assistance applications, pre-award project funding proposals, post-award activities, and close-out. Knowledge of grants management, standards and methods for administrative and financial management of all types of EPA assistance programs and types of assistance agreements to plan and manage long-term agreements involving successive program stages. Knowledge of pre-award evaluation of recipient organizations, administrative capabilities, post-award management of assistance agreements, and a high level of analytical ability to perform complex administrative and analytical duties sufficient to develop, negotiate, and implement complex and creative solutions for administrative issues in highly visible and frequently controversial environmental programs, including research, demonstration, training, and special studies grant programs. Ability to advise on grants and cooperative agreements, business processes, procedures, administrative regulations and policies. Ability to identify when deviations to regulations are needed and to assist in crafting approval deviation requests to submit for Headquarters review and approval. Skill in oral communication. Ability to lead initiatives and teams, manage complex projects, and present results to senior agency management. Skill in written communication. 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. *If you have part-time work experience, read this: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures. Education Additional Information Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information on the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures NOTE: To be entitled to selection priority, you must be rated well-qualified (i.e., you must have a score of 87 or higher--see the How You Will Be Evaluated section). Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA. EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures. Although the Service type indicated in the Overview section is Competitive, you may be appointed as Excepted Service based on your eligibility to be hired under certain appointing authorities. If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility. Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section. This position may be in the bargaining unit.