Summary The Smithsonian Institution (SI) is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center is responsible for ecological and environmental research education. Responsibilities The Special Assistant is responsible for providing administrative, program support, personal and confidential assistance for the Director, Executive Officer, and leadership of the SERC Directorate including research, public engagement, development, and communications. In this position, you will: Serve as a personal and confidential assistant to the Director. Manages Director’s calendar, travel, and other obligations. Serves as the senior staff liaison to other SI Units. Coordinate and organizes meetings for the Director and prepares correspondence, records, and oral reports and briefings associated with ongoing issues concerns and provide recommend solutions as appropriate. Manage certain projects and programs of special interest for the Directorate. Leadership roles on special projects may include involving key internal and external stakeholders on topics related to historic preservation, land management, public programs, campus access and others. Requirements Conditions of Employment Requires career/career-conditional status or eligibility. Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service. Conditions of Employment Qualification requirements, including one year time-in-grade at the next lower grade level for promotion candidates, must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date. See the 'Required Documents' section for additional information. For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website. Qualifications GS-12 Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as providing executive support in key areas such as managing calendars and travel arrangements, addressing inquiries and requests from both internal and external stakeholders, and scheduling meetings for high-level directors. Additionally, this role requires preparing reports and correspondence for senior officials, managing projects and programs, and overseeing office functions and administrative operations. 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. Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications; For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. Education Additional Information This position is included in the bargaining unit. Current or Former Political Appointees: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Office of Human Resources. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: Position title; Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee); Agency; and, Beginning and ending dates of appointment. Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position. However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Selections may be made for vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution (SI). By applying to this position, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more SI hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement.