Administrative Officer.

Food Safety and Inspection Service; Urbandale (IA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Food Safety and Inspection Service in Urbandale, IA, seeks an Administrative Officer to manage budgets, personnel actions, and procurement across programs. You will coordinate with HR offices, interpret policies, and oversee staffing plans to support mission needs.

The role emphasizes analyzing resource requirements, preparing budget submissions, and ensuring compliance with federal regulations while advising leadership on organizational improvements.

Qualifications

• Specialized experience in administrative management across budget, personnel, procurement, and office services.
• Experience liaising with HR offices and advising managers on HR matters.
• Ability to analyze staffing levels, workload changes, and resource needs for planning.

Responsibilities

• Analyze staffing levels, travel, materials, and related requirements to provide cost data for planning.
• Evaluate budgetary data for consistency with estimates and funding changes.
• Provide policy interpretation and guidance on budget estimates and FTE needs.
• Advise management on human resources matters and coordinate organizational needs with HR offices.
• Initiate personnel actions and oversee recruitment, promotions, and training to align with staffing plans.

Skills

HR management

Budget analysis

Procurement

Staffing coordination

Policy interpretation

Job description

Duties

• Analyze staffing levels, travel, materials, and related requirements to provide cost data and information for program planning and evaluation activities.
• Evaluate budgetary and fiscal data for consistency with estimates, current program operations, and anticipated changes in mission, staffing, and funding.
• Provide policy interpretation and guidance regarding the preparation, revision, monitoring, and evaluation of organizational budget estimates and FTE needs.
• Advise OPPD management officials on human resources matters by coordinating organizational needs with human resources office requirements.
• Initiate personnel actions and oversee recruitment, selection, promotion, awards, and training activities to ensure alignment with staffing plans and funding levels.
• Advise OPPD management officials in structuring positions and writing performance plans.
• Review completed position descriptions and work plans for format and uniformity before submission to the human resources office.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary or trial period, unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• If you are newly hired, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" system.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• False statements or responses on a resume or application can jeopardize employment and may be grounds for disciplinary action, including removal from Federal service.
• If you are selected, you may need to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) prior to being appointed to determine suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized Experience:

Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are:

To qualify for the Administrative Officer GS-11 level, you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position.

Specialized Experience Must Show Evidence Of Performing Administrative Management Functions In Support Of Organizational Operations, Including Budget, Personnel, Procurement, And Office Services. Your Resume Must Show You Have Performed All Duties Similar To These:

• Supporting human resources functions, such as initiating personnel actions; assisting with recruitment activities (including advising managers on hiring authorities, timelines, and documentation requirements), selection, promotion, reassignment, awards, and training processes; reviewing position descriptions or work plans for accuracy; or coordinating actions with servicing HR offices; developing HR related reports for managerial review.
• Supporting new employee orientation by ensuring completion of required forms, verifying documentation, and coordinating with HR and the hiring manager.
• Providing routine guidance to employees on basic personnel procedures such as time and attendance, leave, training, or award submissions.
• Compiling and analyzing administrative or program data, such as staffing levels, workload changes, travel, supplies, or other resource needs, and preparing summaries or reports used for planning or evaluation purposes.
• Assisting with or performing budget-related duties, including compiling resource requirements, reviewing financial data for consistency with established estimates, and preparing portions of an organizational budget submission.
• Applying administrative policies, procedures, or regulatory requirements to resolve routine issues related to personnel, budgeting, procurement, or office operations.
• Assisting with procurement and contract-related tasks, including preparing requisitions or purchase requests, monitoring purchases for compliance, or providing guidance on basic contracting or property management procedures.
• Providing administrative support services, such as records management, property management, travel processing, mail and file services, equipment maintenance, or similar operational activities.
• Communicating with internal and external stakeholders, such as program staff, agency representatives, contractors, or partner organizations, in order to exchange information, coordinate administrative actions, or provide guidance on procedural requirements.

To qualify for the Administrative Officer GS-12 level, in addition to the above, you must demonstrate in your application that you possess at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position.

Specialized experience must reflect independent application of advanced administrative management practices across budget, human resources, procurement, and organizational support functions within a complex program environment.

Your resume must show you have performed all duties similar to these:

• Providing authoritative guidance on staffing needs, classification issues, drafting and updating position descriptions, documenting duties, and personnel policy interpretation.
• Acting as a liaison with HR to advise management officials on human resources matters and coordinating organizational needs with servicing HR offices.
• Conducting analyses of administrative support structures, recommending improvements to position management and workflow processes.
• Identifying and resolving complex multifaceted administrative problems impacting financial management, personnel utilization, logistics, and office operations, often under conditions requiring independent judgment, competing priorities, and limited guidance.
• Interpreting and applying procurement and contract regulations, directing staff in preparing requisitions and purchase orders, and ensuring adherence to Federal and Agency acquisition policies.
• Advising management officials and employees on contract management responsibilities, procurement options, and compliance obligations that impact personnel or administrative operations.
• Interpreting HR policies and regulatory requirements to address sensitive or complex staffing issues; coordinating with HR specialists, program managers, and other partners to address complex personnel operational needs or policy related questions.
• Providing tactful and effective communication with internal and external partners, including program managers, employees, contractors, and other agencies, to implement recommendations or secure cooperation on sensitive issues.

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Difference- at - Grade Justification Notes:

The Administrative Officer position is established as a career-ladder GS-09/11/12 role, with the GS-12 representing the Full Performance Level (FPL). The differences between the GS-11 and GS-12 levels reflect increased independence, complexity, judgment, and program impact, all of which are documented in the position description. The GS-12 Administrative Officer functions as the fully independent, authoritative administrative expert for OPPD. This level requires:

• -Greater judgment and initiative
• -Broad programmatic impact
• -Independent interpretation of guidelines
• -Higher complexity of assignments
• -Strategic advising of OPPD leadership
• -Oversight of integrated administrative systems

In contrast, the GS-11 serves in a developmental capacity, performing portions of these responsibilities but lacking the full independence, scope of influence, and complexity required at the GS-12 level. These distinctions align with the Factor Level descriptions and Statements of Difference outlined in the PD.

Education

To Qualify For The GS-11 Grade Level Based Solely On Education, You Must Upload Your Transcripts Documenting That You Meet One Of The Following Educational Requirements:

• A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, OR
• 3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, OR
• An LL.M., if related to the position

To qualify for a GS-0341-12 position, you must meet the specialized experience; there is not education substitute for this grade.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to

If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case‑by‑case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.