Program Support Assistant

This position is located within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Midwest Area, Cereal Disease Research Unit in Saint Paul, MN. In this position, you will serve as a personal assistant to the Research Leader and other professional staff providing various secretarial, administrative, and program support duties, allowing them to focus on the organization's primary mission.

Develops and implements new systems or administrative processes to meet unit needs (e.g., Administrative Office Procedures Handbook, manuscript/abstract/ARIS action tracking system, files maintenance, etc.).

Identifies, restructures, and recommends ways of eliminating, combining, simplifying or improving administrative and clerical office procedures and processes.

Prepares travel requests and vouchers for foreign and domestic travel. Maintains a detailed knowledge of travel policies and regulations in order to serve as a technical resource to unit personnel.

Screens all calls and visitors, answering most questions on established policy or routine matters. When calls are referred to the RL, the incumbent furnishes readily obtainable information to aid in the discussion.

Reviews all formal outgoing correspondence for proper format, grammar, punctuation, etc., in accordance with Agency correspondence guidelines.

Coordinates the processing of manuscripts and reports for public information; edits material for correct structure, clarity, and arrangement of format for scientific journals and other media.

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. Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit [external link] As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period unless previous federal service is creditable. During this time your employment will be evaluated, and we may consider: your performance and conduct, the needs and interests of the agency, whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government, and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. USDA-ARS scientists work on a wide range of agricultural issues. The agency's research aims to find practical solutions to agricultural problems, often translating scientific findings into tools and technologies that can be used by farmers, ranchers, and food producers. The National Farm Security Action Plan elevates American agriculture as a key element of our nation's national security. This position supports and/or assists the research that is being conducted by USDA-ARS scientists and is considered to be sensitive as the duties require protection of private, controlled unclassified, or proprietary information with a moderate impact degree.