Permits Assistant

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Alaska Regional Office (AKR), with one vacancy in Juneau, AK or Anchorage, AK. This position is also announced under vacancy number NMFS-26-13080387-ST, which is open to Status Candidates. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

Major duties

As a Permits Assistant, you will be performing the following duties: Serve as technical expert in the processing of applications for permits, licenses and registrations for the harvesting of Pacific halibut issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska Region (AKR) to eligible applicants. Review, verify, and process applications for issuance and transfer of permits, licenses, and registrations. Provide technical support in developing and implementing new fishery permits, license programs or requirements. Work with IT development staff to test new data entry and data reporting tools for use by the Alaska Region. Provide training to employees in the processing of routine applications. Provide a full range of customer support services for applicants seeking fishery permits. Provide regulatory and permit application information and customer service via call center. Provide user support for online constituent application services. Perform routine research for constituents related to general permitting issues. Assist in Alaska Region outreach efforts at marine trade shows or other public venues. Perform records management activities and mail distribution, handling, and processing. File applications, correspondence and other official records and assist with proper records disposition. Use care in handling confidential data ensuring compliance with the Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act legal standards. Process and distribute incoming mail and prepare outgoing correspondence to permit holders and applicants. Note: These duties are described at the full performance level of the ZS-4; The ZS-3 is developmental leading to such performance.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/ EDUCATION: There is no positive education requirement for this position. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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. To qualify for the ZS-3 or GS-05 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZS-2 or GS-04 level in the federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Assisting in providing online and live customer support services responding to requests for information on policies, programs, services or products; and Assisting in maintaining and organizing office files and records. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Four years of education above high school level in any field. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience equivalent to that described above. Note: Only post-high school education in excess of two years is qualifying for combination. To qualify at the ZS-4 or GS-07 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZS-3 or GS-06 level in the federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Participating in administrative processes such as issuing licenses, registrations, certifications or other similar types of documentation; Providing online and live customer support services responding to inquiries, resolving problems and providing regulatory guidance; and Performing records management activities including organization, quality control of documents and disposition of records.

Education

College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken. Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty. Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation.

Requirements

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band. The ZS-3 is equivalent to the GS-05/06. The ZS-4 is equivalent to the GS-07/08. Key Requirements: Applicants must be U.S. Citizens. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Additional Information. Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov) Qualification requirements must be met by closing date of the announcement. Additional Considerations: One year probationary period may be required. Payment of relocation expenses (PCS) is not authorized. Payment of relocation incentives OR recruitment incentives may be authorized. Note: Relocation incentives are for current federal employees only. Background investigation will be required. Continued employment is subject to applicant's successful completion of security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. *Note: A one year probationary period will be required unless you are a current Department of Commerce (including NOAA) employee and are in the same line of work and with no more than a 30 day break in service. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, for those required to serve a 1-year probationary period, we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: Your performance and conduct; 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. Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.