Technical Writer Editor, GS-1083-11/12/13 NF

Summary

This Technical Writer Editor position is located in the Executive Office of the Director (EOD). The primary purpose of the position is to support the Executive Secretariat with the development and implementation of internal and external communications activities for organizational programs and strategic communications planning and implementation.

Duties

• As a Technical Writer Editor, you will perform the following duties: Develop, analyze, proofread, and edit high-quality documents that accurately portray policies, procedures, and other technical topics. Work closely with others in reviewing documents that are ready for issuance, which often deal with highly complex and potentially controversial topics. Analyze, interpret, and integrate information in a variety of formats, including graphics, tables, databases, and spreadsheets. Advise U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) staff and managers on the development of a wide variety of written products, including audit reports, testimonies, congressional correspondence, and special reports. Coordinate activities within the agency, as well as contact with other federal agencies, Congress, and White House personnel. Review written products to ensure they comply with writing principles and established policies and procedures. Conduct independent research to identify and provide needed context for understanding complex material and audit messages. Work with the Executive Secretary and NSF Knowledge Management Chief in formulating and promulgating writing policies, procedures, and guidelines, and in developing products that support the agency's mission.

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements: Basic Occupational Series Requirements: Education Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Must have included a total of 15 semester hours in an appropriate scientific, technical, or social science field(s), and at least one course above the introductory level in the field(s) covered by the position. For technical manuals and specifications writers or editors, the equivalent of 15 semester hours may have been gained through vocational or educational training above the high school level at a public, private, or Armed Forces school. OR Experience Experience that required substantial subject-matter or technical knowledge of the field. This experience must have demonstrated the ability to acquire and present technical information through independent reading, interviews with subject-matter specialists, observation of tests and experiments, interpretation of blueprints or diagrams, or other appropriate methods. Such experience may have been acquired as a writer or editor of technical reports, articles, manuals, or specifications. In addition to meeting the Basic Occupational Series Requirements, applicants must have the following: Specialized Experience To qualify at the GS-11 level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the federal service developing, editing, and reviewing technical documents and procedures for an organization. OR possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR possess 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR possess a combination of post-high school education and experience that together meet the qualification requirements for this position. Examples of experience include: Drafting technical communications materials or documents for review. Conducting technical research. Contacting technical experts for information/clarification. Editing technical documents. To qualify at the GS-12 level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the federal service developing, researching, analyzing, and editing written materials to convey complex information to internal and external audiences. Examples of experience include: Developing communications materials on technical topics. Editing technical documents for content, grammar, formatting, etc. Aligning written materials with writing and editing guidelines and supervisory guidance. Performing technical research. To qualify at the GS-13 level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the federal service leading the development and implementation of technical documentation strategies, standards, templates, editorial guidelines, or quality-control processes for an organization. Examples of experience include: Developing new ways to communicate complex topics to a variety of audiences. Closely collaborating with technical subject matter experts to write and edit documents for publication. Ensuring compliance with writing and editing guidelines and procedures. Conducting research and analysis on a variety of technical topics. Experience refers to paid/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/experience that translates directly to paid work. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. citizen. Selectee will be required to have a background investigation prior to onboarding. Additional Requirements: Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade/equivalent. You must meet eligibility and qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date. You must answer all job-related questions in the NSF eRecruit questionnaire and any external assessment that is included. All online applicants must provide a valid email address. If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full/blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position. It is NSF policy that personnel employed at, or Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) individuals detailed to, NSF are not permitted to participate in foreign talent recruitment programs. Failure to comply with this NSF policy could result in disciplinary action up to and including removal from Federal Service or termination of an IPA assignment and referral to the Office of Inspector General. NSF has determined that all of its positions are eligible for situational telework. Situational telework may be approved on an occasional basis in accordance with agency policy, supervisory approval, and operational requirements. Selected candidates interested in telework, or other workplace flexibility arrangements, should discuss available options with the selecting official. Participation in telework is voluntary and requires an approved telework agreement.

Education

Basic Occupational Series Requirements If using undergraduate or graduate level education to show you meet the Basic Occupational Series Requirements described in "Qualifications", you must submit TRANSCRIPTS (unofficial copies are acceptable) that verify that the occupational series requirements are met. Specialized Experience Education may be substituted for experience as described in "Qualifications" at the GS-11 level. If qualifying based on education, you must submit TRANSCRIPTS (unofficial copies are acceptable) or a DIPLOMA that verifies that the requirement is met. Education may enhance skills required for this position at the GS-12 and GS-13 levels; however, no substitution of education for specialized experience may be made at these levels.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.