Duties

*** This position is essential-Employee is required to report to work during emergencies and inclement weather situations***

Tour of duty will be other than Monday through Friday and may include weekends, evenings and holidays on a regular and recurring basis.
This position is located in the United States Botanic Garden (USBG), Horticulture Division.
The Selectee will be assigned to one (1) of the three (3) sections: Exhibits and Displays Section, Collections Section or Gardens and Grounds Section.
The Selectee will be responsible for propagating and growing seasonal plants that are of the highest horticultural quality. May be assigned to more than one section for training.
The position may be filled at the Gardener Helper WG-05 level or Gardener Helper WG-06 (Advanced) level. Developmental assignments will be given with the goal of attaining the full performance level. Duties quoted below are at the WG-6 level.
Major Duties:
Grows a wide variety of accessioned collection plants for display throughout the US Botanic Garden.
Assists in managing, maintaining, developing and cultivating specialized plant group collections. Propagates and cultivates unusual plants, seeds and plant materials.
Re-plants, divides, roots and prunes plant specimens to achieve and maintain optimum plant health.
Performs propagation of the collection by division, cuttings, seeds and air layering at the appropriate time.
Develops and maintains updated and accurate records including seasonal growing schedules. Assists in properly labeling and accessioning permanent plants.
Works with the Botanist to maintain accurate and detailed accession records.
Operates a motor vehicle when transporting plants and equipment to designated facilities. Records the date, plant name, accession number, quantity and plant destination.
Assists in the installation of aesthetic and educational plant displays, which includes the layout and design of the display, selecting and labeling the plants and maintaining and rotating plants in the exhibit.
Complies with and actively participates in USBG sustainability efforts including composting, recycling and energy reduction programs.
Must be registered with the D.C. Department of the Environment to apply pesticides under the direction of a licensed pesticide applicator within 90 days after the effective date of appointment.
Follows all relevant safety rules, regulations, and standard operating procedures; Utilizes knowledge of and must comply with all OSHA safety rules and regulations to ensure that work progresses in a safe manner; Provides or receives training, either on-the-job or through classroom training, to ensure that all safety practices and equipment are fully utilized; Uses required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• You must be able to pass a drug test.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate job-related elements.
• Must possess and maintain a valid and unexpired State driver's license.
• To apply pesticides in DC, must possess a DC Pesticide Applicator's License

Applicants must possess and maintain a valid and unexpired State driver's license at the time of application.

• A citizen of the United States;
• A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B);
• A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible;
• A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or
• A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.

How You Will Be Evaluated

• Benefits
  
  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. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits.
  
  A variety of health insurance plans; retirement system with investment options; paid holidays; paid sick and annual (vacation) leave; life insurance; incentive systems; subsidized transportation; training and development opportunities, etc.
  Selected applicant(s) may be eligible to earn a higher annual leave accrual rate credit towards annual leave accrual based on prior non-Federal or uniformed service work experience. The amount of service credit will be based on specialized experience or qualifying experience that is provided on the applicant profile submitted. As such, if you are a new employee to the Federal Government or a rehire, it is important that you provide a work history that lists all directly related positions held, and it must include the dates of employment (month/day/year).
  The Architect of the Capitol offers eligible employees opportunity to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program.
  
  

  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.
  
• Required Documents
  
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  The Architect of the Capitol's job application process is designed to ensure that we only ask you for the information that is absolutely needed to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility for the position.
  
  To apply for this position, you only need to submit online the following: a) your resume and 2) answer the online vacancy assessment questionnaire. The online questionnaire contains eligibility and screening questions and other relevant supplemental information. No additional documentation or attachment is required at the time of application.
  
  We ask that you prepare and submit a resume that best describes fully your background experience, skills, abilities, education, training and other relevant credentials. The resume should include dates of employment.
  
  Nothing further is required until it is requested by the staff of the Human Capital Management Division. If additional documentation is required for a position, you will be asked to provide it during the selection process or upon selection. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume.
  
  For example, we may ask you to provide documents such as college transcripts, copy of diploma or proof of Federal employment status. If the position requires a license or certification, we will ask candidate(s) to provide proof at the time of selection.
  
  If you are claiming veterans' preference, we may ask you to submit proof of Veterans preference (DD-214, and, if claiming 10-point preference, the SF-15 plus proof required by that form).
  
  If you fail to provide the required documents, we will withdraw a tentative job offer made and/or remove you from further consideration.
  
• How to Apply
  
  You MUST apply online. FORMS RECEIVED BY FAX, EMAIL OR U.S. POSTAL SERVICE DELIVERY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
  
  If you are a new user to the USAJOBS Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying. You must be a registered USAJOBS user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help with setting up an account or for general assistance in using USAJOBS, go to USAJOBS Help Page.
  
  NEED HELP?
  If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available! If you have problems completing your on-line application, contact the Monster Hiring Management Help Desk at 1-866-656-6831 or by e-mail at MGSHELP@monster.com. The help desk is available Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. You may call and leave a voice mail message at all other times.
  
  All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJOBS “Saved Documents” feature.
  
  If you are unable to apply on-line, you may visit our Employment Center for technical assistance in entering your application. The Employment Center is located at 441 Second & D Streets S.W., Washington, D.C., Room H2-178, and is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You may call (202) 226-7000 for directions.
  

  Agency contact information

  London Holliway

  Phone

  202-226-7000

  Fax

  202-226-9755

  Email

  london.holliway@aoc.gov

  Address

  Architect of the Capitol
  2nd and D Street, S.W.
  Washington, District of Columbia 20515
  United States

  Next steps

  You will receive a notice generated by the USAJOBS System when you have successfully submitted your application. We will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.
  
  You can check the status of your application by logging into http://www.usajobs.gov. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJOBS Account, editing your profile and changing the ‘Notification Settings’ to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within two (2) weeks after the closing date of this vacancy announcement.
  
• Fair and Transparent
  
  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  

  • Criminal history inquiries
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Financial suitability
  • New employee probationary period
  • Privacy Act
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Selective Service
  • Signature and false statements
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all U.S. Citizens.