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Summary The U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) is an accredited botanic garden and museum that inspires people to appreciate, study, and conserve plants to enrich society locally and globally. The Garden provides educational experiences to over 1 million visitors annually, presents horticultural displays and exhibits, advances plant conservation, strives to break down barriers to inclusion, and fosters the exchange of ideas and information through national and global partnerships. Visit: U.S. Botanic Garden. Responsibilities This position is located at the U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG), a jurisdiction within the Office of the Chief of Operations at the Architect of the Capitol (AOC). The Horticulturist oversees garden design and projects within the responsibility of the Horticulture Division. The incumbent is responsible for facilitating communication between stakeholders, creating and tracking timelines, and ensuring deliverable are generated and reviews are conducted in a timely manner to keep projects moving forward, within cost and on schedule. Major Duties include: Graden Evaluation, Planning and Design: Performs evaluation, planning and design of specialized areas of horticulture. These areas include, but are not limited to, mixed hardy plantings, native plants, lawns, edible plants, sustainable landscapes, seasonal plantings and decorations, and outdoor exhibits. Project planning includes all aspects of developing, scheduling, and coordinating garden renovation and installation including plants, hardscape, labels, irrigation, aesthetic elements, equipment, and labor. Investigates new techniques, materials, and varieties of plants to be grown for display at the USBG and participates in the selection of plant sources. Project Management: Responsible for oversight of projects within the responsibility of the Horticulture Division such as show development, garden development, and construction projects with direct impacts to gardens and the Collection. Collaborates with Director of Horticulture, Assistant Director of Horticulture, Horticulture Supervisors, Curator, and Landscape Architect to create and manage reasonable and actionable project timelines, ensuring deliverables are generated and reviews are conducted in a timely manner to keep the project moving forward. Communicates and collaborates with internal stakeholders in the AOC and USBG including USBG Leadership and the Administration, Horticulture, Operations and Learning and Engagement divisions of the USBG and AOC procurement offices. Manages multiple projects at the same time, prioritizes conflicting deadlines or needs and adjusts quickly to changing circumstances. Administration: Functions as Contract Officers Representative (COR) for procurements and contracts related to exhibit development and garden renovation projects. Ensures that projects are effectively inspected, monitored, controlled, and evaluated within timeliness, cost, and performance conditions. Assists with developing and tracking budgets for the Horticulture Division as well as assigned projects. The incumbent is responsible for utilizing a thorough knowledge of and compliance with applicable AOC and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety rules and regulations to ensure that work progresses in a safe manner and to initiate or take corrective action on unsafe conditions in managed areas. Performs other related duties as assigned. 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 the job-related KSAs. You must meet the definition of specialized experience. 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 You must be able to pass a drug test and background check. Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs. You must meet the definition of specialized experience. Qualifications You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Candidates for the GS-11 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal Service. Planning horticultural projects and activities, including plant collections, installation, maintenance and displays; Modifying or adapting standard techniques, processes and procedures and promoting knowledge and understanding of plants; Assessing and applying strategies and plans to overcome significant practical gardening problems; Evaluating and diagnosing structural and horticultural issues in plant materials and trees to determine the proper corrective action; Serving as a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or in an equivalent capacity overseeing the administration of contracts and/or agreements. OR You may substitute education for specialized experience. In order to substitute education for specialized experience, you must have three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree in a field of study related to the duties of the position. Education Degree: horticulture; or a related discipline of basic plant science that included at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, of which at least 16 semester hours were in horticultural subjects such as those dealing with the breeding, care, management, production, and post-harvest handling of horticultural crops. or Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in horticulture or a related discipline of basic plant science that included course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Courses in botany, plant physiology, plant taxonomy, plant pathology, genetics, agronomy, horticulture, and similar courses may be used to meet the 30-semester-hour requirement in basic plant sciences. The 16-semester-hour requirement in horticulture includes course work in basic horticulture and course work related to any of the recognized subject-matter fields of horticulture, i.e., fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, nursery work, seed production, or course work in related areas of science, such as micro-biology, entomology, plant pathology, plant physiology, or genetics that is directly related to horticultural work. Additional Information Welcome Veterans. The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) gives veterans' preference rights in the legislative branch to certain veterans as applied by the Congressional Accountability Act. Veterans' preference is applied on this vacancy announcement. If you are a veteran and have been separated under honorable conditions, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility; SF-15, if applicable; and Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of disability, if applicable. For more information, please visit http://www.opm.gov/veterans/html/vetguide.asp#6. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information. DRUG TESTING: The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC’s suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position who is not currently an AOC employee is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment with the Agency. A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. We will schedule, provide and cover the cost for the drug test. The selectee(s) under the vacancy announcement for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to be eligible for employment at the Architect of the Capitol. The Architect of the Capitol is an E-VERIFY Participant. E-VERIFY is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment authorization in the United States. If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the DHS Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" electronic system. For more information on E-Verify, please visit http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtm The Architect of the Capitol is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or disability. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Moving expenses are not authorized. Relocation expenses are not authorized. Probationary Period - A newly appointed selectee is subject to the completion of a one-year trial/probationary period, regardless of whether or not a trial/probationary period has been completed previously with the Architect of the Capitol or another Federal agency. This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies in any of the jurisdictions of the Architect of the Capitol. Please be advised that federal retired annuitant candidates may only be considered as a temporary employee if the role can be filled in that capacity.