Supervisory Horticulturist

Summary The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) has a leadership position as Director of Horticulture within Capitol Grounds and Arboretum (CGA); Horticulture Division. The Supervisory Horticulturist primary purpose of the position is to provide leadership and long-term planning for the Gardening Division, including planning and managing long term human capital, budget, customer experience, curatorial and other critical processes. Learn more about this agency Duties Help Supervisory and Managerial ResponsibilitiesSupervises the staff of the division through subordinate supervisors. Performs administrative and technical supervisory functions for subordinates. Assigns duties and evaluates performance. Manages the organizational unit's budget and workload. Develops performance requirements for subordinates and ensures a mutual understanding of the performance standards.Develops work improvement plans for subordinates. Provides advice and counsel to subordinates on administrative and technical work matters. Garden and Grounds LeadershipProvides professional leadership of subordinate supervisors and team leaders of Urban Forester, Plant Health Care Specialist, Turfgrass Management Specialists, Certified Arborists, Horticulturists, Gardeners, and other plant science specialists. Outlines overall responsibilities, makes assignments, sets priorities and provides professional, technical and administrative advice and assistance as required. Plans organizational structure and staffing needs, determines types of jobs required and assigns duties to key subordinate positions.Directs the work of the Plant Health Care Specialist to ensure optimum health of the living collection. Responsible to mitigate plant pests throughout our urban landscape and collaborates with federal agencies to monitor exotic and potentially devastating invasive species.Oversees the development and execution of the CGA arboretum program including specimens of historical significance. Responsible for directing work of the Urban Forester and coordinating work prioritization and work execution of over 4,800 trees to maintain health and safety.Directs the work of the Turfgrass Management Specialists and the turf team. Prioritizes work and plans budget and resource needs. Coordinates maintenance tasks between the Turfgrass Management Specialists and the Supervisory Horticulturist.Analyzes long-range needs, unusual problems or unusual questions affecting the operations and maintenance of the Capitol gardens and grounds. Contract AdministrationAdvises the Deputy Executive Director on the use of outside contractors when that is the most reasonable course of action to accomplish specific aspects of a job or an entire work project that cannot be performed by AOC staff.Serves as a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) for designated contracts.Evaluates employee and contractor performance in meeting operational requirements, contract requirements and core processes.Performs technical oversight and support to contract workers and others assigned to projects by ensuring that plans, blueprints, materials and other tools required are available and by obtaining needed information and decisions from the supervisory engineer, landscape architect or other technical staff. Performs other related duties as assigned. Maintains a DC pesticide applicator license in categories III - A, B & C, (3A) exterior ornamental plants, (3B) interior plant-scapes and/or (3C) turf grass, dependent upon the pesticides used. **This position is considered "essential". Reporting to work during emergencies and inclement weather situations is required.**** Requirements Help Conditions of employmentYou must meet the definition of specialized experience.You must meet education requirements at the time of application.Maintains a DC pesticide license in categories III - A, B & C. To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet one of the categories below: 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); orA person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.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 the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, an applicant's one full year of specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. To qualify at the GS-14 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-13 level in the federal service. Examples of qualifying experience include the following types of tasks performed on a regular and recurring basis: Performing administrative and technical supervision of subordinate staff in the performance of gardening and grounds maintenance and repair work to include staffing levels, performance management, training and development and organization and position management;Providing guidance and managing maintenance programs for a public gardens that include seasonal horticultural displays and landscape preservations;Performing gardening work, including estimating material and labor costs for a variety of landscape projects, directing actual work operations and maintaining contact with the organization funding the project; andServing as a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) or equivalent. Education In addition to meeting the specialized experience requirements, applicants must have the following: 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. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part of foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing if selected. 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 OPM vet guide 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 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, 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 on a case-by-case basis. Moving expenses are not authorized. Relocation expenses are not authorized. Probationary Period- Selectee(s) 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. All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Help 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 windowLearn 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.