In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Professional and Scientific Positions.

To qualify for a GS-07: Completion of 1 academic year of graduate level education, or bachelor's degree with Superior academic Achievement as provided in the "General Policies and Instructions" for Qualifications Standards Operating Manual (see link below), or 5 academic years of pre-professional study, or 1 year specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-05.

To qualify for a GS-09: Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B or J.D., if related.

Recommend areas of study: Community Planning.

Degree: community planning; or related field such as urban affairs, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, sociology, geography, economics, political science, or public administration that included at least 12 semester hours in the planning process, socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, urban and regional economic analysis, and development finance.

Note: Applicants with degrees in related fields such as those listed above who do not have the 12 semester hours of specified course work must have had at least 1 year of work experience in community planning acquired under the supervision and guidance of a community planner.

OR

Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in one of the above disciplines, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the above disciplines of which at least 12 semester hours were in the planning process, and socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

AND

You must have a 4 or 6 year course of study leading to a bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited institution AND must have documented Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) at the graduate level in one of the following:

A) Class Standing - upper third of the graduating class based on completed courses in the college, university, or major subdivision

B) Grade Point Average - 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your official transcript or as computed based on 4 years of education or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of curriculum;

OR

3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in your major field or the required courses in your major field completed during the final 2 years of your curriculum. If more than 10 percent of total undergraduate credit hours are non-graded, i.e. pass/fail, CLEP, CCAF, DANTES, military credit, etc., you cannot qualify based on GPA.

C) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society (note: freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this position). (If qualifying based on class standing or honor society membership, provide appropriate documentation).

You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES ( KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Knowledge and understanding of the techniques and philosophy of professional community planning.

2. Knowledge and skill to gather, assemble, analyze and report on facts.

3. Knowledge of automated systems and programs such as CADD, information management, project tracking, and other software programs.

4. Ability to recognize significant and controlling aspects of situations in relation to standard community planning practices.

5. Skill in communicating orally and in writing.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.