Academic Counselor

Summary

This position is part of the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), Department of the Interior (DOI). As a Guidance Counselor (Academic) you will be responsible for providing academic support services and resources to students.

Duties

As a Guidance Counselor (Academics)/Academic Counselor, GS-1740-11, your typical work assignments may include the following under supervision: Serve as an advisor and counselor to first-year students, returning and continuing students, and students with disabilities. Provide direct and indirect academic support to help students navigate college systems, access student services, and utilize available on and off campus resources as students begin and continue their education with emphasis of cultural integration in areas supportive co-curricular activities. Administer career assessments to evaluate students' interests, needs, and career goals and build upon specific educational plans appropriate to degree or certificate program. Provide individual and group academic counseling services to all student with a strong emphasis on adult learners and students on probation or suspension. Gather, organize, and analyze student data to support effective academic counseling and non academic assessment program objectives and criteria. Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, policies, and administrative regulations. Contribute to SIPI's strategic and academic initiatives by supporting integrated advisement with faculty/advisors, strengthens guided pathways towards workforce development and student transitioning, assist with student learning in retention, persistence, and degree completion efforts aligned with program assessment, strategic planning, and continuous improvement requirements. Strengthen internal and external partnerships with tribal, state, and federal government workforces and higher educational institutional pathways for student internships and graduate students. Support Guide Pathways model for integrated advisement.

Qualifications and evaluation

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. To determine if you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your application to determine your level of experience. Please follow all instructions carefully, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, which may include a medical examination, drug test, physical readiness test, written examination, and structured interview. These assessments measure the critical competencies that are required to successfully perform the job. This position requires successful completion of the following assessment: Structured Resume Review. This assessment measures the critical competencies that are required to successfully perform the job in the following areas: Academic Counseling, Mentoring, Student Learning, and Technical Competence Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration. Errors or omissions may affect your qualification. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action. If you meet the minimum qualifications requirements for this position, your application will be evaluated and rated under Category Rating selection procedures. Once the application process is complete, a review of your qualifications will be conducted to determine if you are qualified for this job. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The quality categories are: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within each of these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-preference eligibles. Best Qualified: Applicants that possess all of the job related competencies identified as important for successful job performance. Well Qualified: Applicants that possess a majority (i.e., more than half but not all) of the job related competencies needed for successful job performance. Qualified: Applicants meet the basic eligibility and minimum qualification requirements but do not meet the definition of Best Qualified or Well Qualified as described above. Indian Preference candidates not within reach on a Delegated Examining certificate of eligibles may be appointed using the Excepted Service Schedule A hiring authority. To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13020502

Education

EDUCATION: Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, credit hours, major, and grade-point average or class ranking, degree and date awarded. All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). Applicants are responsible for providing documentation that the educational requirements have been met. To qualify based on education you must submit a legible copy of your transcripts. Official transcripts are required upon selection if you qualified based on education. Education must have been obtained from an accredited or pre-accredited institution recognized by the U.S. DOE (click here) in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the U.S. (click here).

How to apply

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE AND/OR EMPLOYMENT STATUS. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. If you are unable to apply online, require reasonable accommodation in the application process, or an applicant with a disability, please contact Marsha Tanner at 505-431-3574 or marsha.tanner@bie.edu for alternate application instructions. Notification to Applicants: Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur within 90 days from the closing date.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. For more information see How do I write a resume for a federal job? Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. 2. Complete all required assessments. 3. All other supporting documents (if applicable) such as: If claiming Indian Preference, Form BIA 4432. The form must be completed by the appropriate official with the Federally recognized tribe where the applicant is enrolled as a member. No other form will be accepted. If claiming Veterans' Preference, you must submit your preference eligibility documents or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty. If you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (member 4 copy) or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15 plus the proof required by that form including your DD-214 (member 4 copy), SF-15 and VA letter, or other proof of eligibility. CTAP/ICTAP Documentation, if applicable. 1) Proof of eligibility (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force (RIF) Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal); 2) SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and 3) most recent performance appraisal. College transcript(s). Copy of education transcripts. Unofficial college transcripts are acceptable but official college transcripts will be required before entrance on duty. FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: Are required to indicate whether they received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) buyout in their previous employment with the Federal government and are required to submit a copy of the applicable SF-50 regarding the VSIP. The majority of individuals, who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation pay prior to reemployment. Learn more about buyouts. NOTE: Persons submitting incomplete applications will be given credit only for the information they provide. The applicant is responsible for submitting all required documentation in support of their application in order to receive full credit for their Indian preference, veteran preference, experience, training, and/or education as applicable. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL NOT BE SOLICITED FROM THIS OFFICE.

Additional information

The pay flexibilities of a recruitment bonus, relocation bonus or student loan repayment may be authorized, pending availability of funds and management approval. Initial appointments to the competitive or excepted service: The probationary or trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: Your performance and conduct; The needs and interests of the agency; Whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and Whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Bargaining Unit Status: Position is covered by Bargaining Unit/Union - Federation of Indian Service Employees, American Federation of Teachers Local 4521. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Documentation: The CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance (click here for more details, here for DOI's policy) to permanent Federal civilian employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming eligibility must submit a 1) copy of their most recent performance appraisal, 2) proof of eligibility, 3) most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered, applicants must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Veterans' Preference: If you are a Veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (member 4 copy) or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15 plus the proof required by that form.