Summary This position is located in the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center (CVC). The CVC is the public's front door to the U.S. Capitol, offering tours and education programs as well as supporting congressional events. Our goal is to inform, involve and inspire every visitor to the U.S. Capitol. The CVC has 200 employees across five divisions: Visitor Services, Exhibits and Education, Retail, Communications and Marketing, and Planning, Operations and Evaluation. Responsibilities The individual selected for this position will: Greet and assist visitors by escorting them to displays, informing visitors about products, and suggesting product purchases. Maintain a high level of professionalism and customer service at all times with a wide and diverse public. Maintain courteous and helpful attitude at all times. Maintain situational awareness of customer needs and re-prioritizes appropriately to meet customer needs. Act with a sense of pride in fulfilling the mission, vision and objectives of the CVC. Demonstrate selling skills that inform, involve and inspire the visitor to achieve product purchases. Respond to visitor questions, complaints and concerns in a manner that provides positive resolution or offers appropriate guidance. Maintain deep knowledge about the CVC, the Capitol, and the surrounding D.C. area. Understand and communicate how CVC Gift Shop merchandise supports the CVC mission and relates to the various artifacts and exhibits in the CVC. Embrace quality control in daily activities, including in shop receiving, stocking, and recovery. Identify and communicate product requests and needs to Gift Shops management. Perform an extensive range of retail operational activities including cash handling, re-stocking, and visual presentations or recovery within the shops. Fully comply with all standard operating procedures. Keep funds secured at all times. Maintain appropriate levels of cash/change stocked in the individual drawer to expedite sales transactions. Coordinate with the management as necessary to manage cash levels. Be required to work Saturdays and holidays due to the business needs of the Capitol Visitor Center. Requirements Conditions of Employment 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 A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States." You must be able to pass a drug test and background check. 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 OPM qualification standards 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-05 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: (1) providing assistance to customers in a retail or hospitality environment; (2) being knowledgeable about store merchandise to assist customers; and (3) keeping a cash drawer in a retail or hospitality environment. Education You may meet the basic qualification requirement if you possess equivalent combinations of education and experience as defined below. Substitution of education for specialized experience: Successful completion of four years of full-time academic study above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial, or technical school, junior college, college, or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. When combining education and specialized experience, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. 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 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. All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol.
