Visitor Assistant

Summary This position is located in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center (CVC), the gateway to the U.S. Capitol and Congress. Our staff welcome visitors from around the world for tours of the historic rooms of the Capitol, educational programs and congressional events. Our goal is to inform, involve and inspire every visitor. This goal is supported by 200 employees across five divisions: Visitor Services, Exhibits and Education, Retail, Communications and Marketing, and Planning, Operations and Evaluation. Responsibilities The operational needs of the Capitol Visitor Center require that as a Visitor Assistant, you will need to work on Saturdays and holidays, and may be expected to work Sundays and/or evenings in support of special events. As a Visitor Assistant you will be required to walk, talk and stand for hours, up to an entire shift, as well as walk up and down steps. In addition, you will be required to lift items which may weigh up to 20 pounds, such as stanchions and boxes. While your work would be primarily indoors, you will need to work outdoors, in a variety of weather conditions, to facilitate visitors entering the buildings or to provide support for special events. As a Visitor Assistant you will: Provide visitor services assistance in support of tour operations in the CVC and the Capitol. You will gather the group to explain the procedures to be followed and any safety and conduct measures required; assist and provide order with managing extremely large groups with unfamiliar surroundings where there may be safety concerns. Collaborate with co-workers, specifically, visitor assistants and guides, on daily and routine tasks and adjusts, as necessary, to ensure visitor flow is maintained and tours and programs operate as scheduled. Use hand-held radios to talk with co-workers and/or supervisor regarding new information or assignments or if in need of additional personnel within the CVC. Work with visitors in a variety of ways, in support of tours and programs (e.g., greeting visitors at tour and program staging areas, assisting with reservations, providing information on times and content, loading and unloading theaters, operating audio-visual equipment, collecting data, distributing listening devices, dividing larger groups into smaller groups per tour limitations, arranging for accessibility services). You will also have to consider safety and security factors when coordinating tour operations. And you will use the advance reservation automated system to verify reservations for visitors or tour groups. Confirm or set up a new reservation with in-coming visitors in the automated reservation system and issues tickets. Work with visitors to resolve late or early arrivals or adjustments to the reserved time. You may be required to lift twenty pound boxes of tickets restock printers for the automated reservation system. Occasionally be required to provide brief, informal talks on the history presented in the Exhibition Hall and the CVC and inform visitors about the historical significance of exhibits and artifacts. Receive guidance from the U.S. Capitol Police with regard to safety and security issues such as addressing prohibited items, directing crowds and assisting visitors in the event of an emergency in the CVC or Capitol, and maintaining personal safety. If any safety and security concerns should arise, you will report them to supervisors and US Capitol Police. Be expected to work Saturdays and holidays, and may be expected to work Sundays and/or evenings in support of special events, due to the operational needs of the Visitor Center. *** Please Note: This position is temporary in nature and will not exceed 13 months. This is strictly a temporary appointment where there is no permanent need or permanent funding available for the work involved and that the temporary appointment is limited in duration. The duration of this temporary appointment may be shorter or longer, depending on the duration of the work or project. The temporary position may also be terminated at any time due to lack of work and/or lack of funds without any advance notice. As a non-permanent employee, you may also be separated for failure to meet management’s expectations, with no advance notice. Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. 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); or A 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 https://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-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 is defined as having experience: Providing assistance to customers in a retail, hospitality, or museum environment; Answering basic questions that arise from customers' inquiries; and Ensuring the safety of customers, when necessary. Education SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: Experience requirements may be met by successful completion of a four year course of study leading to a bachelors' degree with major study in fields such as history, science, and/or public speaking, or that included or was supplemented by 24 semester/36 quarter hours in such subjects. 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 https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/ 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 https://www.e-verify.gov/ 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.