Administrative Support Assistant

About the Role

This part-time, on-site Administrative Support Assistant position is based in Ramstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The role supports office operations through records handling, correspondence review, calendar coordination, personnel administration, supply tracking, and timekeeping tasks.

Key Duties

• Check outgoing correspondence to ensure it is accurate and complete.
• Use computerized systems to input, access, and manage records.
• Assist with payroll-related tasks and monitor leave and attendance.
• Act as the custodian for office property, records, and inventory.
• Use automated tools to confirm and track supply levels.
• Manage the office calendar and arrange staff appointments.
• Maintain staff time-and-attendance and leave documentation.
• Prepare timecards and process personnel actions for assigned employees.

Employment Conditions

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete the pre-employment Selective Service certification statement.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Enrollment in direct deposit is mandatory.
• A one-year trial or probation period may apply.
• Final hiring depends on a suitability and fitness review, including a background investigation.
• This role requires a Tier 1 background investigation with childcare checks because it involves contact with children and youth under 18.
• Applicants must meet the requirements of DoD civil service rules for work in foreign locations and return rights.
• Employees hired from the continental United States, and their U.S.-citizen family members, must secure official passports before overseas departure.

Who May Apply

Applications are limited to candidates eligible under one of the listed federal employment authorities, including current and certain former Department of War/Defense employees, overseas family member appointment categories, preference programs, transition assistance programs, military spouse preference, veterans' programs, and other specified eligible groups.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet the stated education and/or experience standards. Relevant experience may include paid work, unpaid work, or volunteer service. Your resume must clearly show how you meet the requirements, and transcripts are needed if you qualify through education.

GS-05: One year of specialized experience involving the use of automated systems for data entry, maintaining supply inventory, and preparing accurate correspondence. Equivalent work at the GS-04 level is the typical background for this grade.

Alternative qualification: Four years of education beyond high school from an accredited business, secretarial, technical school, junior college, college, or university may qualify.

Combination option: A mix of education and experience may be used if it reaches 100% of the requirement.

GS-06: One year of specialized experience involving automated systems for report preparation, supply ordering and tracking, office calendar management, and personnel record administration such as timekeeping, payroll, and leave tracking. Experience at the GS-05 level is the usual background for this grade.

For GS-06, qualification must be met through experience only; education cannot be substituted.

Typing requirement: Candidates must be able to type 40 words per minute with no more than three errors in a 5-minute sample. A typing test may be required, and applicants who do not meet this standard will not be considered.

Time-in-grade rules: GS-06 applicants must have 52 weeks of federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-05) within the last 52 weeks. GS-05 applicants may not have been promoted more than two grades within the previous 52 weeks.

Reasonable accommodation: Applicants who need an accommodation for online assessments may request one during the application process, with supporting documentation submitted before the assessment begins.

Education

If foreign education is used to meet the qualification standards, it must be evaluated by a recognized credential evaluation organization or otherwise shown to be equivalent to accredited U.S. education.

Additional Information

• Selection is subject to the Department of War referral rules for displaced employees.
• Salary includes locality pay or a local market supplement where applicable.
• Multiple hires may be made from this announcement.
• The hiring manager may choose any advertised grade level, with possible advancement to the target grade later without further competition if eligible and recommended.
• The duties described reflect the full-performance GS-06 level; lower-level selections will work developmentally under close supervision.
• Applicants must comply with Exceptional Family Member Program requirements.
• Only U.S. citizens who are not ordinarily resident under the applicable Status of Forces Agreement may apply; ordinary-resident restrictions vary by host nation.
• Pay retention may be offered for some overseas hires, but not as an incentive for transferring between overseas positions.
• Overseas status candidates subject to the 5-year rotation rule must have enough time left to complete the initial tour; waivers are not granted to satisfy the limitation.
• Status applicants in the fourth year of an overseas assignment cannot be selected unless the 5-year overseas service limitation is waived.
• Eligibility for foreign area benefits will be determined at hire for candidates recruited outside the U.S.
• Host-country laws or international agreements may affect the ability of a same-sex spouse or domestic partner to accompany the employee and access benefits.
• The initial overseas tour length is 36 months.
• This position is excluded from bargaining unit coverage.
• Information for reemployed annuitants is referenced in the hiring materials.
• DoD Priority Placement Program applicants receive preference only at the full-performance grade level.
• Applicants may claim Priority Placement Program preference.

Benefits and Care Considerations

Federal employees receive a comprehensive benefits package. Benefits vary by appointment type, and part-time employees should confirm the exact package with the hiring agency.

• Applicants with family members who have special medical needs should verify that adequate care is available overseas before accepting the role.
• Military treatment facilities may only be available to civilian employees on a space-available basis, so host-nation care may be the primary option.
• Employees and family members are responsible for the cost of medical or dental care obtained overseas.
• Access to military medical and dental facilities for civilians and their families is available only on a space-available and reimbursable basis.
• Medical and dental services may also be provided by host-nation providers, with availability and quality varying by location.

Candidate Profile

The ideal applicant is organized, detail-oriented, comfortable with administrative systems, and capable of handling sensitive personnel, payroll, inventory, and scheduling tasks in a structured government environment.