NASA Headquarters' DirectivesEffective Date: May 01, 2007
Expiration Date: May 01, 2012
Responsible Office: LD100
| NASA Headquarters' Directives |
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| HQPD 3335.1 Effective Date: May 01, 2007 Expiration Date: May 01, 2012 Responsible Office: LD100 |
Competitive Placement Plan |
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a. This directive establishes policy for the Headquarters (HQ) Competitive Placement Plan (CPP)and supplements NPR 3335.1, Internal Placement for NASA Employees. It is Headquarters policy to fill vacancies with current and/or former Federal employees with competitive status at and below the GS-15 level through competition on the basis of merit. It also covers Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) eligibles and term employees with conversion eligibility as authorized by the NASA Flexibility Act of 2004.
b. Area of Consideration
The minimum area of consideration for positions advertised under this guidance shall be Headquarters-wide. Further restrictions to the area of consideration shall be assessed and decisions made on a case by case basis by the Director, HQ Human Resources Management Division. The basis for a decision to use a limited minimum area of consideration must be documented in the Competitive Placement Record.
c. Filling "Like" Vacancies
A selection certificate may be used to fill "like" vacancies throughout NASA Headquarters. "Like" vacancies are defined in NPR 3335.1 paragraph 3.6.3. Requests must be made by the selecting official to the Director, HQ Human Resources Management Division, through the supporting Human Resources (HR) Specialist.
d. Interviews
The selecting official shall interview some, none, or all of the candidates on a competitive placement certificate. Interviews shall be conducted in person or by telephone, and must be conducted by the selecting official or his/her designee(s). The selecting official must document the rationale used to determine the applicants interviewed and retain this information to respond to a grievance or challenge to a selection.
e. Employee Grievances
If an employee has a question or complaint about the Competitive Placement Plan or a specific competitive action, the employee shall first discuss it with the Human Resources Specialist on the HRMD Staffing and Classification Team within the HQ Human Resources Management Division. Grievance coverage is described in NPR 3771.1 Grievance System, and NASA Headquarters Professional Association Collective Bargaining Agreement.
f. Supervisory Probationary Period
An individual selected for the first time to a supervisory position must serve a one-year probationary period. An employee who has successfully completed a supervisory probationary period is not required to serve an additional probationary period.
g. Supervisory Competitive Selections
(1) A lateral reassignment without competition may only be made when an individual has previously served and successfully completed a supervisory probationary period in an officially classified supervisory position in the Federal service.
(2) An individual who has never served in an officially classified supervisory position in the Federal service must compete for assignment to a supervisory position.
(3) An individual who was previously assigned to an officially classified supervisory position in the Federal service, but did not successfully complete the one year probationary requirement must compete for assignment to a supervisory position.
(4) An individual whose only supervisory experience was gained from acting in a supervisory capacity must compete for assignment to a supervisory position.
h. Accretion of Duties
(1) An accretion of duties promotion is a promotion resulting from an employee's position being classified at a higher grade because of the addition of higher level duties that could only logically be assigned to that position. When the nature of a position gradually evolves over an extended period of time and the added duties favorably impact the grade, the individual in the position may be promoted in place without competition.
(2) An "extended period of time" is any reasonably long timeframe that demonstrates a continuing need for the new duties to be performed in that position. A minimum of six months is normally needed to make this determination.
(a) Successive Promotions Based on Accretion of Duties: The fact that accretion of duties promotions are allowed does not mean that such actions shall be routine. Successive noncompetitive promotions (more than one) of an employee in the same job, based on accretion of duties, violate merit principles.
(b) Budget Constraints: Lack of funds cannot be cited as a reason for disapproving an accretion of duties promotion (or any other promotion, for that matter). Once an accretion of duties situation has been identified, management has but two choices: (1) Approve the promotion and be prepared to pay the higher salary, or (2) remove the higher level duties from the position.
(c) Competition Not Required: Every position nominated for an accretion of duties promotion must be formally audited. Based on audit results, the incumbent in the position may be promoted without competition if all of the following conditions are met:
i. The employee continues to perform the same basic functions.
ii. The major duties of the former position are absorbed into the "new" position (i.e. resulting position is a clear successor to the previous position).
iii. The new duties could not reasonably be assigned to any other position within the organization i.e., there is a compelling difference between the work and clearly only one person in the organization qualified to perform the work.
iv. The new position has no known promotion potential beyond the grade level being considered.
v. No other encumbered positions within the organization or Headquarters are adversely affected by the action (e.g., the "new" duties were moved from another position in the organization and that position's grade is jeopardized as a result).
vi. The documentation provided shows a compelling difference between the work of the new position and that performed by others serving in similiar occupations i.e., the same job series, and grade level.
vii. The incumbent meets all eligibility requirements (e.g., security, time-in-grade, and qualification requirements).
viii. The new position is not a reclassification from nonsupervisory to team leader or supervisory status.
ix. The new position is not a reclassification from a one-grade interval to a two-grade interval position (e.g., a Budget Technician, GS-561, is reclassified as a Budget Analyst, GS-560).
x. The new position is not a reclassification from a GS position to a SES position.
(d) If the above conditions are not met, an accretion of duties is inappropriate in the following circumstances:
i. The employee received successive accretion of duties promotions. Successive noncompetitive promotions is not a substitute for a reasonable career ladder. Nor shall accretion be used as a career development tool (i.e., initially placing an employee in a lower graded position to "see how he/she will do," while fully intending to request an accretion of duties promotion should the results be positive).
ii. An organization is reorganized with the intent to promote selected employees through accretion of duties.
(e) Documentation is required for submitting requests for non- competitive promotions. See attachment A, Documentation for Accretion of Duties and Attachment B, Sample Accretion of Duties Memorandum from Supervisors.
This Headquarters Policy Directive (HPD) is applicable to all civil service employees of NASA HQ organizations, excluding the Office of the Inspector General.
a. 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2473, National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, as amended.
b. NPR 3335.1, Internal Placement for NASA Employees.
a. Probation on Initial Appointment to a Supervisory or Managerial Position, 5 C.F.R. §§ 315.901- 315.909.
b. Promotion and Internal Placement, 5 C.F.R. Part 335.
c. NPR 3771.1, Grievance System.
d. NASA Desk Guide on The Competitive Placement plan for Positions GS-15 and Below (Including Trades and Labor Positions), dated July 2000.
e. NASA Headquarters, NASA Professional Association Collective Bargaining Agreement.
a. Director, Headquarters Human Resources Management Division (HRMD) shall -
(1) Ensure NASA Headquarters vacant positions are filled with the best- qualified persons from a sufficient pool of well-qualified eligibles.
(2) Uphold the laws, regulations and policies of merit selection (see 5 U.S.C. 2301 and 5 U.S.C. 2302).
b. HRMD, Operations Branch Chief/Staffing and Classification Services Team Leader shall -
(1) Ensure Human Resources (HR) Specialists are trained in providing competitive placement.
(2) Ensure that CPP examining is operated in accordance with applicable law, regulations and OPM/Agency policies.
c. HRMD, Human Resources Specialist shall -
(1) Provide competitive placement for Headquarters in order to fill civil service positions with qualified candidates.
(2) Conduct CPP examining in accordance with applicable law, regulations and OPM/Agency policies.
None.
None.
None.
Documentation for Accretion of Duties (Non-
Competitive Promotion) Based on Reclassification |
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Definition: An accretion of duties promotion is a promotion resulting from an employee's position being classified at a higher grade because of the addition of higher level duties that could only logically be assigned to that position. When the nature of a position gradually evolves over an extended period of time and the added duties favorably impact the grade, the individual in the position may be promoted in place without competition. A memorandum from the immediate supervisor addressing the following questions is required when submitting a request for a non- competitive promotion based on an accretion of duties, along with the Request for Personnel Action (SF-52) and proposed position description: a. Identify specifically the duties and responsibilities performed by the incumbent that are not part of the incumbent's current position description and that exceed the incumbent's present grade level. b. Explain why and when the additional duties and responsibilities were assigned to or assumed by the employee. c. Explain what, if any, external factors have impacted the nature of the work the incumbent performs (for example: technological changes, changes in rules and regulations, staff shortages, change in organization's mission, etc.). d. Do other employees in the organization perform similar or the same kind of duties as the incumbent? If so, do any of these employees also perform the higher level (additional) duties? e. What percentage of the duties identified in the incumbent's current position description will he/she continue to perform if this position is reclassified to a higher grade? f. What percentage of the duties identified in the incumbent's current position description will have to be reassigned to other employees if the position is reclassified to a higher grade?
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Supervisor's Certification |
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Note: The completion of the above documentation does not preclude the need for a desk audit.
TO: Human Resources Management Division Operations Branch FROM: Supervisor SUBJECT: Non-Competitive Promotion based on Accretion of Duties This is a request for a non-competitive promotion based on an accretion of duties for___________ (name). Since ________ (date) the incumbent has assumed additional responsibilities. These responsibilities are not identified in the current position of record and are an outgrowth of the current position, which I believe exceeds his/her present grade level. This has resulted in the need for this re-description. In October 2003, because of (example: new legislation and changes in program emphasis, the incumbent assumed the responsibilities as the Center Export Administrator responsible for ensuring compliance of all Center activities with U.S. export control laws and regulations related to technology transfer, ensuring that NASA and JPL scientists, engineers, and managers are aware of the complications associated with international missions.) Incumbent will continue to perform his/her current duties and responsibilities described in his/her present position description, as well as performing his/her new duties as (example: the Center Export Administrator.) The old position has been absorbed into the new position, and the employee continues to perform the same basic functions on a broader level and with (examples: more responsibility or less supervision or less guidance.) None of the incumbent's duties described in his/her current position description have been or will be assigned to other individuals. No other employee in the organization performs similar or the same kind of work as the incumbent. Currently there is one other (example: GS-801-15 Engineer in the NASA Management Office at JPL) whose main function is oversight of program management of specific projects in the organization and, therefore, is not related to this position.