Foreign Service Financial Management Officer (FS 2101)

Clarification from the agency

Must be a U.S. citizen. Candidates should read the entire announcement to ensure they meet all requirements. Candidates may reapply one year after their most recent date of application submission for the same position. Candidates may not apply if a State Department Suitability Review Panel denied suitability in the last two years for any position, (except if the denial was for a DS Special Agent (SA) candidate whose denial was based solely on the unique requirements for SAs).

FMOs are responsible for the management of the financial activities of our diplomatic and consular posts abroad, at our Financial Services Centers, and in Washington, D.C. Typical duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Serves as Chief Financial Officer at the assigned location and acts as funds control and certifying officer for USG agencies, with responsibility for the correctness and propriety of all payments.
• Provides a full range of financial services including development of budgets and financial plans, control of obligations and expenditures, preparation and audit of payment vouchers, responding to audit requests and close audit recommendations, administration of payroll plans, salary and allowance payments, cashier operations, the purchase of foreign currencies, and disbursement of funds.
• Facilitates the International Cooperative Administrative Support Services (ICASS) Platform by managing ICASS finances and budget for all U.S. Government agency customers, administering agreements and resolving disagreements, ensuring labor and funding resources, and performing data analysis.
• Negotiates and administers agreements with other USG agencies to provide administrative support services through Department of State facilities and personnel.
• Establishes and maintains working relationships with local banking officials and fiscal authorities and conducts negotiations concerning exchange rates and banking services.
• Cultivates local contacts with Host Government Officials to negotiate elements of Local Compensation planning and reporting.
• Serves as key advisor to senior embassy management and advises other managers in program decision-making and planning by analyzing financial aspects of various programs, reviewing performance metrics for accomplishments of strategic goals and objectives, so that managers can determine the best use of limited resources.
• Helps develop and maintain the Department's financial management system, ensuring compatibility with requirements of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and that it meets user needs for accurate, timely financial data and processing.
• Uses Department of State computer systems to record, analyze, and report financial data and plans.
• Supervises, evaluates, trains, and promotes the personal professional development of Locally Employed Staff, U.S. Direct Hire Staff, and contractors who provide continuity to the accounting and financial work done overseas and domestically.
• Supports the use of financial software tools and ensures adequate financial management staffing levels.
• Demonstrates commitment to equal employment principles and provides guidance on human resource financial questions.
• Broadens knowledge of financial management policies and practices of other agencies, improves language competency and cultural sensitivity, and participates in shared mission activities.
• Follows all security procedures, establishes and assesses management controls, and mitigates risk using policy guidelines and generally accepted accounting standards for the prevention of waste, fraud, and mismanagement.

Conditions of employment

• Be a U.S. citizen and accept assignments based on the needs of the FS.*
• Be able to obtain a Top Secret Security Clearance.
• Meet the minimum medical qualification standard.
• Be able to obtain a favorable Suitability Review Panel determination.**
• Be at least 20 years old to apply; at least 21 years old to be appointed.
• Be appointed prior to age 60 (preference eligible veterans excepted).***

Candidates must submit a copy of university transcript(s) in the online application or the candidacy will be terminated.  

Education from a program or institution within the United States must be accredited at the time of program completion by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation.

Foreign Education

Foreign education acquired outside of any state of the U.S., the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or any territory or possession of the U.S. must be evaluated by a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services (NACES or AICE) in order to be given credit towards qualification.

• The accredited interpretation must include the summary of and the foreign education transcripts.
• Foreign education transcripts that have not been evaluated by a credential evaluation service will not be accepted and the candidacy will be terminated.

For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, please refer to the Office of Personnel Management, Foreign Education section, and the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of State neither endorses nor recommends any individual evaluation service.

OPM: www.opm.gov  

U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov  

Please refer to the Required Documents Section on how to submit the required educational documentation for this position. 

Qualifications

Specialized Experience

Specialized experience demonstrates that the candidate has acquired, and is able to apply, a combination of specific knowledge, skills, and abilities appropriate to the Foreign Service Financial Management Officer position. Specialized experience must have been acquired in the past 10 years and must have been of a progressively responsible nature in one or more medium or large organizations with multimillion-dollar budgets.

Specialized experience must include more than one area listed below:

• Budget preparation and execution.
• Accounting and reporting.
• Accounts payable.
• Payroll.
• Accounts receivable.
• Cash management.
• Disbursing.
• Tax reporting.
• Audit and internal controls.

Supervisory experience, work with automated financial management systems, and evidence of working and/or living successfully in a multicultural environment or in organizations with international operations is desirable. For the FP-03 level, at least one year of specialized experience must have been equivalent to the GS-11/FP-04 level; and for the FP-04 level, at least one year must have been equivalent to the GS-9/FP-05 level.

Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to:

• Experience in financial management involving the preparation, justification, or management of an organization's budget, or participation in budget hearings on appropriations for a U.S. government agency.
• Experience as a financial management officer in a government agency or in a business or industrial concern with responsibilities for program planning, organization, methods, and procedures.
• Experience in government or private sector accounting including interpretation and use of financial data for informed decision-making and the efficient and optimal use of resources.
• Teaching comprehensive budget, fiscal, or accounting courses in an accredited educational institution above the high school level.
• Experience in the development and/or implementation of internal controls and compliance with laws and regulations related to financial management, including experience in the audit and financial management review of procedures and requirements.
• Experience in banking, currency purchasing, or treasury operations.
• Experience in payroll plan development and/or administration.

Note: Consumer loan management/approval and individual tax preparation are not considered to be specialized experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The Department has conducted extensive job analysis research to determine Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) and other attributes conducive to successful performance in this position. A candidate's education level, work experience, and other qualifications will be considered as part of the hiring decision-making process based on these KSA criteria.

• Finance: Knowledge of the fundamentals of economics, statistics, accounting, banking, and financial markets through requisite academic background in order to serve as principal financial adviser to senior management.
• Budgeting Requirements: Knowledge acquired through training and experience to formulate, present, justify, and execute budgets involving millions of dollars.
• Financial Procedures: Knowledge of financial procedures, applicable laws, regulations, and other guidance in order to prepare accurate and timely financial plans to inform post management decisions and to meet external reporting requirements.
• GAAP and GAAS: Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) and interpretation and use of financial data for decision-making, ensuring all claims and payments are properly documented and in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.
• Accounting: Knowledge of the principles and application of cost accounting by preparing a variety of complex reports and analyses that aid management in setting priorities and allocating scarce resources to best meet objectives.
• Banking: Knowledge of banking, currency purchases, foreign exchange rates, as well as disbursement including cashiering in order to use an organization's financial systems to meet payment and collection obligations using the most effective means available.
• Fraud Detection: Knowledge of fraud detection, both in cash operations and financial systems.
• Management Principles: Knowledge of management principles as demonstrated by delegating responsibilities, providing guidance, leading by example, supervising subordinates, counseling employees, resolving conflicts, and effecting disciplinary measures.
• EEO Principles and Guidelines: Knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) principles in order to effectively supervise staff.
• Management Controls: Knowledge and understanding of a strong system of management controls by using policy guidelines and generally accepted standards through checks and balances and constant monitoring of management controls to correct deficiencies and to maintain fiscal integrity and ensure resources are safeguarded against fraud, waste, and mismanagement.
• Pay and Benefits: Knowledge of payroll and benefit programs in an organizational setting including maintaining accounting, time and attendance, and payroll databases.
• Accounting: Analyzing financial data, fraud detection, and applying accounting concepts, including auditing and program evaluation concepts in order to promote sound business practices and process improvements.
• Financial Management: Management of financial resources by determining how funds will be spent in order to maximize benefits from limited resources and accounting for these expenditures in a way that is consistent with applicable rules and regulations.
• Communication: Communication in both individual and group contexts through budget proposal documentation and other methods of communication on technical financial rules and issues such as budget allocations, financial obligations, pay, and allowances, with all levels of employees in a clear and concise manner easily understood by persons without a financial background.
• Teamwork: Developing and working in teams and encouraging teamwork on a daily basis in order to reduce conflict and enhance cooperation.
• Customer Service: Customer service with U.S. and Locally Employed staff through interpersonal skills and cross-cultural sensitivities including providing information, balancing clients' interests, readjusting priorities, and resolving complaints.
• Conflict Resolution: Understanding the principles and techniques of persuasion and conflict resolution.
• Analyzing Financial Data: Acquiring and analyzing financial data, discerning relationships and trends, making projections, understanding host country and U.S. financial rules and regulations, and communicating results.
• Technology: Using financial software, common office programs, including presentation applications, and technology.
• Personnel Management: Human resource planning and workforce planning.
• Ability to Say No: Adroit at turning down requests and offering acceptable alternatives when possible.
• Superior Communication Skills: Candidates must consistently meet a high standard for English, both grammar (overall structure, spelling, and punctuation) and syntax (overall structure, clarity, and succinctness).
• Working in Differing Environments: Ability to work with others of different backgrounds and to manage laterally and upward in varying work environments while traveling and living in different climates and conditions.
• Openness to an International Career: Accepting assignments based on the needs of the Foreign Service and experiencing frequent global travel.
• Physical Requirements: As USG certifying officers, with responsibility and personal liability for the correctness and propriety of all payments, FMOs must be able to personally verify the authenticity of documents relied upon for payment authorizations, which may involve visual inspections (e.g., handwritten receipts, stamped invoices, etc.).

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Candidates will be evaluated on their total background including experience, education, awards, training, and self-development as it relates to the position. Selection for this position will be made only from among candidates possessing the best qualifications. Part-time work experience will be prorated.

The Department of State reserves the right to cancel and/or disqualify any application or to withhold test results when, in its judgment, a testing irregularity occurs. Testing irregularities include, but are not limited to, candidate misconduct, plagiarism, and/or misrepresentation of material fact, including in narrative descriptions of accomplishments. The Department may verify content provided by candidates by contacting references. It also conducts extensive background checks of work and education history of candidates offered employment.

Candidates with finance-related higher education and specific experience in financial management or accounting are preferred. The quality and depth of a candidate's education and specialized experience should demonstrate the candidate's aptitude and potential to master the complex skills required of FMOs.

The Department of State prohibits candidates from plagiarizing any portion of their employment application materials to include responses to questions in which candidates must provide a narrative response.  Candidates must create their own responses originally and not copy or adapt them from other sources.  The Department analyzes candidate submissions for plagiarism and will discontinue any individual’s candidacy if found to have violated this plagiarism policy.

While the Department of State encourages candidates to create their narratives with great care, including correct use of grammar and style, candidates are prohibited from using any artificial intelligence (AI) tool, to include but not limited to ChatGPT, to aid in their written responses.  The Department will discontinue any individual’s candidacy if found to have violated this prohibition on use of AI tools in the application process.

When requested, candidates with qualifying FMOT scores must submit the following documentation to demonstrate they possess the educational level and specialized skills required for this position. Candidates should add @state.gov as a trusted sender. Neither the Department of State nor Pearson VUE is responsible for the failure of a candidate's internet service provider to deliver email messages.

PDF documents are required. The Department of State will terminate the candidacy if the required documents do not meet the requirements below or if the application process is incomplete.

1.     Resume that clearly outlines the dates of employment and specifies all relevant experience for the position, including at least 10 years of work history.

2.     Education and Other Documents: Candidates must submit the documentation below to demonstrate they possess the educational level required, or the Department will terminate the candidacy. Official/unofficial college/university transcripts are accepted. University diplomas are not accepted in lieu of transcripts.

All documents must comply with the following requirements to be accepted:

o    Be in PDF format. The Department will reject other formats.

o    Be an attachment. The Department will reject documents sent via link, secured message, or in any other non-attachment format, or sent directly from credential evaluation services.

o    Be complete with no missing pages.

o    Be legible.

o    Transcripts must include the candidate's full name, the school's name, and the degree and date awarded/conferred. Candidates with a name change should submit an official document reflecting the change.

o    All foreign education transcripts must adhere to additional requirements. See Foreign Education Information in the Education Requirements section.

3.     Certifications and/or Licenses must adhere to the same requirements as transcripts.

Certifications such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), or graduate degrees from an accredited school in business, government, or public administration are preferred with concentrations in accounting or finance.

4.     Veterans' Preference Documentation for candidates aged 60 to 64. If claiming Veterans' Preference, a copy of the candidate's DD-214 "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty" — which must include the candidate's Character of Service — must be submitted with the application. If claiming a 10-point Veterans' Preference, the candidate's VA letter and SF-15 must be submitted in addition to the DD-214. A certification from the armed forces is required only if a veteran has not yet received their DD-214. It must confirm that the service member is expected to be discharged under honorable conditions within 120 days and include service dates, expected discharge date, character of service, and any applicable disability rating.

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