Supervisory Information Technology Specialist

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Department of State career or career conditional status employees in the competitive service; employees who are on temporary or other non-status appointments who have reinstatement or non-competitive eligibility for a competitive service appointment (e.g., career Foreign Service employees, employees on an excepted service appointment at the USUN who have previous career status, etc.); and CTAP.

• Oversees the overall planning, direction, and timely execution of contract policy and training program work.
• Oversees the continual review of external and internal acquisition legislation, policy, and guidance specific to Information Technology (IT) and cyber security.
• Maintains the upkeep of the 5 FAM 900 IT Acquisition Policy of the Department.
• Maintains a database of all IT contracts that the Division can identify and prevent duplicative contracts.
• Develops and implements goals, objectives, plans, policies, procedures, standards, and processes needed to ensure effective accomplishment of the Strategic Sourcing mission and functions, including the establishment of vendor performance metrics.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• Statement of Employment & Financial Interest required prior to appointment.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement.

NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement.

Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F.

Applicants applying for the GS-15 grade level must meet the following requirements: 

Have IT-related experience demonstrating EACH of the four competencies AND specialized experience listed below:

1. Attention to Detail - reviewing my own information technology-related work or data and have been responsible for reviewing the work of others to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency with standards;
2. Customer Service - developing and maintaining relationships with customers, anticipating and assessing the current and future information technology needs of customers, and developing or identifying information technology products or services that are tailored to meet customer needs;
3. Oral Communication - briefing senior-level management and IT staff on the status of information technology systems, projects, or daily operations, including the communication of complex technical information to a non-technical audience;
4. Problem Solving - identifying alternatives to address unique, highly complex, or sensitive information technology-related issues.  Anticipated information technology-related problems and have identified and evaluated potential sources of information to generate alternative solutions.

AND 

Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 

• Experience drafting and clearing Information Technology (IT) procurement policies.
• Experience planning and implementing IT acquisition strategies.
• Experience leading and/or training internal and external stakeholders on mission-critical IT acquisition projects.

NOTE: In order to qualify for this position, your experience MUST be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate.

In addition, applicant's experience must also demonstrate that the candidate possesses the following qualities:

• Ability to assign, review, and supervise the work of others;
• Objectivity and fairness in judging people on their ability, and situations on the facts and circumstances;
• Ability to adjust to change, work pressures, or difficult situations without undue stress;
• Willingness to consider new ideas or divergent points of view; and
• Capacity to "see the job through."

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-15 position.

How you will be evaluated

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

The evaluation process consists of the ApplyGov Competency Based Assessments for which applicants will be assigned a score between 70 and 100.  A resume review by subject matter experts will be conducted for the top qualified candidates based on total score.  Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.  

You will be assessed on the following job-related competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):  

Supervisory: Oral Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Decision Making, Customer Service, Leadership, Planning & Evaluating, Influencing/Negotiating, Strategic Thinking, Human Capital Management. 

Set aside at least 2 hours to take the external assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. There are timed sections that must be completed within the allotted timeframe.

Your score from the external assessment (Supervisory) will remain on file for 180 days, allowing you to apply for multiple DOS-announced positions without needing to retake the assessments.

Top applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. The assessment is used to measure the degree in which your background matches the competencies and KSAs required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies: 

• Knowledge of contracting principles and regulations.
• Ability to analyze technology hardware and software for solutions.
• Ability to develop policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of Collaboration Services Activities.
• Ability to manage staff and resources.
• Knowledge of materials receipt, inspection, inventory control, movement, disposal and recovery.

Resume review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Your resume should demonstrate how you meet all aspects of the specialized experience statement. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., links embedded in your resume will not be opened.).  If meeting basic qualifications through education only or a combination of education and experience, applicants will not be referred to the SME panel but will be reviewed by the HR Specialist for referral. 

Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. Qualified non-competitive candidates must be deemed best qualified based on the applicant assessment in order to be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. 

In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We do not make assumptions regarding your experience. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application may result in your removal from consideration. 

• Include any supporting documents that don't fit within another category or are listed in the job announcement.
• Include a performance appraisal as proof of federal employment.
• Your resume should include relevant work experience, applicable education and your contact information. For current or previous federal employees, include the pay plan, series and grade.
• Your SF-50 shows a federal position you've held, grade level and duty location. Your SF-50 can support position changes, conversions or separation for employment eligibility.

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume limited to two pages showing relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours per week worked/volunteered. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must support your answers to the completed online assessment questions. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.

2.  Most recent SF-50s (Notification of Personnel Actions), if you are a current eligible DOS employee (per 3 FAM 2313.4(a)(5)), including current employees applying under a non-competitive hiring authority. The SF-50s must show: effective date, position title, series, grade, salary, tenure, position occupied, full promotion potential, and name of agency. Multiple SF-50s may be needed to show all required information (e.g., promotion, within-grade increase, and separation SF-50s). Award SF-50s often do not show the required information. 

3.  Performance appraisal, strongly encouraged for current eligible DOS employees. Submit a copy of your most recent (i.e., usually within the last 18 months) final (i.e., not a mid-year review) official (i.e., signed by the rating official and in original format) annual performance appraisal for the hiring manager’s consideration. If a performance appraisal is not available, you may provide a statement and/or a statement from your supervisor explaining the reason one is not available and your servicing HR Office contact information (name, email address, phone number).

Note: You may be requested to provide an appraisal to the hiring official if one was not provided with your application.  To receive a promotion, the employee’s most recent performance rating must be “fully successful” or an equivalent level or higher. Employees who are tentatively selected to receive a promotion will be required to provide performance documentation within two business days of request. Servicing HR Offices may be contacted to verify performance ratings.

4.  Non-competitive hiring authority eligibility documentation, if applicable. If you are a current eligible DOS employee applying under a non-competitive hiring authority (e.g, FS tenured employees, USUN reinstatement eligibles, Schedule A), you must submit proof of non-competitive eligibility with your application.  For information related to Schedule A hiring authority for individuals with disabilities visit OPM’s hiring information site.  

5.  CTAP documentation, if applicable (e.g., reduction-in-force (RIF) separation notice, certification of expected separation, etc.).  In addition submit a copy of your current (or last) performance rating of record which must be at least fully successful or equivalent and submit all required documents listed above that apply to you (e.g., resume, transcripts, SF-50, etc.).

Next steps