Clarification from the agency

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

• Establishes and implements performance metrics for office-wide application with qualitative and quantitative analysis of Office operations to evaluate performance in comparison with established metrics.
• Develops and oversees the implementation of internal policies, processes, procedures, and practices that will ensure effective interrelationships between the functions and responsibilities for which the incumbent is accountable.
• Serves on committees and working groups established for the purpose of formulating new PPT wide programs and policies, providing senior level subject matter expertise in the broad range of functional areas assigned to the Office.
• Exercises the full scope of delegated supervisory and managerial authorities that ensure the functions of the assigned organization are performed in a highly efficient and effective manner.
• Oversees the administration of major contracts supporting the efficient and effective operation of Office functions and activities and critical to the execution of the Office's strategic planning and program support functions.

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.

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 must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal service which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of passport program operations.
• Experience providing advice and guidance to senior program and policy officials in developing and executing effective strategic, operational, and financial plans.
• Experience reviewing and evaluating contractor performance against established metrics.
• Experience developing and implementing internal control systems to safeguard contract resources against waste, or fraud.

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

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."

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 Monster 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.

Your score from the external assessment (i.e., 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 program and contract management principles, policies, and regulations.
• Skill in applying qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate and improve program effectiveness.
• Ability to think strategically and analyze complex issues.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

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. 

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