Support Services Specialist Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. A-2025-0039 Department Department of State - Agency Wide
Salary $68,405.00 to $88,926.00 Grade 09 to 09
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/18/2024 Close Date 12/26/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is located in the Administrative Services, Procurement & Administrative Services Division, Office of the Executive Director, Bureau of Administration, (A/EX/PAS/AS), Department of State (DOS).

Duties

  • Serves as an information resource to Support Services Supervisor at meetings and conferences on support services matters.
  • Maintains liaison with staff members of relevant Departmental organizations (e.g., various facilities management, parking office, and records management within the Bureau of Administration.
  • Coordinates the acquisition of assigned support services, most of which are acquired from established Departmental sources.
  • Participates in the administration of a selected number of the various logistical and space management programs related to the Bureau, under the general direction of the Support Services Supervisor.

Requirements

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.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. [If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. 

Applicants applying for the GS-09 grade level must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service which provided you with knowledge of the methods and procedures for providing or performing a variety of functions and services applicable to the position to be filled; ability to plan, organize, and control work involving diverse activities; ability to gain cooperation and coordinate the work of others; and skill in oral and written communication.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

  • Management analyst or technician or other work that included study, analysis, or evaluation leading to the development or improvement of managerial or administrative policies, practices, and procedures.
  • Administrative officer or assistant, budget administration, program analysis, or other work that demonstrated knowledge of an organization and its functions, and the ways in which support services can facilitate the work of the organization.
  • Office management experience that included responsibility for directing a variety of support services such as typing, mail processing, purchase of supplies and equipment, etc.
  • Secretarial work that required monitoring and coordinating administrative and processing work of subordinate elements through a system of internal procedures, controls, production, progress reporting, etc., to insure the efficient operation of an organization.
  • Military experience that included responsibility for directing a variety of support functions such as communications, property management, mail service, facilities and equipment maintenance, etc.

In addition, qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

OR

B. Have a master's or equivalent graduate degree, OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, OR LL.B or J.D. (if related) from an accredited college or university with a major in public administration, business administration, industrial engineering, industrial management, or other administrative or management fields related to the position to be filled;

OR

C. Have a combination of graduate education with a major in public administration, business administration, industrial engineering, industrial management or other administrative or management fields related to the position to be filled AND specialized experience (as described above), which is equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal Service. This experience and education together meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position;

Combination of Experience and Education: When an applicant has less than one year of specialized experience as described in the announcement, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education with experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full time year of graduate study). The percentage of specialized work experience and the percentage of graduate study must total at least 100%.

If you are qualifying based on education, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript (s) with your application by the closing date of this announcement, and if selected, an official college transcript WILL BE required to verify education prior to employment. If you fail to provide the requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

Education

Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. You must possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university AND meet one of the following provisions of the superior academic achievement:

  1. A grade-point average of "B" (3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study.
  2. A grade-point average of "B+" (3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of your undergraduate study. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

Grade point averages should be rounded to one decimal point. For example, 2.95 is rounded to 3.0, and 2.94 is rounded to 2.9. NOTE: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an honor society.

Additional information

  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
  • If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.  If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days.  Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. 

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume will be conducted and compared against your responses to the assessment questions to determine if you are qualified for this job.  Note:  Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating. 

Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, will be assigned to one of three quality categories:

  1. Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.
  2. Well Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in some but not all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) for the position.
  3. Highly Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must fully demonstrate proficiency in all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.

Highly Qualified applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview.  The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Communication
  • Customer Service
  • Business Knowledge
  • Research Analysis
  • Procurement
  • Space Management - Space Planning 

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the Highly Qualified category Other 10-point preference eligible and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligible applicants within the category in which they qualify.  View information on veterans' preference on OPM’s Fed Hire Vets website.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never been a Federal employee, you are not CTAP or ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category for this position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority. 


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

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 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. 

2. Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on educationSee the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment. 

3.  Veterans' Qualification Documentation (e.g. certificates, certifications, etc.), if applicable.  See the Qualification section of this announcement for more information.  REMOVE IF NOT APPLICABLE FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND ADJUST NUMBERING] Preference Documentation, if applicable:

  • To claim 5-point preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
  • To claim 10-point preference, submit all required documentation outlined on the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, etc.).  If we cannot verify your 10-point preference claim, your application will be reviewed for 5-point preference.
  • To claim 10-point derived preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), submit a completed SF-15 and all required documentation listed on the SF-15 to support your claim.
  • To claim 0-point Sole Survivorship preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 or another form of official documentation showing that your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge.
  • For all preference claims:
    • DD-214 Member 4 copies are preferred and must show the dates of service, type of discharge, and any qualifying service campaign medals.
    • If you are currently on active duty and applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must provide a certification on letterhead from your military branch which contains your military service dates, expected date of discharge or release, and the character of service to show that your military service was performed under honorable conditions. The expected date of discharge or release must be no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted for consideration for this vacancy announcement.
  • For more veterans’ preference information, visit the USAJOBS Help Center.

4.  ICTAP/CTAP documentation, if applicable (e.g., reduction-in-force (RIF) separation notice, RIF separation SF-50 personnel action, certification of expected separation, etc.).  Visit our agency’s ICTAP and CTAP eligibility information sites for more information and required application documentation. 

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.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Prepare your application in USAJOBS

To start your application, click Apply and we’ll walk you through the process to attach a resume and any required documents.

During the application process you can review, edit, delete, and update your information. We’ll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won’t lose any changes.  You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement to complete the application process.

STEP 1: Select the "Apply" button and follow the instructions to register or sign into USAJOBS.

STEP 2: Submit your resume.  Please see the Required Documents section for specific information that should be outlined in your resume.

STEP 3: Complete the online assessment questions.

STEP 4: Submit all required documentation applicable to you, as listed in the Required Documents section.

To learn how to view the status of your submitted supporting documentation and application, visit the Application Instructions section of our agency’s Civil Service selection process site.

Technical assistance with your on-line application is available through the Help Desk at mgshelp@monster.com or by calling (866) 656-6830 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET

Alternate Application Procedures

If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package. Contact the Human Resources office listed on the announcement between the business hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET at least 2 working days prior to the closing date of this announcement. The application package for alternate application procedures must be submitted and received in the Human Resources office no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement. Paper applications and information sent by mail will not be accepted.

Agency contact information

Paula Holloway
Phone
771-204-8245
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
Hollowayip@state.gov
Address
U.S. Department of State
600 19th Street, NW
SA-17, 5th Floor
Attn: A/EX/HRD
Washington, District of Columbia 20522-1705
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

After all application packages are received, we will review applications and evaluate applicants’ qualifications.  Then, in approximately two weeks after this announcement closes, we will refer candidates, as described in the “How You Will Be Evaluated” section, to the hiring manager for selection consideration.  Your application status will be updated up to four times during the following hiring phases:

  1. After applications are received.
  2. After applications are assessed to determine qualifications.
  3. After candidates are referred to the hiring manager.
  4. After a selection is made.

For the selected candidates who receive a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability review and/or security background investigation that generally takes an average of at least two to six months.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.