BUREAU OF HUMAN RESOURCES
OFFICE OF RECRUITMENT, EXAMINATION AND EMPLOYMENT
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (SOP) NOTICE NO. 134B
(This SOP replaces and supersedes SOP 115A dated November 3, 2006)
SUBJECT: Determining Entry Grade and Salary Standards for Foreign Service Specialist Career Candidates, with the exception of Diplomatic Security Special Agent Candidates effective May 29, 2009
(SOP 134C provides procedures for Diplomatic Security Special Agent Candidates)
PURPOSE: To provide procedures for determining Foreign Service Specialist Career Candidate salary level at the time of appointment in accordance with 3 FAM 3121.1-2.
PROCEDURES: Establishment of Entry Grade/Salary
The vacancy announcement for each specialty provides that the Office of Recruitment, Evaluation and Employment (HR/REE) appoints successful candidates at one of the grade levels specified, i.e., FP-7 through FP-1. The Evaluation Branch assigns a tentative grade at the Qualifications Evaluation Panel (QEP) stage only for purposes of the Oral Assessment. For Assessors, this means that the Oral Assessment must be appropriate for the QEP grade and any higher grade specified on the relevant Vacancy Announcement. The Registrar, however, is responsible for determining the grade and salary that the candidate is eventually offered after the Registrar's Staffing Specialist has completed a qualifications evaluation at the time an offer is made.
Candidates who meet the minimum education and experience qualifications specified in the vacancy announcement will be appointed at the minimum appropriate step; that is, at Step 1 unless a higher step is specified in the vacancy announcement. Where a vacancy announcement includes more than one possible entry grade, the grade offered will be the highest as justified by the information in the candidate's pre-employment file at the time the offer is made.
For salary review/appeal procedures see SOP 134D.
Registrars may approve additional steps within the entry grade up to the 14th step for:
- Education and experience above the minimum, as provided below; and/or
- Other factors deemed appropriate by the Director of HR/REE to meet the needs of the Service
EDUCATION
If the minimum qualifications requirements demand Bachelor or graduate-level course work/degree to qualify for the occupational specialty and/or to be eligible for the grade level in question, the degree/education must have been acquired from an accredited institution of higher education prior to the date of appointment.
When a Bachelor's degree is not required to qualify for a Foreign Service specialist category, or when a Bachelor's degree is not used to substitute for general experience, the Registrar Staffing Specialist should give one step for a Bachelor's degree, in any field of study, awarded before the date of appointment as a Foreign Service specialist.
When a graduate degree is not required to qualify for a Foreign Service specialist category, or when graduate studies are not substituted for required experience, the Staffing Specialist should give:
- One step for one (and only one) graduate degree below the doctoral level, in a work-related field, awarded before the date of appointment as a Foreign Service specialist; and/or
- One additional step for a doctoral degree, in a work-related field, awarded before the date of appointment as a Foreign Service specialist.
The Staffing Specialists should only give credit for graduate work for studies directly related to the specialist category for which the applicant is being hired, as defined in the vacancy announcement or as determined by the Registrar.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Staffing Specialists should give an additional step for each full year of progressive work experience beyond the experience required to qualify for the occupation and grade level in question or for each full year of progressive work experience where a degree is used to substitute for experience. Progressive experience is that which clearly shows the candidate has acquired increasing levels of responsibility, knowledge, skills and abilities while performing work where the primary duties are directly related to the specialist category for which the applicant is being hired. The Staffing Specialist will prorate part-time experience or employment. In no case will more than one year's experience be credited for any one twelve-month period, regardless of the type of work performed, the number of jobs held, the hours worked or the employment status (self-employed or other).
Specific examples of work experience that qualifies as being directly related to the work of the Foreign Service specialties covered by this SOP are included in the relevant Vacancy Announcement.
The Staffing Specialist may grant additional steps within the entry grade, up to the 14th step, for work experience of particular relevance and importance to the Foreign Service, as determined by the Registrar.
SHORTAGE/HARD TO FILL CATEGORIES
The Staffing Specialist may grant up to a maximum of 6 steps above the base salary for occupations the Director of HR/REE designates as within a shortage category or as hard-to-fill positions. The Director of HR/REE will establish a list of the shortage categories or hard-to-fill positions on an as-needed basis for such reasons as availability of qualified/eligible applicants, the conditions of the available labor force, and the prevailing rates in the market place. "Shortage Category/Hard-to-Fill" steps should be given to the minimum extent necessary to attract a reasonable flow of qualified applicants in any given Foreign Service specialist category and grade.
The Staffing Specialist may grant additional steps, up to a maximum of step 14 of the appointment grade for other factors the Director of HR/REE deems appropriate to meet the needs of the Service.
When the Director designates a Shortage/Hard-To-Fill position, HR/REE posts it on the website careers.state.gov. under "Career Options, Foreign Service Specialists."
APPLICANTS FROM OUTSIDE THE FEDERAL SECTOR
The entry-level salary for Foreign Service Specialist candidates, except those appointed without a break in service of more than 3 days from other federal civilian employment, should be set, within the Foreign Service grade at which they are appointed, on the basis of the factors outlined above, including education, experience, and whether the specialist category/position is a Shortage Category or Hard-to-Fill position.
APPLICANTS FROM THE FEDERAL SECTOR
The entry-level salary for Foreign Service specialist candidates appointed without a break in service of more than 3 days from other federal civilian employment in which they served for more than 90 days, should be the result of whichever of the following computations is more favorable to the candidate:
A. The step, within the Foreign Service grade to which the candidate is appointed, that is nearest to, but not less than, the candidate's Federal Service base salary rate at the effective date of appointment to the Foreign Service; or
B. The step within the Foreign Service grade to which the candidate is appointed, adjusted for the factors outlined above.
The Staffing Specialist should set the salary according to HIGHEST PREVIOUS RATE rules for any appointee with prior federal civilian service in a job category associated with the Foreign Service job category to which the person is being appointed.
Federal civilian employees receiving DC locality pay will be allowed to include DC locality pay as part of their "current salary." Federal civilian employees who do not receive DC locality pay will not be allowed to include locality pay as part of their "current salary."