Office Management Specialist

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VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
United States Department of State
An Equal Opportunity Employer
How to Apply


Announcement No.: OMS-2012-0001
Position Title: Foreign Service Office Management Specialist - equivalent to the GS-318 (Secretarial) job series
Open Period: 03/21/2012 – 04/03/2012
Series/Grade:FP - 0318 07
Salary: $34324 - $50406
Promotion Potential: FP-03
Hiring Agency: U.S. Department of State
Duty Locations: MANY Vacancies in Throughout the World
For More Info: OMS Vacancy, 202-203-5161, OMSVacancyInfo@state.gov

Who May Apply

Applicants must be U.S. citizens and at least 20 years old to apply and at least 21 years of age to be appointed. By law, all career candidates must be appointed to the Foreign Service prior to the month in which they reach age 60.

Duration Appointment

Permanent

Marketing Statement

Note: Series 0318 indicated above is for USAJOBS compliance only.

The Department of State maintains a rank-order list of eligible candidates to fill entry-level Foreign Service Office Management Specialist vacancies. The specific number to be hired depends on the needs of the Foreign Service.

Promotion Potential is to FP-03.

Summary

Competitive Promotion/Within-Grade Increases:

Promotion above FP-06 is competitive. FP-06 Office Management Specialists are eligible to compete for promotion to FP-05 after one year in grade. The highest possible competitive promotion is to FP-03. Promotion panels recommend promotion based on published Precepts and Decision Criteria. Performance is evaluated annually in writing by your supervisor.

In general, Foreign Service employees with satisfactory performance receive within-grade increases annually through step 10 of their specific level, and biannually from step 10 through step 14.

Office Management Specialists serve at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. Candidates must agree not only to serve at any U.S. diplomatic or consulate post abroad, but also at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., in New York at the United States Mission to the United Nations, and at the Florida Regional Service Center in Ft. Lauderdale, according to the needs of the Foreign Service. A career in the Foreign Service involves uncommon commitments and frequent hardships, as well as unique rewards and opportunities. As a member of a diplomatic team, you will help to accomplish the mission of the Department of State and also be a representative of your country to the people of other nations. A decision to enter this career must involve unusual motivation and a firm dedication to public service.

Careers in the Foreign Service offer special rewards, including the pride and satisfaction of representing the United States and protecting U.S. interests abroad. This career path may appear attractive: worldwide travel, government-paid housing, competitive pay and generous benefits. In some instances, though, working in a Foreign Service career can be very challenging and sometimes dangerous. We are looking for motivated individuals with sound judgment and leadership abilities who are not averse to working under extremely challenging circumstances, such as a military coup or a major environmental disaster. Many overseas posts are in small or remotely located countries where harsh climates, health hazards, and other discomforts exist and where American-style amenities frequently are unavailable. There could be sporadic power outages, unreliable internet service, etc. Health and sanitation standards may be below U.S. standards. Personal security frequently becomes an area of concern, particularly in countries where there is political unrest or terrorist activity. Family members are not permitted at an increasing number of posts. However, careers in the Foreign Service offer special rewards, including the pride and satisfaction of representing the United States and protecting U.S. interests abroad.

Upon entry into the Foreign Service, and after completion of formal training, usually in the Washington, D.C., area, Office Management Specialists will normally be assigned overseas. Both the first and second overseas assignments, which are directed by central personnel, will usually be two years in length. Subsequent assignments will be made through an open process based on the needs of the Foreign Service, career development requirements and individual preferences, and will normally be either two or three years in length.

Assignments can vary from working in a Political or Economic Section in one mission to working in the Management or Security Section in another. Positions of increasingly higher responsibility are achieved as a result of competitive promotions that are earned through quality performance. As a Foreign Service Office Management Specialist proceeds along a career path, future assignments can lead to the Executive Office and the position of Office Manager to the Ambassador overseas or to a high-ranking official in Washington, D.C. Whatever the position or nature of duties, Office Management Specialists will have a rich opportunity to make valuable contributions to their country while leading professionally and personally fulfilling lives.

Foreign Service Office Management Specialists are appointed as Foreign Service career candidates with the Department of State. All newly-hired Office Management Specialists enter at the junior level as career candidates and are expected to follow a structured career path extending over a period of years. Duties may vary greatly depending on the size of the post and the requirements of the position. A strong command of the English language, superior office management skills and in-depth knowledge of office computer software are essential. Professional-level speaking ability in a foreign language, especially a world language or a critical need language (see http://careers.state.gov/specialist/selection-process#step7 web site for a list of critical need languages), while desirable, is not required for entry. However, it is required for advancement to the highest ranks in the office management specialty.

The Foreign Service strives for diversity to show the best face of America abroad. Diversity is one of America's greatest strengths. In representing the United States to the world, the Foreign Service aims to reflect and respect our rich heritage and varied backgrounds in its work force.

Key Requirements

All applicants, in order to be considered for selection, must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen.
  • Be at least 20 years old to apply and at least 21 years of age to be appointed. By law (Foreign Service Act of 1980), all career candidates (except for preference-eligible veterans) must be appointed to the Foreign Service prior to the month in which they reach age 60.
  • Be able to obtain a Top Secret Security Clearance.
  • Be able to obtain an appropriate medical clearance for Foreign Service work.
  • Obtain a Suitability Clearance, based on a review of the candidate's record for conduct in accordance with suitability standards defined in Chapter 3 of the Foreign Affairs Manual. For more details see http://careers.state.gov/specialist/selection-process or http://www.state.gov/m/a/dir/regs/fam.

Major Duties

Foreign Service Office Management Specialists serve at U.S. embassies, consulates and other U.S. missions abroad as well as at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York, and the Florida Regional Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Duties vary greatly depending on the size of the post and the particular position to which assigned. Assignments can vary from working in a Political or Economic Section in one mission to working in the Management or Security Section in another. A strong command of the English language, superior office management skills and in-depth knowledge of office computer software are essential for this position. Foreign Service Office Management Specialists are frequently called upon to perform a variety of special duties in addition to regular functions. Basic duties may include the following:

  1. Supporting ambassador, senior management, or other officer - tracks and supports meetings, event invitations, courtesy calls, visitors, phone bills, preparations for meetings, arranges travel, processing expense vouchers, etc.


  2. Supporting representational events and visitors - helps plan events, tracks event budgets, monitors cash for events, monitors event supplies, coordinates event attendance, maintains event guest lists, receives and records visitors, serves as control officer, etc.


  3. Preparing written materials - prepares briefing materials, drafts documents, facilitates agendas and follow-up from meetings, processes meeting notes, produces weekly activity reports, reviews newsletters, processes information requests, maintains procedure manuals, facilitates required reports, etc.


  4. Supporting management staff - edits position descriptions, trains staff, supervises staff, tracks performance reviews, participates on committees, maintains databases on office and/or management issues, maintains databases on job bidders, supports time and attendance reporting, maintains leave information, supports temporary duty staff.


  5. Supporting information technology and records - provides computer software support, maintains tasking system, maintains diplomatic note tracking system, supports the message tracking system, supports travel systems, uses electronic cable system, supports the embassy website, maintains biographic data, maintains files, supports funding systems, and supports other electronic record systems as needed.


  6. Managing office - supports emergency response processes, ensures security of classified information, tracks office equipment maintenance, procures supplies, answers phone, distributes mail, etc.


  7. Integrating with local culture - learns culture, develops relationships, participates in local organizations, etc.


  8. Assisting other offices as necessary.

Education Requirements

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other Requirements

The education, work experience, and other qualifications evaluated for evidence of the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and other requirements have been identified as important to successful job performance as an Office Management Specialist based on extensive job analysis research. Not all of these attributes need to be met by a candidate; the attributes will be used as a set to evaluate candidates.

  1. Knowledge - administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files/records/databases, transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology; office computer programs such as Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and possibly Access or SharePoint; structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar; and office equipment such as copiers, faxes, scanners, telephones, basic computer hardware, etc. Basic knowledge of the U.S. Government including its structure and responsibilities is useful but not required.


  2. Skills and Abilities - organizational, time management, problem solving, decision making, human relations, reading comprehension, service orientation, active listening, instructing, writing, persuasion, speaking, coordination, critical thinking, social perceptiveness, active learning, adaptability, professional standards, and cross-cultural.


  3. Other requirements - worldwide available, tolerance of intensive world travel, living away from family, and working and living in difficult and/or isolated conditions.

Evaluations

Candidates will be evaluated on their total background including experience, education, awards, training and self-development as it relates to the position. Part-time work experience will be prorated. Candidates will be evaluated initially through a file review; those who are successful will have a personal interview, a writing exercise and an on-line subject matter test. Those who successfully go through the selection process and obtain their medical, security and suitability clearances are put on a rank order register. Candidates can improve their standing on the register by obtaining additional points for qualifying military service and/or proven language ability as determined by the Foreign Service Institute. More information on these two points, as well as on the clearance process, is available on our web site, careers.state.gov. Selection for this position will be made only from among candidates possessing the best qualifications.

In cases where education is substituted for experience, copies of college transcripts, diplomas, etc. must be presented at the time of oral assessment. These materials become the property of the Department of State and will not be returned. Failure to adequately substantiate education and work experience by virtue of documentation and verification will result in termination of your application for the position of Office Management Specialist.

Qualifications

Qualifications and Specialized Experience Requirements:

An applicant must be a U.S. citizen between the ages of 20 and 59, a high school graduate or equivalent, and demonstrate a strong command of the English language to include grammar, spelling and punctuation. Professional-level speaking ability in a foreign language is welcome, but not a requirement for applying. However, the applicant must be willing to be trained by the Department of State in a foreign language to meet a job requirement or expectation. These will be important considerations in the competitive promotion process.

All work-related experience must be of a progressively responsible nature and must have been acquired from supporting one or more individuals. The experience must have been acquired in a position which required utilization of the knowledge of specific administrative functions in the employing organization(s) and which required a minimum of direct supervision. Positions that have a combination of secretarial, administrative assistant or office management components should be described with percentages attributed to the amount of time devoted to the various duties. (Failure to do so may delay application processing.) In the Civil Service these duties are represented by the GS-318 (Secretarial) job series.

Applicants must have a demonstrated proficiency in commonly used Microsoft Office programs (such as Outlook, Excel and Power Point). A Microsoft Office Specialist certification in Word 2007 is mandatory and must be received within 30 days after passing the oral assessment for a candidacy to continue.

In addition to the above, all applicants must possess one of the following work related experiences:

A. a high school diploma or equivalent and three years of office management experience;

or

B. a two-year college degree in Office Management, Business Administration, Computer Technology, Web Development or other related field together with two years of office management experience;

or

C. a four year college degree together with one year of office management experience. (Experience must be strongly secretarial in nature.)

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal job requirements for this position if the applicant can show that foreign education is comparable to education received in the United States. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide such evidence when applying for Federal jobs.

To view how foreign education is evaluated for federal jobs, please visit http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp.

How to Apply

We are not currently accepting applications for this position.
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If you are having technical difficulty with the application process, please contact the helpdesk by calling 1-866-656-6830 or by emailing mgshelp@monster.com.

Required Documents

As part of the online application, applicants will be asked to submit the following required documents:

A. Supplementary Questionnaire:

Purpose: The purpose of the Supplementary Questionnaire is to allow an opportunity to describe examples of your experience which relate to the skills listed below and best show your ability to handle the various aspects of secretarial/administrative assistant work. The information you provide will be used to help structure your oral examination/interview, should your application proceed to the interview phase. The Supplementary Questions are included inside the online application.

Instructions: Individually address each of the items listed below limiting responses to 300 words or fewer (maximum length 2000 characters) for each item. Describe how you have used the following abilities and/or knowledge, referencing the source from which the work-related experience was acquired. Your examples can be drawn from any part of your experience but they must describe things that you, personally, have done. You should compose your replies carefully as one of the skills required of an experienced Office Management Specialist is the ability to write clearly and concisely.

  1. Solving a Practical Problem: Describe what you consider to be the best example of a situation where you had to find an innovative solution to a practical problem. Indicate who was affected by the problem and in what way, and the nature of the difficulties faced.


  2. Managing Office Duties: Describe your work experiences that demonstrate you have a high level of proficiency in performing administrative duties like managing files/records/databases, proofing text, processing documents, and maintaining office equipment.


  3. Organizing Your Own Work: Give an example of a situation where you had to plan, organize and prioritize your own work, particularly where you had to meet tight deadlines or work long hours. Indicate the complexity of the task you were organizing and the consequences if you had failed to meet your deadline.


  4. Handling Conflicting Priorities: Give one example which best illustrates a situation where you had to handle several different tasks at once and where it was important to ensure that the quality of your performance was maintained at a high standard. Comment on the pressure you were under and indicate any resources you used to help you prioritize tasks.


  5. Using Computers and Office Technology: List the experience you have in using technology like Microsoft office suite, databases and spreadsheets, electronic mail, graphics packages, etc. Provide a list of all systems with which you have expertise.


  6. Mixing Easily With Other People: What experiences have you had which suggest that you mix easily with people both within and outside your social or cultural group and with colleagues? Include information about your social and/or community activities.

B. A Narrative Autobiography (two-to-three page typed equivalent - no more than 5000 characters) which discusses your:

  • personal background,
  • general comments on your work experience,
  • personal interests, hobbies and travel, and
  • motivation for joining the Foreign Service as an Office Management Specialist.

The narrative autobiography is included inside the online application.

C. College Transcripts:

All applicants with college degrees must submit their college transcripts. These documents must be either faxed or uploaded before the closing date of this announcement, which is midnight eastern time.

If faxing, applicants will be prompted to print out a fax coversheet once they have successfully submitted their application.

If you are selected for an interview you will be asked to bring your official college transcripts to your oral assessment.

Note: You may also upload your document; however, only the most recent uploaded document is attached to your online application, all other uploaded documents do not come through. Please choose carefully which document you wish to upload. Keep in mind the only document we need is a college transcript showing either an Associate's Degree or a Bachelor's Degree.

D. MOS in Word 2007

A Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) credential in Word 2007 is mandatory. Those applicants who pass their oral assessment must submit their certification within 30 days of passing to OMSCertiport@state.gov, which has been set up for the sole purpose of receiving the certificates.

If their MOS certificate is not received within 30 days passing the oral assessment, their candidacy will not be continued. Testing centers for Microsoft certification can be found at www.certiport.com

What to Expect Next

All applicants will be notified via e-mail of the outcome of their applications. Selected candidates will be invited to come for an oral assessment at the Department of State, Washington, D.C.

Please note all travel and other expenses incurred in connection with the oral assessment are the responsibility of the candidate.

Benefits

Health and medical coverage, federal retirement benefits, generous paid leave, and an unprecedented chance to see the world and experience different cultures. Overseas benefits include paid housing or a housing allowance and paid education for dependent children between K-12. Additional details are on our website at careers.state.gov. Other Information

Foreign Service Office Management Specialists are an essential part of an overseas mission. It is not uncommon to work extensive overtime because of the political climate of the host country, official visits or an unexpected event. On a rotating basis, Office Management Specialists may also be required to be on call after hours for a week at a time to provide urgent support to any office in the mission. At small posts, Office Management Specialists may also be required to serve as Information Management Specialists (handling official telegraphic messages and diplomatic pouches). Appropriate training is provided.

Initial Grade/Administrative Promotion/Tenure:

Newly-hired Office Management Specialist career candidates are assigned at the FP-07 level. The specific step (or salary) within that level will be determined at the time a firm offer of employment is made. Federal Civil Service employees who are appointed as Office Management Specialist career candidates without a break in service will also be assigned at the FP-07 level. Specific step (or salary) for these career candidates will be set at the nearest possible salary rate of their previous grade.

After 18 months of service, FP-07 Office Management Specialist career candidates are administratively promoted to FP-06 upon confirmation that their performance has been satisfactory or better.

Foreign Service Office Management Specialist career candidates are considered for tenure (career status) after they acquire a minimum of two years of experience in the Foreign Service. A Tenuring Board recommends tenure based on demonstrated ability to perform satisfactorily and the potential to perform at higher levels. If tenure is not granted during the first review, a second review will be made one year later.

Orientation/Training/Assignment:

Newly hired Office Management Specialist career candidates are initially assigned to Washington, D.C., for a three-week orientation followed by a three-week Office Management Specialist training class and a two-day security seminar. Additional training may include language training (depending on the requirements of the first overseas post), area studies (an intensive study of the region of assignment), etc.

Notification of the location of the first overseas assignment is made during the orientation. First and second overseas assignments are directed and will normally be for a period of two years each. Rarely, and only under extraordinary circumstances, would a newly-hired Office Management Specialist career candidate be given an assignment to a domestic (U.S.) location. Please note all travel and other expenses incurred in connection with the oral assessment are the responsibility of the candidate.

Executive Branch agencies are barred by 5 US Code 3303 as amended from accepting or considering prohibited political recommendations and are required to return any prohibited political recommendations to sender. In addition, as mandated by 5 US Code 3110, relatives of federal employees may not be granted preference in competing for these employment opportunities.

It is the policy of the Federal Government to treat all of its employees with dignity and respect and to provide a workplace that is free from discrimination whether that discrimination is based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity or pregnancy), national origin, disability, political affiliation, marital status, membership in an employee organization, age, sexual orientation, or other non-merit factors.

The Department provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should so advise the Department. All decisions for granting reasonable accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.