Program Specialist at Department of State, Overseas Buildings Operations

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The Personal Services Contactor (PSC) position is located in the Bureau of Overseas Building Operations, Operations Directorate, Office of Safety, Health, and Environmental Management, Policies and Special Studies Division (OBO/OPS/SHEM/PSS). The Program Specialist will provide a broad range of critical program and administrative support functions.

This is a Non-Status, Non-Permanent Position. You do not acquire a competitive or excepted service status from this position.

As a Program Specialist, the position performs a wide variety of tasks and assignments in support of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Safety, Health and Environmental Management (SHEM) including the Director and Division Directors.  SHEM is responsible for providing support to overseas U.S. embassies and consulates to reduce the risk of fatalities, hospitalizations and other injuries and is a data driven results-oriented organization.  The tasks of the position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Works with the Office Director and Division Directors and bureau level management on supporting on new existing and new programs initiatives to provide critical support for the success of the effort.


• Works with the Office and Bureau data systems to identify trends and provides analyses to support the mission of the office;


• Coordinates with technical and administrative staff to ensure the timely production of documents, reports and ensures records are properly maintained to meet regulatory requirements.


• Provides administrative and contractual support for equipment, purchase orders, budget and other activities to help support the Safety, Health and Environmental Management Office; and,


• Works with vendors to secure a wide variety of safety and health equipment and utilizes the diplomatic pouch to ship materials overseas to embassies and consulates.

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Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements, including education, and any selective placement factors described below by the closing date of this announcement. Education may only be substituted in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order to be credited towards qualifications. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click on the link for a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials.

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

A. Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 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 in applying administrative regulations and procedures in areas such as time keeping, recordkeeping, property management, procurement, and contracting.


• Experience using Microsoft Office Suite and the ability to learn and apply new software variations.


• Experience in research and performing analysis to provide recommendations. 


• Experience in written and oral communications with managers and other external customers.

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. from an accredited college or university. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of the position to be filled.

OR

C. Have a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience (as described above), which is equivalent to the GS- 07 level in the Federal Service. This experience and education together meet 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%.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.  It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click on the link for a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials.

Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you may lose consideration for this position.