Budget Officer

Summary

The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and South Central Asian Affairs (NEA-SCA) promotes U.S. interests by combating terrorism, violent extremism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; supporting the counter ISIS coalition; promoting the free flow of commerce and ensuring global energy security; preserving Israel's security and achieving a comprehensive and lasting Middle East Peace between Israel and its neighbors; and supporting successful and sustainable democratic transitions.

Duties

• Evaluates budget formulations, financial plans, and other financial reports for diplomatic programs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) and the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA).
• Reviews, analyzes, and interprets a wide range of financial documents and reports. Advises senior managers on bureau-wide strategic plans, performance plans, budgets, and financial plans for current and future needs.
• Communicates the mission, vision, values, and strategic plans to staff and builds them into the Financial Management (FM) Division's strategies, goals, objectives, work plans, and products.
• Manages more than $3 billion a year in bureau accounts distributed to domestic offices and overseas posts. Advises those offices and posts on all financial matters. Develops or approves funding levels for Programs.

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 determining and implementing financial policy in support of U.S. government objectives, such as providing financial guidance and operational support during emergencies, lapses in appropriations, and VVIP visits. Experience leading budget management across the full budget cycle, including balancing multiple budgets with competing priorities under significant financial constraints. Experience leading staff, including assigning and reviewing work, resolving workplace issues, and building a collaborative, accountable team. Experience keeping operations running effectively while adapting to changing priorities and deadlines. 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."

Education

Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement. How You Will Be Evaluated

The evaluation process consists of the ApplyGov Competency Based Assessments for which applicants will be assigned a score between 70 and 100. A resume review will be conducted for minimum qualification requirements, as described in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, of applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates based on assessment scores. 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.] Set aside at least 2 hours to take the external assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. There are timed sections that must be completed within the allotted timeframe. Your score from the external assessment (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. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies: Knowledge of the federal budget cycle, appropriations law, and the principles and regulations. Skill in reviewing, analyzing, and interpreting complex financial documents, reports, and data to find trends, issues, and resource needs. Knowledge of strategic planning, performance management, and program planning methods, and of how to link budgets and financial plans to organizational goals and objectives. Ability to develop and carry out program plans and milestones, share strategic direction with staff, and build that direction into division goals, work plans, and products. Ability to plan, allocate, monitor, and control multibillion-dollar budgets across many accounts and organizations, and to develop or approve funding levels that support mission priorities. 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 materials may result in your removal from consideration. 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. You may preview questions for this vacancy. Other Information

To request a reasonable accommodation for additional time on the timed sections of the assessment, please submit your request using the “Request a Reasonable Accommodation” button within the Assessment Application. For all other reasonable accommodations at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations (OAA) at [email protected]. OAA is responsible for reviewing and adjudicating reasonable accommodation (RA) requests for the Assessment Battery being used for this announcement. The following applies to all RA requests: RA requests cover additional time on timed sections only. Applicants submitting a RA request MUST attach supporting medical documentation signed by a licensed, treating medical provider. The documentation should describe the nature, severity, and expected duration of the condition, identify the relevant medical condition or diagnosis, and explain the basis for the requested extension. RA requests that do not contain supporting medical documentation attachments at the time of initial request may be subject to further review. Note: the following documents do not, on their own, qualify for automatic approval of the RA request: Schedule A letters, VA benefits letters, or SSA letters. Applicants MUST submit their application before the vacancy closes, even if pending an accommodation decision. Applicants are encouraged to carefully follow instructions related to medical documentation provided in the vacancy announcement prior to beginning the RA process. Applicants will have 48 hours after their RA request is adjudicated to complete the assessment battery. Scores generated after the allotted timeframe will not be admissible and the applicant will not be considered further for the vacancy. If a different type of RA is needed, please contact OAA directly at [email protected]. If eligible, situational 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 and may require a higher or lower security clearance. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. Agency & Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP & ICTAP): View OPM's CTAP & ICTAP eligibility website for more information. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category and submit supporting documents under the required documents section of this announcement to receive selection priority consideration. To be considered Well-Qualified applicants must: score an 85 or above, meet Minimum Qualifications, and demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all major aspects of the position.