Operations Officer

Summary

This position is located at the National Visa Center (CA/VO/DO/NVC) in Portsmouth, NH. NVC is organized within the Office of Domestic Operations, Visa Services Office, Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA/VO/DO). The National Visa Center (NVC) is the pre-processing platform for global immigrant visa (IV) operations.

Duties

• Provide a broad range of administrative and systems oversight services in support of NVC administrative program operations performed by the Visa Support Services (VSS) Program's supporting contract(s).
• Serves as Contract Officer's Representative (COR) on the VSS contracts that support IV pre-processing, customer service, and post support operations as well as any new workstreams required by VO.
• Identifies major administrative trends, developments, and operational challenges affecting the global delivery of visa services.
• Plans and conducts contractor studies of software systems and solutions to ensure efficient operations of visa applications across common platforms.
• Supervises a combined staff of government and contractor personnel, providing both administrative and technical oversight and planning and assigning work to the staff.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 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 providing analytical and advisory support in the development, implementation, and coordination of immigration, visa, or travel-document programs and systems Experience managing budget formulation and financial planning for an organization. Experience with contract management and oversight, which includes the formulation of documents supporting Requests for Proposals and cost estimates. There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-14 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 and a crediting plan for which applicants will be assigned a score between 70 and 100. A resume review by subject matter experts (SMEs) will be conducted for the top qualified candidates based on the combined total score. Resumes longer than 2 pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further. Responses to questions that are not fully supported by your resume may result in a rating adjustment. 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 for further consideration. The assessment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies and KSAs required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies: Experience in performing IT Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) duties. Knowledge of the Federal budget formulation and execution process. Knowledge of contract administration techniques and principles. Ability to communicate orally and in writing. SMEs will review your resume to determine your qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Your resume should demonstrate how you meet all aspects of the specialized experience statement. Please be clear and specific. We do not make assumptions regarding your experience. Overstating your qualifications/experience in your application may result in your removal from consideration. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., links embedded). If meeting basic qualifications through education only or a combination of education & experience, applicants will not be referred to the SME panel but will be reviewed by the HR Specialist for referral. This announcement used the set # of highest-ranked eligibles. All candidates tied at the cut-off score based on assessment method under 5 CFR §332.402 to refer candidates for further consideration and possible interview. We will provide the selecting official a sufficient number of names, when available, to consider at least 3 candidates per vacancy. If less than 3 eligible and available candidates per vacancy result, we may expand the referral in accordance with the pre-determined agency and OPM policy. 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 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. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. Veterans' preference points are added to the passing score of candidates eligible for either 10-point or 5-point preference. Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% or more are listed at the top of a certificate regardless of score. Other 10-point and 5-point preference eligible veterans who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed in score order. View information on veterans' preference on OPM's Fed Hire Vets website. Agency & Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP & ICTAP): 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.