Passport Specialist

Summary

Located in the Bureau of Human Resources, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Diplomatic Tradecraft and Emerging Technology Directorate, Consular Training Division, Domestic Passport Training Branch PERT/NFATC/DTET/CON/DP. Serves as a Policy Instructors with responsibility for research, planning, design, development, and delivery of a broad range of training courses.

Duties

• Provides guidance and leadership in ensuring the effective career development of employees who manage, supervise, or perform work concerned with the adjudication of passport applications submitted by the general public.
• Designs new or redesigns existing curriculum, and implements new and updates courses for training in passport adjudication, citizenship, nationality, anti-fraud, interviewing, and other topics to address unique CA/PPT training needs.
• Serves as the principal point of contact for training related to adjudication, citizenship, and nationality laws and regulations, management skills, leadership skills, fraud detection, instructional design, and needs assessments.
• Serves as liaison and plans and coordinates activities with passport agencies/centers, production centers, and headquarters units and representatives of other CA organizations on a wide range of training matters.

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. GS-12 Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 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 may have been gained in work such as developing, examining, investigating, adjudicating, or authorizing claims arising under the immigration and/or nationality laws of the United States. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience developing, examining, investigating, adjudicating, or authorizing claims arising under the immigration and/or nationality laws of the United States; Experience applying laws, regulations, precedents, court decisions and polices of the Department and the Directorate of Passport Services pertaining to passport adjudication and issuance; and Experience conducting interviews to gain information needed to make judgements for passport issuance. GS-13 Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 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 may have been gained in work such as developing, examining, investigating, adjudicating, or authorizing claims arising under the immigration and/or nationality laws of the United States. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience applying laws, regulations, precedents, court decisions and policies of the Department and the Directorate of Passport Services pertaining to passport adjudication and issuance; Experience examining legal documentation relating to birth, adoption, naturalization, and similar evidence reflecting eligibility for U.S. passports and complex citizenship cases that warrant higher level review; Experience conducting interviews to gain information needed to make judgments for passport issuance while not offending those with legitimate U.S. passport entitlement; and Experience with evolving fraud trends commonly used to fraudulently obtain passports and visas; and to instruct passport acceptance agents and adjudicators to recognize them.

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): Non-Supervisory: Oral Communication, Writing, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Technology Orientation, Customer Service, Attention to Detail and Self-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 Non-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 statutes, rules, and regulations that govern the examination and adjudication of passport. Knowledge of Passport Laws, regulations, policies and procedures Ability to understand, interpret, and apply substantive law. Ability to analyze and improve operations methods, procedures and practices. Skill in interacting effectively with others at all levels with the organization. Skill in determining the appropriate action needed to resolve issues and problems. 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.