Visa Specialist

Summary This position is located in the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC), Office of Domestic Operations, Visa Directorate, Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA/VO/DO). KCC processes all petition-based nonimmigrant (NIV) and diversity immigrant visas (DVs), which totals over 600,000 cases per year, and conducts Facial Recognition (FR) checks for approximately 20 million visa and passport applications per year. Responsibilities Serves as the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), providing oversight and establishing operational efficiencies. Ensures effective, efficient, accurate, and timely contractor performance of anti-fraud activities by monitoring visa trends based on extensive and exhaustive analyses of complex patterns of fraudulent activity. Analyzes visa fraud trends and patterns on qualitative and quantitative bases to develop and present recommendations to senior officials on specific actions. Develops and implements new fraud prevention methods, practices, and procedures to rigorously protect the integrity of the petition-based nonimmigrant and diversity immigrant visa process while reducing overseas post workloads. Liaison with law enforcement agencies to share information on fraud patterns, trends, issues, and developments related to visa fraud detection and prevention. Requirements Conditions of Employment 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-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. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience with assessing visa fraud trends and patterns to refine anti-fraud program methods and practices in response to emerging trends and issues and regulatory and policy changes. Experience with data collection and analysis across multiple platforms to compile informative reports and memoranda to inform program and policy decisions. Education Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement. Additional 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. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. Veterans: 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): 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.