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FLO Data Management Specialist, GS-12

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY IN THE FAMILY LIAISON OFFICE

  • FLO Data Management Specialist, GS-301-12, in GTM/FLO, is an Excepted Service, full-time, Schedule A, two-year limited appointment, with potential to be extended up to a maximum of five years; GS-12 is the full performance level for this position. This appointment is not in the Competitive Service. The selected candidate will receive a two-year Non-Career term appointment with the following benefits: Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI), and Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB). The application deadline for this position is 11:59 p.m. EDT, October 9, 2020.

Summary

This position is located at the Department of State, in the Bureau of Global Talent Management’s Family Liaison Office (GTM/FLO) in Washington, DC. The incumbent of this position is responsible for the development and maintenance of FLO’s databases; oversight of statistical collection and analysis; customized automation to improve processing of specific FLO projects; management of FLO databases; troubleshooting and coordination of technical solutions; management of the worldwide Family Member Employment Reports and data visualization projects; and oversight of FLO’s internal SharePoint site. This position is located in Washington, DC, and may require some travel. After successfully performing the required duties in Washington, DC, at the discretion of FLO management, the incumbent may be eligible to serve in this position as a Domestic Employee Teleworking from Overseas (DETO), depending upon FLO staffing, time zone, and other factors.

The incumbent leads FLO’s Data Management team and reports to the Division Chief.

About FLO

FLO was established in 1978 to improve the quality of life of Foreign Service employees and their family members. FLO assists both employees and family members in the areas of family member employment, educational counseling, crisis support, unaccompanied tours, and expeditious naturalization. In addition, FLO provides support to evacuees from overseas missions, is the functional office for the worldwide Community Liaison Office program, and organizes Washington, DC, and overseas training conferences annually. FLO produces numerous publications and electronic media, and its staff participate in numerous presentations in Foreign Service Institute (FSI) courses, to other agency personnel, and to post communities overseas. Further information about FLO is available via www.state.gov/flo.

FLO not only serves employees and family members from the Department of State, but also fields questions and makes referrals for many agencies with personnel abroad, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service, the U.S. Justice Department, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Key Requirements

  1. U.S. Citizenship.
  2. Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security.
  3. Conditions of Employment – E-Verify: Verification of Employment in the United States is required.
  4. Domestic and/or international travel required.

 Major Duties

  1. Maintains databases, balancing customer requirements against technical limitations including review and modification, if necessary, of existing database software; suggests and implements changes to current database solutions and administers FLO databases.
  2. Reviews general business and functional requirements that support the need for systems and identifies and evaluates potential systems design approaches; identifies user data requirements and specifications and the database applications, equipment, and facilities necessary to meet the needs of the users.
  3. Reviews existing database systems to identify current shortcomings and potential upgrades using new technologies in either the data itself or in the system for storage, retrieval, and manipulation of the data; reviews new database systems to determine their potential for satisfying user needs and to conform to future systems compatibility.
  4. Designs an in-depth analytical report twice a year (the Family Member Employment Report—FAMER) of worldwide family member employment, identifying trends, forecasting population growth, quantifying changes in employment, evaluating effectiveness of employment initiatives and programs; in addition to administering and maintaining statistics and systems supporting the FAMER, coordinates, markets, and provides training on the FAMER, as required, for CLO Coordinators and Management, and GTM Officers; serves as team lead for FLO’s FAMER Administrator.
  5. Develops strategies for the optimal use of collaborative tools to facilitate and enhance staff and client engagement as well as effective remote work; assists staff in effective use of Microsoft (MS) platforms and tools – such as SharePoint, One Drive, Teams, Office 365 – as well as other platforms, such as the Foreign Affairs Network (FAN), Google Meet, WebEx, Zoom Federal, and Adobe Connect;
  6. Using data analysis tools (Excel, Power BI, Tableau) develops reports, graphs, charts, and presentations for use in briefings and training sessions by the Director, Division Chiefs, and other FLO staff. Serves as FLO’s principal contact and liaison with IT and computer professionals, both in the Bureau of Information Resource Management (IRM) and with GTM’s software development team; researches and recommends design and use of software for end-users. Interacts with IT developers to communicate FLO’s technical requirements, to evaluate solutions, and to provide feedback on performance.

Qualifications (ranking factors)

The successful candidate must have:

  1. A minimum of three years of experience living in a Foreign Service embassy or consulate community abroad as an Eligible Family Member (EFM) or Member of Household (MOH). Please quantify your response;
  2. A Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Cyber-security, or closely related field;
  3. Ability to interact with others and demonstrate good teamwork skills. Please provide examples of working directly with shareholders of different levels of expertise and diverse portfolios;
  4. Demonstrated hands-on experience and expert skills in MS Excel, relational database concepts, data visualization techniques and tools; proficiency in all other MS Office applications; knowledge of SharePoint, MS Access, Visual Basic, SQL, and Adobe Acrobat design. Please provide specific examples;
  5. Demonstrated experience working with relational databases and query languages, to manage the migration of Access databases to other systems that help automate office work processes; provide specific examples of knowledge of statistical concepts and methods and the ability to interpret complex data and produce written reports for non-technical readers;
  6. Familiarity with computing practices and end-user guidelines and U.S. citizenship as of the closing of this announcement.

Availability is a key factor.

How to Apply

Interested individuals may submit one of the following:

  • Application for Employment as a Locally Employed Staff,
  • Family Member Application Form (DS-174), or
  • Federal resume (see important instructions for submitting a resume at the end of this announcement).

Note: there is no vacancy announcement number; please reference the position title: Data Management Specialist, Family Liaison Office GS-301-12.

In addition, each candidate must submit a supplemental statement that addresses each of the qualifications/ranking factors. List each ranking factor and describe in detail how your experience (paid or unpaid), education, or special training aligns with each factor. The supplemental statement should include your name, an answer to the U.S. citizenship question, and the title and grade of the position for which you are applying. Applications that are incomplete will not be considered.

Please note that because all FLO positions are in the Excepted Service, neither past nor current Federal or executive order eligibility is required. However, applicants with government employment status or eligibilities should document it in the application to assist in determining the each candidates’ level of skills and abilities of each candidate.

Summary of Required Application Materials

You must include ALL of the following. If ANY item is missing or incomplete, your application cannot be considered:

  1. DS-174, Federal resume, or any other format that contains ALL of the required elements listed in this announcement. Note: these forms or formats can be found on the internet. The DS-174 should not be submitted via eForms. Please submit the DS-174 as an email attachment.
  2. Supplemental Statement addressing EACH of the Qualifications and Ranking Factors IN DETAIL. The supplemental statement should list each qualification/ranking factor and a brief summary of how the applicant meets each particular qualification. A cover letter should not be substituted for the supplemental statement.
  3. For Federal employees, including former employees and those in the Foreign Service Family Reserve Corp (FSFRC) or Intermittent No Work Scheduled (INWS) status:
    1. Most recent Performance Appraisal Report or EER (even if several years old), or, if one does not exist, Form DS-1812 or equivalent form from another agency; and
    2.  Most recent SF-50 (even if several years old)
  4. For applicants without Federal employment experience, performance appraisals are optional.
  5. Veterans must demonstrate proof of eligibility by submitting their DD-214 (member copy 4), SF-15, and VA Letter (if applicable).

Submitting a Resume

There is no specified resume format; however, applicants must provide certain information on their resumes to evaluate their qualifications and determine if the legal requirements for Federal employment have been met. If a resume format is used, it must contain the following information for the applicant to be considered for the position:

Personal and Education Information
  1. Full name, mailing address (with zip code), and day and evening phone numbers, including area code;
  2. Country of citizenship (U.S. citizenship required);
  3. Veteran’s preference (proof of eligibility is required);
  4. Highest Federal civilian grade held, including series, beginning, and ending dates;
  5. High school diploma or GED acquired, plus the name, city, and state of high school or educational institution; and
  6. Name and state of colleges and universities attended; major fields of study; type of any degrees received (if no degree, show total number of credits earned, and indicate whether they are in quarter or semester hours).
Work Experience and Other Qualifications

Applicants must provide information on their work experience, both paid and non-paid, that is related to the position for which they are applying, including:

  1. Job Title (series and grade if Federal employment);
  2. Duties and accomplishments;
  3. Employer’s name and address;
  4. Supervisor’s name and telephone number (indicate if we may contact your current supervisor);
  5. Starting and ending dates of employment (month/year);
  6. Hours worked per week;
  7. Salary;
  8. Any other qualifications, including: job-related training (title and date of course), skills (e.g. languages, typing speed, and computer software/hardware), current licenses, or honors, awards, and special accomplishments (e.g. honor societies, publications); and
  9. Date available.

Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify)

U.S. law requires organizations to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States – either U.S. citizens or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization. This agency utilizes E-Verify to compare information from Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) records to confirm employment eligibility. If an employee’s information does not match DHS and/or SSA records, the employee is given an opportunity to resolve the problem. If eligibility cannot be verified, employment will be terminated.

Submitting Applications

Send applications to GTM’s Office of Talent Services (GTM/TS) via GTMSSFLO@state.gov with the subject line “LAST NAME FLO Specialist (Data Management) GS-301-12.” Include the applicant’s name in the title of any email attachments (Last, First, Middle Initial). Attach the required documents to the e-mail; do not send a picture of the documents or links to the Cloud. Application submissions and vacancy related questions should be submitted to GTMSSFLO@state.gov.

Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. EDT, October 9, 2020.

Evaluation Method

The determination of basic eligibility is based upon review of the federal application or resume and supplemental statement. It is imperative that the information provided be detailed to allow accurate evaluation of eligibility and background as they relate to the qualification requirements listed in the announcement.

Privacy Act Information

The Office of Personnel Management and other Federal agencies rate applicants for Federal jobs under the authority of sections 1104, 1302, 3301, 3304, 3320, 3361, 3393, and 3394 of title 5 of the United States Code. The information requested is needed to evaluate your qualifications. Other laws require inquiring about citizenship, military service, etc.

Questions

Please contact Anna Kolodzinski, Division Chief, GTM/FLO, at 202-647-1077 and KolodzinskiAV@state.gov.

U.S. Department of State

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