Program Coordinator (CLO), GS-13

About the Position

This position is located at the Department of State in the Bureau of Global Talent Management’s Global Community Liaison Office (GTM/GCLO) in Washington, D.C. The incumbent of this position contributes to accomplishing GCLO’s overall mission by developing CLO program policy, advising management officials in Washington and at overseas posts, and providing policy guidance, mentoring, information and training to CLO Coordinators. The Program Coordinator receives supervision from a Division Chief and provides day-to-day assistance to the CLO Program Specialist, a contract Program Assistant, and provides guidance to the 400+ CLOs around the world.

The Program Coordinator (CLO) in Global Community Liaison Office (GTM/GCLO), GS-13 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-13 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 benefits, for up to five years, including Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI), and Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB). GTM/GCLO offers workplace flexibilities for all GCLO staff. This position is based in Washington DC and is currently not eligible for a Domestic Employee Teleworking Overseas (DETO) agreement.

The incumbent is the team lead for the GCLO Community Liaison Office (CLO) Program team. The CLO Program team sets policy for and manages the worldwide CLO program (2 FAM 113.7-2) through the eight areas of CLO responsibility: family member employment; crisis management and security; education; communications and outreach; guidance and referral; welcoming, orientation, and departures; community liaison; and events planning.

About GCLO

The Global Community Liaison Office (GCLO) was established in 1978 as the Family Liaison Office (FLO) to improve the quality of life of FS employees and their family members. The office recently changed its name to Global Community Liaison Office (GTM/GCLO) and continues to assist both employees and family members in the areas of family member employment, education, crisis support, unaccompanied tours, and expeditious naturalization. GTM/GCLO also provides support to evacuees from overseas missions, is the functional office for the worldwide Community Liaison Office program, and organizes Washington, D.C., and overseas training workshops annually. GTM/GCLO produces a variety of 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 GTM/GCLO is available via www.state.gov/gclo.

GTM/GCLO serves employees and family members from the Department of State and the other 50 federal agencies sending people overseas under Chief of Mission, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by fielding questions and making referrals.

Key Requirements

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

Major Duties

1. The incumbent establishes criteria and develops related policy for the global CLO program consisting of over 450 CLO Coordinators, Assistant CLO Coordinators, and Administrative Assistants. The employee develops, proposes, and implements action plans to ensure established goals and objectives and recommends changes to program operation and guidance.
2. Researches, analyzes, and presents information on a variety of topics of interest to CLO Coordinators and mission leadership. Provides advice and guidance on program specifications to senior management, CLO Coordinators, Assistant CLO Coordinators, and CLO Administrative Assistants. Provides program guidance and support to embassy and consulate Front Offices, Management Officers, and HROs globally. This includes guidance on the overall CLO program, which includes eight areas of responsibility and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility topics related to the CLO program.
3. Designs and conducts comprehensive studies for management to analyze the operations and make improvements to the CLO program. CLO’s programs are broad and serve overseas communities, making the boundaries of the incumbent’s studies broad and difficult to determine in advance. Identifies and proposes solutions to severe problems for which previously established techniques are inadequate. Plans, organizes and directs team study work to improve CLO’s programs. Initiatives and dialogue supported by the incumbent involve substantial agency resources and require extensive changes to established procedures.
4. Oversees a robust CLO corps reporting schedule, including managing the bi-annual CLO Activity Report from more than 200 overseas posts. Collects, analyzes, and synthesizes report information for GCLO management use, principal officer briefings, and partner offices/agencies. Coordinates with Department subject matter experts to ensure key information is disseminated to the CLOs worldwide. Writes and clears bi-weekly communication with the CLO corps and quarterly communication with Management Officers at all embassies/consulates.
5. Attends meetings with bureaus within the State Department, at embassies worldwide and with other Federal agencies to coordinate, explain and provide guidance on the CLO program and advocate in favor of GTM/GCLO policy views and positions. Represents GTM/GCLO and participates in bureau and Department-level working groups at the request of Division Chief and Director. Presents formal briefings on the CLO program to high-level officials of the Department of State and other agencies and to GCLO clients. Maintains liaison with staff members of the appropriate Departmental or external agencies and organizations.
6. Under the leadership of the Division Chief and in collaboration with the Training Specialist, designs, conducts, and manages CLO professional skills development in-person and virtual training. Responsible for overall planning, implementation, and management of CLO training sessions, including managing the training budget (travel, transportation, materials, per diem, etc.) development and evaluation of the training program, determining appropriate use of resources.

Qualifications (Ranking Factors)

The successful candidate must have:

1. A minimum of five (5) years of experience living in a Foreign Service embassy or consulate community abroad as an Eligible Family Member (EFM) or Member of Household (MOH). At least two (2) years of experience working as a CLO Coordinator. Please describe with specificity how this experience has equipped you with knowledge of the CLO program. Please provide start and end dates for qualifying periods.
2. Demonstrated knowledge of the scope and complexity of the needs of the Foreign Service community, as well as extensive project management experience in order to effectively manage the worldwide CLO program. Please specify the knowledge of the Foreign Service community. Please explain in detail your project management experience.
3. Experience interacting with officials of the Foreign Service agencies on all levels to discuss advocacy and policy issues affecting the diverse communities overseas. Please provide specific examples of your experience working/interacting with officials of the Foreign Service agencies. 
4. The ability to interact well with others, demonstrating good teamwork and strong leadership skills. Please provide examples of your ability to work well with a team and lead a team on specific projects.
5. Demonstrated experience in the design, delivery and evaluation of training materials for the adult learner and a track record of organizing and facilitating briefings, group discussions, presentations, off-site training events for large audiences. Please provide specific examples of your experience in developing training materials for the adult learner.
6. Solid writing skills with ability to communicate clearly and concisely on both technical and non-technical subjects. Demonstrated facility with Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; Facebook; and webinar tools, such as Teams, Webex, and Google Meet. Please specify the applications with which you are familiar. 

In addition to the six ranking factors indicated above, you must be a U.S. Citizen as of the closing date of this announcement.

Availability is also a key factor.

How to Apply

Interested individuals may submit the following:

• 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: Program Coordinator (CLO) GS-301-13.

In addition, each candidate must submit a supplemental statement that addresses each of the qualifications/ranking factors listed in the “Qualifications (Ranking Factors)” section of this vacancy announcement. 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. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please note that because all GTM/GCLO positions are in the Excepted Service, neither past nor current federal or executive order eligibility is required. However, if applicants have government employment status or eligibilities, it is helpful to document this in the application to assist in determining the 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. Federal resume, or any other format that contains ALL of the required elements listed in the “Submitting a Resume” section of this announcement. NOTE: these forms or formats can be found on the internet. 
2. Supplemental Statement addressing EACH of the Qualifications/Ranking Factors listed in the “Qualifications (Ranking Factors)” section of this announcement 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 Employee Evaluation Report (EER), (even if several years old) or, if one does not exist, Form DS-1812 or equivalent form from another federal 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. Whatever format is used, applicants must list the information detailed below 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, with 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 the following information for all work experience, both paid and unpaid, relevant 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. Start and end 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 the 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 GTMTSGCLO@state.gov with the subject line “LAST NAME Program Coordinator GS-301-13.” 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 GTMTSGCLO@state.gov.

Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET, March 27, 2023.

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.

Reasonable Accommodation

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please submit your request through the GTM Next Employee Portal or email OAA@state.gov. Requests for accommodation are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Questions

Please contact Anna Kolodzinski, Division Chief, GTM/GCLO: Kolodzinskiav@state.gov.