FLO Specialist (Employment), GS-12

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 supporting a wide variety of family member employment programs and initiatives related to inside-and outside-the-mission employment overseas, professional development opportunities, and returning to Washington. The incumbent reports to the Employment Program Coordinator. The position may require occasional travel.

After successfully performing the required duties in Washington, DC, and 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.

Note: More than one candidate may be selected.

About FLO

The Family Liaison Office 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, education and youth issues, crisis support, unaccompanied tours, and expeditious naturalization. In addition, FLO provides support to evacuees from overseas missions and is the functional office for the worldwide Community Liaison Office program. FLO produces numerous publications and electronic media, and its staff participate in presentations at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), to other agency personnel, and to post communities overseas. Further information about FLO is available via www.state.gov/flo.

The Family Liaison Office 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, but not limited to, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Foreign and 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 clearance.
3. Conditions of Employment – E-Verify: Verification of Employment in the United States is required.
4. Domestic or international travel required.

 Major Duties

1.  Conducts regular client one-on-one and group briefings in person and remotely, and issues written communication to keep family members informed on the full range of employment options, both going overseas and returning to the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Addresses family member employment issues of concern from clients through coaching and guidance.
2. Explores and advocates for new program options for increasing family member employment opportunities. Analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of the program to meet goals, and recommends future objectives and improvements.
3. Collects and analyzes data to guide and support FLO’s employment advocacy initiatives through briefings and presentations to officials at all levels in the Department.
4. Represents FLO in meetings and working groups at the Department, other federal agencies and other organizations to obtain support for family member employment. Participates in public outreach programs. Visits institutions, conferences, and meetings to brief, discuss, or inform audiences about family member employment programs.
5. Monitors regulations and policies impacting family member employment and assesses their impact.
6. Provides support to the Employment Program Coordinator and acts on his/her behalf as required; serves as backup to others on the Employment team as required and participates in overall FLO team efforts.

Qualifications (ranking factors)

The successful candidate must have:

1. A minimum of two assignments’ worth 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 with the dates of your completed assignments. Additionally, please describe with specificity and examples how this experience has equipped you with knowledge gained regarding socio-economic factors affecting Foreign Service family members, particularly via first-hand experience regarding the realities of family member employment and career development overseas
2. Demonstrated knowledge of federal employment regulations, both inside missions overseas and in the U.S., and of the principles and practices of employment advising, especially regarding mobile/dual career concerns in the Foreign Service context. Please specify the federal employment regulations of which you have knowledge of and explain in detail your experience advising on principles and practices of employment.
3. Demonstrated experience in program development and project management to include designing and delivering presentations to targeted adult audiences. Provide examples of this experience.
4. Demonstrated ability to speak and write clearly and concisely on technical and non-technical topics, including those involving complex government regulations, and in response to requests for input to speech drafts, decision memoranda, and data analysis. Provide examples of your speaking and writing experience.
5. Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with multi-cultural clients, teammates, and managers at multiple levels of an organization, while faced with multiple tasks and under challenging time constraints. Provide examples of this experience.
6. Demonstrated facility with Microsoft Office Suite – including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint – for project data management/reporting, and with webinar tools and social media tools – such as LinkedIn and Facebook – for professional purposes; please specify the applications with which you are familiar.

In addition to the six ranking factors above, you must be a U.S. Citizen as of the closing date 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 (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: FLO Specialist (Employment) 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 and the title and grade of the position for which you are applying. Applications that are incomplete or mailed in government postage-paid envelopes 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, 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. DS-174, Federal resume, or any other format that contains ALL of the required elements listed in paragraph 11 of 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), email, and day and evening phone numbers, including area code;
2. Country of citizenship (most Federal jobs require U.S. citizenship);
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 (Employment) 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, November 5, 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 Chris Baumgarten, Employment Program Coordinator, GTM/FLO, at BaumgartenCA@state.gov.