Senior Advisor

Overview:

This is a non-status, non-permanent Personal Services Contract (PSC) position. This position does not provide Competitive or Excepted Service status into the Civil Service.

SERIES & GRADE: GS-0080-15

Key Requirements:

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• Must have access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).

APPOINTMENT DURATION: Temporary Non-Status Contractor Position: 1 year renewable for up to 4 years.

This position is the principal security advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Countermeasures; the Director, Office of Security Technology (DS/C/ST); the Office of Physical Security Programs (DS/C/PSP); and the Diplomatic Courier Service (DS/C/DC).

In this position,  you will be providing senior-level advisory services in the planning, development, and worldwide implementation of a broad array of critical countermeasures programs and initiatives, such as Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), Technical Security Upgrades (TSU’s), Residential Security, Defensive Equipment and Armored Vehicles, and the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS).

Telework: This is a telework eligible position. 

Travel Required: This position will require occasional travel.

Duties:

• Provides insightful analyses and recommends new and innovative approaches to the planning, development, and implementation of key strategies for accomplishing organizational goals and objectives for the worldwide deployment and continued development of major countermeasures initiatives.
• Serves as the focal point for evaluating new program initiatives in the countermeasures and security technology fields.
• Conducts comprehensive assessments of current ST management systems, methods, practices, and directs changes to bring significant improvements in the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of program management processes.
• Plans and conducts special projects at the direction of the Deputy Assistant Secretary and ST and PSP Offices that generally involve topics of a critical, controversial, and sensitive nature cutting across program and organizational lines. 

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-14 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 must demonstrate the following:

• Experience evaluating new program initiatives.
• Experience advising on technical security and management policies.
• Experience providing senior-level advice and oversight.
• Experience forecasting program needs and concerns.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-15 position.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

• Mastery of a broad range of qualitative and/or quantitative methods for the analysis and assessment of worldwide countermeasures programs.
• Expert level of knowledge and experience in project, program, or portfolio management that leverages globally recognized standards to complete projects and address tasks to modernize operations within the Office of Security Technology. 
• Expert level of knowledge to analyze very broadly defined or undefined issues and problems that are often exploratory in nature to resolve ST countermeasures problems and issues and to establish new countermeasures concepts and approaches. 

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. 

HOW TO APPLY:

Submit a detailed resume. Applications must be received electronically by 11:59 pm on 1/27/2023.  Your resume or application must clearly reflect the requirements of this position, if not your application may not be considered.  Applications, which are incomplete, not received by the deadline stated above will not be considered.   All materials submitted will become property of the Department of State. For any questions, please contact DS HRM at LittletonKA@state.gov.

Benefits:

Personal Services Contractors are eligible to participate in the PSC Health Insurance Reimbursement Program which allows for a contribution of 72 percent against the contractor’s health insurance premium costs toward either an individual or family policy, provided that such costs may not exceed the maximum U.S. Government contribution for direct-hire personnel as announced annually by the Office of Personnel Management.  Supplemental  insurance, such as dental and vision, is not eligible for this reimbursement under this program. The Department’s PSC Life Insurance Reimbursement Program allows for PSC’s to be provided a contribution of 50 percent against the actual costs of an individual annual life insurance policy not to exceed $500.00 per year. 

Personal Service Contractors entering on duty with prior qualifying service, as defined by OPM, may have their service computation dates updated to credit their years of applicable prior service for higher annual leave accrual rates.  PSC leave accrual rates are explained in 3 FAM 9116.1.

Benefits for PSC’s in the Department of State are outlined in 3 FAM 9116.

Other Information:

For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.

If eligible, telework and/or remote work agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Please note that any approved remote work arrangement is subject to the locality pay area of the alternative telework worksite.

For any questions on this announcement, please contact email Kyle Littleton at LittletonKA@state.gov.