Executive Assistant

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-0301-13

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 assigned to the Office of the Assistant Secretary (A/S) of State for Diplomatic Security (DS). The incumbent reports to the Chief of Staff (CoS) and serves as the DS Front Office (DS/FO) Executive Assistant.

In this position, you will manage various complex issues, including controlling the A/S's daily and long-range commitments. They provide support and advice to the A/S and CoS on a broad range of topics impacting DS/FO operations.

Telework: This is a telework eligible position. 

Travel Required: This position will require occasional travel.

Duties:

• Provides comprehensive executive-level support to the A/S, CoS, Special Assistant, and other DS/FO personnel. Optimizes the A/S's time to ensure they can efficiently accomplish critical tasks and initiatives.
• Works closely with counterparts from regional and functional bureaus, 7th-floor staff, the Executive Secretariat, and the National Security Council to coordinate preparation and submission of materials, ensuring Department senior officials, up to and including the Secretary, receive complete and accurate responses to official taskings. 
• Assists the A/S and DS/FO personnel with scheduling, organization, prioritizing, taking meeting minutes, and other administrative tasks. Identifies challenges facing the DS/FO and formulates potential actions to resolve them.
• Acts as the information conduit exercising discretion and independent judgment in evaluating incoming requests and makes the final determination on the level of Bureau review, ensuring offices with equities have an opportunity to weigh in on issues.

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 must demonstrate the following:

• Experience controlling the calendar of a high-ranking official.
• Experience drafting and reviewing priority communications.
• Experience monitoring project management objectives.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 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:

• Expert skill and ability to apply institutional knowledge, policy, practices, and procedures to plan, conduct, and evaluate special projects, prepare mission focused information packages, address delicate subject matters and deal with controversial issues. 
• Skill and ability to create new techniques and processes, develop new forms and databases to address unique protocols, special assignments, and new demands resulting from new laws, legislations, and national and international issues.
• Knowledge of U.S. foreign affairs information sources, processes, and organizations to utilize the full range of available information resources and capabilities.

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 2/6/2023.  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.