Duties

Summary

The U.S. Department of State is developing a rank-ordered list of eligible hires for a limited number of Foreign Service Facility Manager positions. Visit https://careers.state.gov/obo for more information on a career with the Bureau of Overseas Building Operations (OBO).

Joining the Foreign Service is more than just salary . Refer to the Benefits section for more information on total compensation.

This is a 6217 Foreign Service position equivalent to the 1640 CS Series.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Facility Managers (FMs) are the professional facilities, technical, and operations experts at U.S. diplomatic missions around the world. Assigned to more than 200 worldwide locations, FMs support the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) mission to provide safe, secure, functional, and resilient facilities abroad. FMs are responsible for the management and maintenance of U.S. government assets within accepted U.S. industry standards. They deliver a wide range of building-related services, manage physical resources such as critical building systems, and direct operations in office and residential properties. FMs are key members of the Management teams at our Embassies and Consulates, leading large and diverse teams of engineers, technicians, and tradespersons. FMs may be assigned as Regional Facility Managers with responsibilities for FM program activities in several countries.

The duties of this position include:

Facility Operation and Maintenance and Asset Management

• Coordinates facility management activities managing American and locally employed professional, technical, and trade staff with a variety of skill levels and diverse backgrounds.
• Develops annual maintenance work plan, preventative maintenance plan and schedules.
• Oversees operation, maintenance, repairs, schedules, and modifications of the physical plant, physical structures and grounds.
• Develops comprehensive preventative maintenance and repair programs and schedules to include maintenance and repair resource estimates.
• Initiates and assists with contract development, drafts scopes of work and oversees contractor performance. Serves as the contracting officer representative (COR).
• Institutes maintenance policy, determines facility condition indexes, performs annual facility condition surveys, and performs annual inspection surveys.
• Ensures maintenance of security systems.
• Manages energy resources by monitoring and improving post energy use. Ensures utilities availability.
• Maintains real property inventory and ensures that the computerized maintenance management system is fully utilized and monitors performance metrics.
• Monitors building automation systems such as complex HVAC systems and load build-up in chillers and generators.

Management of the Facility Management Office and Strategic Planning

• Performs FM-related long range planning, modifies long range plan, maintains post's mission requirements/master plan, establishes performance goals and objectives, analyzes and advocates for resources.
• Manages project development, designs, and oversees construction work.
• Oversees prioritization of work and establishment of work schedules.
• Plans facility budget, allocates funds and manages sustainment, restoration, and modernization funds.
• Manages customer service, monitors performance standards, institutes quality control procedures, and oversees customer surveys. Supports and coordinates with tenants from other agencies.
• Analyzes facility management data to track effectiveness of FM program using key performance metrics and demonstrates that maintenance funds and assets are efficiently used.
• Supervises staff to include developing staffing plans, advocating for resources, writing position requests and position descriptions, training and mentoring staff to improve professional proficiency, preparing employee evaluations, and participating in hiring and separating of staff.
• Prepares written reports and other documents and delivers briefings.
• Conducts space planning and management.
• Contributes to real estate decisions.

Safety Management

• Serves as the safety officer and oversees safety training to ensure safe work practices.
• Reports, reviews, and investigates mishaps.
• Manages the continuous fire prevention program.
• Performs safety certifications of leased properties.
• Supports emergency preparedness and prepares emergency contingency plans.
• Manages environmental controls and abatements and proper handling of HAZMAT.
• Oversees testing of post water and ambient air quality.
• Ensures CDC and EPA cleaning and disinfecting guidance is followed.

FMs are considered "essential personnel" and are on call to provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - A Foreign Service Facility Manager generally spends the majority of his/her career assigned to the Department of State's overseas missions and at times, lives away from family and/or in difficult or isolated conditions. Selected applicants will be notified of an Oral Assessment (OA) requirement in Washington D.C. For the selected applicants, all travel and other expenses incurred in connection with the OA are the sole responsibility of the applicant.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
FPMC

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Be a U.S. citizen and available for worldwide service.*
• Be able to obtain a Top Secret Security Clearance.
• Be able to obtain an appropriate Foreign Service Medical Clearance.
• Be able to obtain a favorable Suitability Review Panel determination.**
• Be at least 20 years old to apply; at least 21 years old to be appointed.
• Be appointed prior to age 60 (preference eligible veterans excepted).***

A Foreign Service Facility Manager (FM) in the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) manages the operations and maintenance of the Department of State's real property assets abroad.

A Facility Manager must adhere to the highest standards of integrity, dependability, attention to detail, teamwork, and cooperation while accepting the need to travel, to live overseas, and when necessary, to live away from family.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience demonstrates that the applicant has acquired, and is able to apply, a combination of specific knowledge, skills and abilities appropriate to this Foreign Service position. All such experience MUST have been performed within the last 10 years. For the minimum required years of Specialized Experience necessary relative to the highest level of completed education, please see the Education Requirements section. To qualify as Specialized Experience, the duties MUST have a combination of the components listed below for at least 60% of the work duties. Part-time work experience will be prorated.

Facility Management: Managing facility operations and maintenance activities at commercial office and/or residential apartment buildings and/or inventory of multiple properties to include grounds. Planning maintenance activities. Developing and overseeing preventative and non-preventative maintenance and repair programs.

Project Management: Initiating, planning, executing, and monitoring projects such as construction, renovation, rehabilitation and/or maintenance and repair projects.

Contract Management: Drafting scopes of work and specifications, managing contracts and monitoring contractor performance.

Supervision and Talent Management: Supervising and leading teams of three or more staff in facility management, facility engineering, engineering in general, architectural design, construction, or project management. Assigning work and setting goals, justifying position requests, writing position descriptions, hiring, training and evaluating.

Resource Management: Advocating for resources, preparing budget estimates and plans, and managing budgets.

Management and Technical: Versed in technical/engineering operations and facilities management best practices. Working knowledge of building systems and equipment to include Building Automation Systems. Working with projects that require specialized knowledge of engineering drawings and design. Familiarity with safety, physical security, environmental safety and health practices and procedures. Working knowledge of computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) and project management software.

Knowledge, Skills, and Other Characteristics

Knowledge of facility maintenance management planning, safety and physical security practices and procedures, environmental safety and health practices and procedures, acquisition and contracting procedures to include service contracts, contractor performance and statements of work, basic facility accounting, computer applications, facility management fundamentals, physical plant operations, and technical expertise, knowledge of physical plant operation, building structures, and grounds, architectural and engineering drawings, facility condition inspection, EEO policies, construction methods, human resources/talent management policies, building codes, facility warranty process, machines and tools, cost analysis, and principles of real property inventory and methods. Familiarity with design applications such as CAD is desirable.

Specialized skills in customer service; being adaptable and resilient; leadership; interpersonal relationships; active listening; project management; time management; working with others with diverse backgrounds; motivating employees and others; managing laterally and upward; resource management; building relationships; critical thinking; leading a multinational workgroup; risk analysis; self-development; formulating cost and planning estimates; personnel evaluating and interviewing; computer technology; writing statements of work; architectural and engineering drawings; managing installation; data analysis; and negotiation.

General skills in persuasion, mathematics, monitoring, social perceptiveness, coordination, service orientation, management of financial resources, learning strategies, instructing, operations analysis, management of personnel resources, active learning, management of material resources, complex problem identification, equipment selection, science, negotiation, systems evaluation, judgment and decision making, systems analysis, quality control analysis; operation monitoring, operation and control, troubleshooting, installation, equipment maintenance, technology and design, and repairing.

Superior oral and written communication skills: in order to perform the duties of an FM, successful applicants must consistently meet a high standard for English, both written (overall structure as well as grammar, spelling and punctuation) and spoken (overall structure as well as delivery, clarity and succinctness).

Other requirements: cross-cultural interest, tolerance of travel, tolerance of working overseas, tolerance of varying work environments, worldwide availability, tolerance of living away from family, continuous learning, attention to detail, dependability, accountability, integrity and willing to perform other duties.

Essential Physical Requirements:

Some of the essential functions of the Facility Management (FM) job have a physically demanding component. In the execution of the duties and tasks listed above, Facility Managers MUST have:

Mental Endurance: Ability to maintain attention for extended periods or work long hours.

Speaking: Ability to speak clearly enough so others will understand, including speaking to groups.

Mobility: Ability to walk moderate distances, climb stairs, or access work stations and vehicles.

Climbing: Ability to climb stairs, ladders, and other inclines.

Vision: Ability to see objects that are near, far, or at night.

Tolerance for Extreme Environmental Conditions: Ability to tolerate heat, cold, noise, or pollution.

Hearing: Ability to hear speech or other sounds, possibly including sufficient sensitivity to hear sounds of low volume or in noisy environments.

Physical Endurance: Ability to perform movements repeatedly or continually, possibly including the ability to stand for extended periods or take frequent extended trips by plane or car.

Crawling: Ability to crawl under, around, or over objects.

Torso Flexibility: Ability to bend, stretch, stoop, twist, or reach.

Strength: Ability to lift, push, pull, carry, climb ladders, or balance.

Dexterity: Ability to manipulate small objects with hands or fingers.

Education

At the time of application, applicants MUST have one of the following:

Bachelor's degree in any major and three years Specialized Experience in the last 10 years ; or

Master's degree or higher in any major and two years Specialized Experience in the last 10 years ; or

Bachelor's degree or higher in Facility Management or Facilities Engineering (does not require Specialized Experience).

Part-time work experience will be prorated.

You must submit a copy of your university transcript(s) with your application. If you do not submit this documentation to demonstrate your educational achievements, your candidacy will not continue.

Official or unofficial transcripts may be submitted with your application. Your transcript must include your name, the school's name, and, if applicable, the degree and date awarded and have no missing pages. A transcript missing any of these elements will not pass the minimum qualifications and the candidacy will not continue. Copies of diplomas may not be submitted in lieu of transcripts for education above high school level.

Education from a program or institution within the United States must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation, in order to be credited towards qualifications.

Education completed in foreign high schools, colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Only accredited organizations recognized as specializing in the interpretation of foreign education credentials that are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) are accepted. If documentation from an accredited organization is not provided, your candidacy will not continue.

NACES: www.naces.org/members.htm

AICE: www.aice-eval.org/members

For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, please refer to the Office of Personnel Management and the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of State neither endorses nor recommends any individual evaluation service.

OPM: www.opm.gov

U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov

Additional information

*EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION PROGRAM (E-Verify) - Verification of employment eligibility in the United States is required.

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 the 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 the 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.

**The Department of State Suitability Review Panel and standards are defined in Chapter 3 of the Foreign Affairs Manual. For more information please visit: https://fam.state.gov/.

***For more information about Veteran's Preference and how it is applied in the selection process, please visit: https://careers.state.gov/faq-items/vets-hiring-preference/

No applicant will be considered who has previously been separated from the Foreign Service under sections §607, §608, §610 or §611 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, or who resigned or retired in lieu of separation under these provisions. In addition, no applicant will be considered who has previously been separated for failure to receive a career appointment under section §306 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, or who resigned or retired in lieu thereof.

A Foreign Service Specialist separated for failure to receive a career appointment under section 306 may not re-apply to be a Foreign Service Specialist in the same skill code but may apply for another skill code or to be a Foreign Service Generalist.

Executive Branch agencies are barred by 5 US Code 3303 as amended from accepting or considering prohibited political recommendations and are required to return any prohibited political recommendations to sender. In addition, as mandated by 5 US Code 3110, relatives of federal employees cannot be granted preference in competing for these employment opportunities.

It is the policy of the Federal Government to treat all employees with dignity and respect and to provide a workplace that is free from discrimination whether discrimination is based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity or pregnancy), national origin, disability, political affiliation, marital status, membership in an employee organization, age, sexual orientation, or other non-merit factors.

The Department of State provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for any part of the application or hiring process should so advise the Department at ReasonableAccomodations@state.gov , within one week of receiving their invitation to the oral assessment. Decisions for granting reasonable accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Candidates will be evaluated on their total background including experience, education, awards, training, and self-development as it relates to the position. Selection for this position will be made only from among candidates possessing the best qualifications. Part-time work experience will be prorated.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all required documents are uploaded and the application is complete before the closing deadline of this announcement. Any missing required documents or incomplete applications will result in your application not being considered further.

Résumé from USAJobs Résumé Builder, which is the only résumé format that is accepted for this Vacancy Announcement.

Complete online application including the required Accomplishments Questionnaire and Statement of Interest narratives in the online application.

All required supporting documentation, including proof of educational achievements, certifications, professional licenses, or completed forms as required in this Vacancy Announcement.

Veteran's Preference documentation for applicants aged 60 to 65. If claiming a 5 pt. Veteran's Preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or Certification of service at the time of your application. If claiming a 10 pt. Veteran's Preference, you must submit your VA letter and SF-15, in addition to your DD-214 or Certification of service at the time of your application. A Certification must be from the armed forces certifying the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days after the Certification is submitted by the applicant and should include military service dates, date of expected discharge or release, and character of service and disability rating, if applicable.

Accomplishments Questionnaire and Statement of Interest

These required questions provide an opportunity to describe examples and accomplishments from your education, life, and/or work experience that demonstrate your qualifications for becoming a Foreign Service Specialist. Examples can be drawn from any part of your professional, school, or other personal experience. Each response is limited to 300 words or fewer (maximum length 2,000 characters) for each item. You should compose your replies carefully, as one of the skills necessary to succeed as a Foreign Service Specialist is the ability to write clearly and concisely. Answers to all of the items in the Accomplishments Questionnaire and Statement of Interest are required and MUST be completed in the online application or your candidacy will not be continued.

Substantive Knowledge: Using your knowledge of facility management , give what you consider to be the best example of a situation where you found a solution to a practical facility management problem. Indicate the nature of the problem, who was affected by the problem and in what way, and the results or benefits of your solution.

Intellectual Skills: Describe a time when you had to analyze a complex facility management-related situation and make a quick decision. What process did you follow for making the decision and what might you have done better?

Interpersonal Skills: Please provide an example that demonstrates you are good at working with others in difficult situations. What exactly did you do that shows you have this skill?

Communication Skills: Describe a situation in which you used your communication skills to describe a technical issue to a non-technical audience. How did you translate the technical concepts to laypersons so they would understand without "dumbing down"?

Managerial Skills: Facility Managers are required to manage projects, demonstrating the ability to plan and organize, set priorities, employ a systematic approach, and allocate time and resources efficiently. Describe a project that you managed and how you demonstrated these skills to achieve the project's goals.

Leadership Skills: Describe a time when you identified a serious problem involving facility management services that required immediate action where you had to exhibit leadership to motivate and guide others to solve the problem. What leadership principles did you use?

Required narrative Statement of Interest which discusses your:

• Motivation for joining the Foreign Service.
• Relevant work experience, including any unique strengths not described elsewhere such as special skills (e.g. computer), current licenses, certifications, honors, awards, special accomplishments, and/or training (with date completed) relating to this position.
• Experience living or working in a multicultural environment, overseas or in the United States.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.