Supervisory Visa Specialist

This position is in the Office of Screening, Analysis, and Coordination, Visa Services Directorate, Bureau of Consular Affairs. The Office: a) Coordinates interagency screening and vetting checks for all visa applicants, including by responding to Security Advisory Opinions (SAOs) on the visa eligibility of foreign nationals who may fall within the purview of subsections 212(a)(3)(A), (B), (C), (D), (E), (F), and (G) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

Duties

• The incumbent for this position serves as a Division Chief, Office of Screening, Analysis, and Coordination, Visa Services Directorate, Consular Affairs.

• S/he exercises the full scope of responsibilities associated with role of Division Chief and performs both supervisory and non-supervisory functions concerned with reviewing requests for, and rendering security advisory opinions on, visa eligibility

• Incumbent plans and directs the activities of the Division ensuring that all visa requests and security advisory opinions comply with legal and regulatory requirements and meet customer needs.

• Under the incumbent, the Division exercises Departmental authority in recommending to Department of Homeland Security that they grant or deny waivers of ineligibility to certain foreign nationals to permit their temporary admission to the U.S.

Salary

• $143,913 - $187,093/year

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. [If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. 

NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement.

Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F.

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 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:

• Developing, examining, investigating, or adjudicating, claims arising under the immigration and/or nationality laws of the United States.
• Providing operational oversight, leadership, and direction of visa screening and vetting programs. 
• Implementing national security-related visa policy.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-14 position.

In addition, applicant's experience must also demonstrate that the candidate possesses the following qualities:

• Ability to assign, review, and supervise the work of others;
• Objectivity and fairness in judging people on their ability, and situations on the facts and circumstances;
• Ability to adjust to change, work pressures, or difficult situations without undue stress;
• Willingness to consider new ideas or divergent points of view; and
• Capacity to "see the job through."

Education Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement. Other Information To request a reasonable accommodation for additional time on the timed sections of the assessment, please submit your request using the “Request a Reasonable Accommodation” button within the Assessment Application. For all other reasonable accommodations at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations (OAA) at OAA@state.gov. OAA is responsible for reviewing and adjudicating reasonable accommodation (RA) requests for the Assessment Battery being used for this announcement. The following applies to all RA requests: RA requests cover additional time on timed sections only. Applicants submitting a RA request MUST attach supporting medical documentation signed by a licensed, treating medical provider. The documentation should describe the nature, severity, and expected duration of the condition, identify the relevant medical condition or diagnosis, and explain the basis for the requested extension. RA requests that do not contain supporting medical documentation attachments at the time of initial request may be subject to further review. Note: the following documents do not, on their own, qualify for automatic approval of the RA request: Schedule A letters, VA benefits letters, or SSA letters. Applicants MUST submit their application before the vacancy closes, even if pending an accommodation decision. Applicants are encouraged to carefully follow instructions related to medical documentation provided in the vacancy announcement prior to beginning the RA process. Applicants will have 48 hours after their RA request is adjudicated to complete the assessment battery. Scores generated after the allotted timeframe will not be admissible and the applicant will not be considered further for the vacancy. If a different type of RA is needed, please contact OAA directly at OAA@state.gov. If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in this Bureau for up to 240 days and may require a higher or lower security clearance. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. Agency & Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP & ICTAP): View OPM's CTAP & ICTAP eligibility website for more information. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category and submit supporting documents under the required documents section of this announcement to receive selection priority consideration. To be considered Well-Qualified applicants must: score an 85 or above, meet Minimum Qualifications, and demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all major aspects of the position. Required Documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system "Gateway to State" by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume - your resume or any other written format you choose should contain the required information as specified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section.  Insufficient information will result in an ineligible rating.

2. A completed online job specific self-assessment questionnaire through the Department's automated system "Gateway to State".

3. Transcripts - if you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed under the Qualifications and Evaluations section, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript(s) with your application.  If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

4. Current eligible Department of State employees (eligibility outlined in 3 FAM 2315) must submit a copy of their SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" that reflects career or career-conditional tenure or non-competitive eligibility, proof of competitive status, tenure, grade level and step AND a copy of your most recent completed annual performance appraisal that includes the final rating.  If a performance appraisal does not exist, is incomplete or unavailable, a Form DS-1812 (Applicant Appraisal) or equivalent form from another agency signed by the current supervisor is acceptable.  Mid-year progress reviews will not be accepted.

5. All non-competitive eligible applicants must submit proof of eligibility (i.e., SF-50 documenting the full performance level of a position held on a permanent basis).

6. If you are qualifying based on other criteria listed under the Qualification Section of this announcement, you must submit the required supporting documentation (certificates, certifications, etc.) with your application by the closing date.

7. CTAP eligibles must submit a copy of the appropriate documentation with their application. See link below:

CTAP Considerations

All documentation, applicable to you, must be submitted by the closing date of this announcement.  If the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility or you fail to submit any of the required documents, it will disqualify you from being considered for this job opportunity.

How to Apply

Prepare your application in USAJOBS

To start your application, click Apply and we’ll walk you through the process to attach a resume and any required documents.

During the application process you can review, edit, delete, and update your information. We’ll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won’t lose any changes.  You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement to complete the application process.

STEP 1: Select the "Apply" button and follow the instructions to register or sign into USAJOBS.

STEP 2: Submit your resume.  Please see the Required Documents section for specific information that should be outlined in your resume.

STEP 3: Complete the online assessment questions.

STEP 4: Submit all required documentation applicable to you, as listed in the Required Documents section.

To learn how to view the status of your submitted supporting documentation and application, visit the Application Instructions section of our agency’s Civil Service selection process site.

Technical assistance with your on-line application is available through the Help Desk at fedhirehelp@applygovernment.com or by calling (866) 656-6830 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET

Alternate Application Procedures

If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package. Contact the Human Resources office listed on the announcement between the business hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET at least 2 working days prior to the closing date of this announcement. The application package for alternate application procedures must be submitted and received in the Human Resources office no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement. Paper applications and information sent by mail will not be accepted.