HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER |
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VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
United States Department of State
An Equal Opportunity Employer
How to Apply
Announcement No: HRO 2008-0001
Opening Date: April 14, 2008
CLOSED
Position Title: FOREIGN SERVICE HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER
Grade and Starting Salary Range: FP4 $50,749 – $74,527 per annum
Additional Benefits: Overseas Tax Free Housing and Education Allowances, etc. (See "Compensation and Benefits" for more information.)
Number of Vacancies: The Department of State maintains a rank-order list of eligible candidates to fill entry-level Foreign Service Human Resources Officer vacancies. The specific number to be hired depends on the needs of the Foreign Service.
Area of Consideration: All Sources. Applicants must be U.S. citizens between the ages of 21 and 59 and able to qualify for a top secret security clearance.
Location: Initial assignment will be to the Department of State in Washington, D.C., for orientation and training, followed by an overseas assignment of two years. Additional training in language or other required skills (depending on onward assignment) might further extend the time spent in Washington. Foreign Service Human Resources Officers normally spend most of their careers abroad, moving to new assignments at intervals of 2-3 years.
For more information, contact HR/REE at 202-261-8932 or HROVacancyInfo@state.gov.
All potential applicants are strongly urged to read this entire Vacancy Announcement to ensure that they meet all of the requirements for this position before applying.
Applicants must be American citizens and at least 20 years old to apply and at least 21 years of age to be appointed. By law, all career candidates must be appointed to the Foreign Service prior to the month in which they reach age 60.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Foreign Service Human Resources Officers (HROs) serve at many of the approximately 265 Foreign Service posts throughout the world, at Department of State locations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and at the Florida Regional Center in Ft. Lauderdale. HROs manage American and foreign national human resources programs for the Department of State and participating U.S. Government agencies. Responsibilities cover a broad range of HR functions to include recruitment and staffing, employee training and development, performance management and appraisal, employee relations, salary and benefits administration, employee policies and procedures, labor relations, position classification, career counseling, and the supervision of the Human Resources Office staff.
In addition, HROs are responsible for:
Managing Employment of Local Staff through:
- Balancing U.S. laws and Department of State regulations with local labor laws and practices. Planning, developing and implementing effective human resources policies and procedures.
- Providing expert advice to managers and supervisors on human resources issues and facilitating problem resolution.
- Analyzing organization and workload issues, advising managers on position and organizational management design, providing guidance in the development of position descriptions and evaluating and classifying positions for locally employed staff.
- Researching and analyzing local labor market conditions and compensation practices to ensure local compensation and benefit plans meet U.S. and host-country requirements. Providing a cost-effective, competitive basis for recruiting and retaining top-notch local staff.
- Administering an effective, wide-reaching recruitment program. Interviewing, testing and hiring locally-employed American and foreign national staff.
- Planning, administering and conducting employee training and development. Managing performance evaluation, promotion, award, discipline, grievance, labor management and related human resources programs.
Advising on American Human Resources Policies and Procedures by:
- Serving as expert advisor to senior post management and supervisors on American human resources policies and procedures.
- Providing counseling, interpreting regulations and informing American Foreign Service employees of procedures affecting their assignments, performance evaluations, leave and retirement benefits, health and life insurance programs, salary, allowances, differentials and official travel.
- Developing orientation programs for new arrivals at post and advising them on housing, domestic employees, commissary privileges and post procedures. Providing family members with information on employment opportunities.
- Planning and conducting in-house training opportunities.
A CAREER IN THE FOREIGN SERVICE
Human Resources Officers serve at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. Candidates must agree not only to serve at any U.S. diplomatic or consular posts abroad, but also at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. and the Florida Regional Center in Ft. Lauderdale, according to the needs of the Foreign Service. A career in the Foreign Service involves uncommon commitments and occasional hardships, as well as unique rewards and opportunities. As a member of a diplomatic team, you will help to accomplish the mission of the Department of State and also be a representative of your country to the people of other nations. A decision to enter this career must involve unusual motivation and a firm dedication to public service.
Upon entry into the Foreign Service and after completion of formal training, usually in the Washington, D.C. area, Human Resources Officers will normally be assigned overseas. Both the first and second overseas assignments, which are directed, will be two years in length. Subsequent assignments will be made through an open process based on needs of the Foreign Service, career development requirements and individual preferences, and will normally be two or three years in length.
Many overseas posts are in small, remote countries where harsh climates, health hazards and other discomforts exist and where American-style amenities frequently are unavailable. Personal security frequently becomes an area of concern, particularly in countries where there is political unrest or terrorist activity. However, careers in the Foreign Service offer special awards, including the pride and satisfaction of representing the United States and protecting U.S. interests abroad.
The Foreign Service strives for diversity in the representation of gender, race and ethnicity within its work force.
INITIAL SALARY
Newly hired Human Resources Officer career candidates are assigned at the FP-04 level. Specific step (or salary) within that level will be determined at the time a firm offer of employment is made. Steps may be awarded based on such factors as the level of graduate education and directly related specialized experience.
Current Federal Civil Service employees (or former employees) will also be assigned at the FP-04 level. Specific step (or salary) within the FP-04 level will be set at the nearest possible salary rate of the current (or previous) grade, provided the work performed is relevant to human resources activities.
COMPETITIVE PROMOTION AND WITHIN-GRADE INCREASES
Human Resources Officer career candidates are eligible to compete for promotion to FP-03, in line with Department of State policies. Subsequent promotions are also competitive. Due to the limited number of yearly promotion opportunities, promotion panels select promotees based on published criteria and quality of performance. Performance is evaluated annually, in writing, by the supervisor.
In general, Foreign Service employees with documented satisfactory performance are eligible to receive a within-grade step increase annually up through step 10 and biannually from step 10 through step 14.
TENURE
Human Resources Officer career candidates are considered for tenure (career status) after they have acquired a minimum of two years experience in the Foreign Service. A Tenuring Board determines suitability based on a number of factors. If tenure is not granted during the first review, a second review will be made one year later. Failure to achieve tenure in the prescribed timeframe of four years is grounds for separation.
EDUCATION AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
All Human Resources Officer applicants must meet the following requirements:
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in business administration, human resources or other related field and at least three years of specialized work experience in human resources or six years of specialized work experience in human resources. All specialized work experience must have been of a progressively responsible nature in the field of human resources. Experience must include at least three of the eight fields mentioned under specialized experience below and must have been gained during the last ten (10) years.
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal job requirements for this position if the applicant can show that foreign education is comparable to education received in the United States. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide such evidence when applying for Federal jobs. To view how foreign education is evaluated for federal jobs please visit http://careers.state.gov/docs/foreign_ed_eval.pdf (30kb, PDF).
Specialized experience is professional work in the fields of human resources management, public administration or general management support which demonstrates that the applicant has acquired, and is able to apply, a combination of specific knowledge, skills and abilities appropriate to a Foreign Service Human Resources Officer position. Examples are:
- Experience in a human resources office in a government agency or in the private sector with responsibilities for program planning and policy development.
- Experience in recruitment, qualifications examination and placement of professional and/or support staff personnel.
- Experience in position classification/job evaluation.
- Experience in wage and benefits surveys and analysis.
- Experience in the administration of employee benefits programs such as health benefits, life insurance and retirement systems.
- Experience in labor relations and equal employment opportunity issues in government or business.
- Experience in employee career development and training.
- Experience in performance management/employee evaluations.
In addition to meeting the requirements above, ideal applicants will be creative thinkers possessing excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communications skills and a strong customer service orientation. Experience in the international human resources field and/or experience managing a diverse workforce are a plus.
HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED
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.
HOW TO APPLY
We are not currently accepting applications for the Foreign Service Human Resources Officer position.
As part of the online application, applicants will be asked to submit the following required documents:
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
A. Supplementary Questionnaire
Purpose: The purpose of the Supplementary Questionnaire is to allow an opportunity to describe examples of your experience, which relate to the skills listed below and best show your ability to handle various aspects of personnel/human resources management work. The information you give will be used to help structure your oral examination/interview should you be invited to one.
Instructions: Individually address each of the five items listed below limiting responses to 300 words or less for each item. Describe how you have used these abilities and/or knowledge, referencing the source from which the work-related experience was acquired. Your examples can be drawn from any part of your experience but they must describe things that you, personally, have done. You should compose your replies carefully, as one of the skills required of an experienced human resources manager is the ability to write clearly and concisely.
- Ability to manage and supervise a staff involved in human resources/personnel management work for an organization(s) with diverse human resource requirements and objectives
- Ability to plan and organize work under the pressure of tight deadlines, rigid time frames and difficult circumstances
- Ability to develop and present human resources issues and analytical information both orally and in writing
- Demonstrated skill and experience in the use of personal computers and standard office applications, i.e., word processing, spreadsheets and databases
- Experience living and working in a multicultural environment, either overseas or in the U.S.
B. A narrative autobiography which discusses your:
- personal background
- general comments on work experience
- personal interests and hobbies
- motivation for joining the Foreign Service
In cases where education is substituted for experience, copies of college transcripts, diplomas, etc. must be presented at the time of oral assessment. These materials become the property of the Department of State and will not be returned.
Selected candidates: Please note all travel and other expenses incurred in connection with the oral assessment are the responsibility of the candidate.
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 310, sons and daughters of federal employees cannot be granted preference in competing for these employment opportunities.
The Department of State is committed to equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment for all without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, sexual orientation, disabling condition, political affiliation, marital status, or prior statutory, constitutionally protected activity. The Department provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should so advise the Department. All decisions for granting reasonable accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.