This position is located in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Passport Services Directorate, Arkansas Passport Center(CA/PPT/APC), in the U.S. Department of State. The incumbent serves on a rotational basis in both the Regular Adjudication and Public Applications Units, with responsibility for adjudicating applications. A recruitment incentive may be authorized at the GS-05 and GS-07 levels. See "OTHER INFORMATION SECTION"

Duties

This is a career ladder position which the incumbent will receive assignments of increasing scope and complexity that serve to prepare the incumbent to perform at the full performance level. Receives and examines passport applications including applications for amendments, endorsements, or replacements of mutilated, lost, or stolen passports, forwarded by passport application acceptance agents. Reviews the application for completeness, signature, affirmation of the truthfulness of statements contained in the application, verification of the identity of the applicant, and presence of required photographs and fees. Identifies gaps or inconsistencies in documentary evidence and seeks to reconcile same through judicious questioning of "walk-in" applicants, or through requests for additional documentary evidence. Maintains constant alertness to the possibility of fraudulent documentation or claims of identity. In cases where fraud is suspected completes "Suspected Fraudulent Application" form indicating the reason for suspicion.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/

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 applying for the GS-05 must meet one of the qualification requirements listed below: General Experience: A. Completion of three years of general experience, one of which was equivalent to the GS-04 level, involving the analysis, explanation, application, or interpretation of laws, rules, regulations, procedures, etc. Qualifying general experience may have been gained as a law clerk, contact representative, claims examiner, voucher examiner, or similar work with a government or private employer. OR B. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in any field leading to a bachelor's degree. OR C. Combination of education and experience.  Applicants applying for the GS-07 must meet one of the qualification requirements listed below: A. Completion of at least 1 full year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service) that demonstrated knowledge of the immigration and/or nationality laws of the United States. Qualifying specialized experience may have been gained in work such as developing, examining, investigating, or authorizing claims arising under the immigration and/or nationality laws of the United States. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience examining passport applications to determine the proper type of passport to be issued, (Fee, No-Fee, Official or Diplomatic) based on documentary evidence submitted. OR B. Completion of 1 full year of graduate level education in law, or other administrative or management fields related to the position. For your information, one academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. OR C. A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university AND you meet one of the following provisions of the superior academic achievement: A grade-point average of "B" (3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. A grade-point average of "B+" (3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of your undergraduate study. Grade point averages should be rounded to one decimal point. For example, 2.95 is rounded to 3.0, and 2.94 is rounded to 2.9. NOTE: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an honor society. OR D. Combination of graduate level education and specialized experience. If you have some but not all of the experience or education described above, you may still qualify by combining the amount of creditable experience and education that you do have. To do so, convert each to a percentage and then add the percentages the sum of which must equal at least 100%. For example, an applicant who has 6 months of professional experience (50% of the experience requirement) and at least 9 semester hours of creditable graduate work (50% of the education required) would satisfy the qualifications requirements for the GS-07 level. GS-09: Applicants applying for the GS-09 must meet one of the qualification requirements listed below: A. Completion of at least 1 full year of specialized experience (equivalent to at least the GS-7 level in the Federal service) which demonstrated knowledge of immigration and/or passport laws, regulations, procedures and policies. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience examining passport applications to determine the proper type of passport to be issued, (Fee, No-Fee, Official or Diplomatic) based on documentary evidence submitted. Experience performing independent fact-finding, analysis, and problem solving. OR B. Completion of a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of graduate level education, or higher degree, e .g. LL.B or J.D., LL.M or Ph.D., in law or other administrative or management fields related to the position to be filled. OR C. Combination of graduate level education and specialized experience as described above. If you have some but not all of the experience or education described above, you may still qualify by combining the amount of creditable experience and education that you do have. To do so, convert each to a percentage and then add the percentages the sum of which must equal at least 100%. Only graduate level education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to combine education and experience. If you are qualifying based on education, you must submit a copy of your college transcript with your application, and if selected, an official college transcript will be required to verify education prior to employment. GS-11: To qualify for the GS-11, you must meet A, B or C as follows: A. At least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, that demonstrates the ability to plan and coordinate program activities and the ability to make decisions; the ability to communicate orally and to meet and deal; the ability to assemble data, analyze management problems and recommend solutions; the ability to research, interpret and apply regulatory and precedent material; the ability to communicate in writing; and the ability to interpret statistical data. Qualifying specialized experience may have been gained in work such as developing, examining, investigating, adjudicating, or authorizing claims arising under the immigration and/or nationality laws of the United States. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience examining passport applications to determine the proper type of passport to be issued, (Fee, No-Fee, Official or Diplomatic) based on documentary evidence submitted. Experience performing independent fact-finding, analysis, and problem solving. Experience interviewing passport applicants and advising them on how to obtain required documentation.  B. A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or have successfully completed three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree. Major field of study should be public administration, political science, or other field related to this position. C. A combination of specialized experience as described in A and more than two years of graduate education as described in B which totals at least one year. To compute, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond two years by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. If you are qualifying based on education, you must submit a copy of your college transcript with your application, and if selected, an official college transcript will be required to verify education prior to employment.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

Education completed in foreign 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. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.

Contacts

• Address U.S. Department of State Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) 8899 East 56th Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46249 United States
• Name: LeeAnn Boyanowski
• Phone: 000-000-0000
• Email: [email protected]