This Office Director position is located in the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, Program Development, Coordination and Support Directorate, Office of Design and Engineering (OBO/PDCS/DE).  The Bureau provides U.S. diplomatic and consular missions worldwide with safe, secure, functional, and resilient facilities that represent the USG to the host nation and support the Department’s achievement of U.S. foreign policy abroad.  

Duties

The Office Director, OBO/PDCS/DE serves as a key member of OBO’s senior staff, providing leadership, analysis, guidance, technical direction, management, and coordination for projects, programs, and policies related to design and engineering.  This position serves as the top technical and management expert in the engineering and design of complex facilities and is responsible for providing highly specialized professional design and construction expertise, counsel, and advice to the Director, Deputy Directors, and Managing Director of PDCS regarding the design and engineering requirements for new and existing faculties within the Department’s Inventory of real property.  The annual budget for which the Office Director is directly responsible is in the range of $35 million.  

Requirements

• 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.
• Requires a financial disclosure statement, OGE-278.
• Verification of employment eligibility in the United States is required.

Qualifications

Unless you are currently serving under a career Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the SES, or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program approved by OPM, you must submit separate narrative statements covering each of the Executive Core Qualifications (last five vacancy assessment questions).  Applicants must also submit separate narrative statements covering each of the Mandatory Technical Qualifications (listed below) in order to receive consideration for the position.  To view additional information on the proper preparation of Executive Core Qualification statements available on the Office of Personnel Management's website please click here.  When responding to the Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), you must clearly show that you possess the experience, knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position.  Your narrative responses to each of the MTQs and the ECQs should be clear and emphasize your level of responsibilities, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments with results of your actions, policy initiatives and level of contacts.  Include in your responses all efforts/accomplishments related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives.  Your narratives are limited to two (2) pages per each MTQ and ECQ.  Applicants' failure to respond to MTQs and ECQs, and exceeding required page limits will be marked “ineligible.”   Applicants who use "see resume" as a response will not receive consideration for the position. For this position applicants must submit a narrative statement that address the following mandatory technical qualification: Your experience should explicitly demonstrate the following: MTQ 1 - Comprehensive knowledge of and demonstrated experience leading a successful architecture, design, and/or engineering program and fostering cross disciplinary teamwork to ensure multiple, complex building projects are developed and delivered within scope, schedule, and budget. MTQ 2 - Demonstrated leadership in, and comprehensive knowledge of, current professional practices, laws, regulations, codes, procurement methodologies, and broader industry approaches directly related to planning, architecture, design, engineering, and/or construction to ensure programmatic effectiveness to including program planning and resource allocation for capital and non-capital projects.  If you do not possess the mandatory technical qualifications described above, you may be considered ineligible for this position.

Education

Additional Education Requirements:

All applicants MUST submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

Applicants applying as General Engineers must show that they possess a professional knowledge of engineering as evidenced by one of the following: 

Basic Requirements:

• Successful completion of a professional engineering degree at an accredited university or college -OR-
• Have a combination of college level education or training AND technical experience that has furnished you with (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration as an engineer.
2. Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training written test.
3. Successful documented completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences as described by OPM.
4. Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field and at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Please review the OPM page on specifics about required curriculum and for more information on qualifications, please visit GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications.

Applicants applying as Architects must show that they possess a professional knowledge of architecture as evidenced by one of the following: 

Basic Requirements: 

A. Degree: architecture; or related field that included 60 semester hours of course work in architecture or related disciplines of which at least (1) 30 semester hours were in architectural design, and (2) 6 semester hours were in each of the following: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems. 

OR 

B. Combination of education and experience--college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the arts and sciences underlying professional architecture, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the architectural principles, methods, and techniques and their applications to the design and construction or improvement of buildings. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by at least ONE of the following:

1. Related Curriculum: Degree in architectural engineering may be accepted as satisfying in full the basic requirements, provided the completed course work in architectural engineering provided knowledge, skills, and abilities substantially equivalent to those provided in the courses specified in paragraph A. The curriculum for a degree in either architecture or architectural engineering covers function, esthetics, site, structure, economics, mechanical-electrical, and other engineering problems related to the design and construction of buildings primarily (but not exclusively) intended to house human activities. The courses required for a degree in architecture generally place emphasis upon planning, esthetics, and materials and methods of construction, while the courses for an architectural engineering degree place equal or greater weight on the technical engineering aspects such as structural systems, mechanical systems, and the properties of materials. Because of this difference in emphasis, persons with degrees in architecture may have a preference for work assignments that offer greater opportunities for them to express their artistic and creative abilities. As a result, they may be more concerned with planning and design aspects of architecture, and persons with degrees in architectural engineering may be more engaged in aspects emphasizing technical engineering considerations.
   
   
2. Experience: An applicant lacking a degree in architecture must have had l year of experience in an architect's office or in architectural work for each year short of graduation from a program of study in architecture. In the absence of college courses, 5 years of such experience is required. This experience must have demonstrated that the applicant has acquired a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional architecture.

Non-qualifying Experience: The following kinds of experience are NOT acceptable as professional architectural experience: professional landscape architecture work consisting mainly of the layout, design, construction, or maintenance of land areas and landscape features, including ground and water forms, vegetation, roads, walks, incidental structures, and other landscape features; experience in the application of artistic embellishment to practical design such as the decoration of interiors, including the construction, layout, and selection of furniture and furnishings that do not alter the basic architectural design of the interior; city and community planning work that relates to the broad social and economic growth and development of such community services and facilities as industry, commerce, transportation, streets, utilities, and parks. 

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 2401 E Street, N.W. Room H-1104 Washington, District of Columbia 20520 United States
• Name: JoAnn E. Moore
• Phone: 202-663-2137
• Email: [email protected]