KEY REQUIREMENTS



• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• Relocation expenses will NOT be paid.
• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• Obtain/maintain eligibility to access Sensitive Compartmented Information
• One year probationary period, unless excepted by regulation.

Customer service representative for all telecommunications issues and provide technical expertise for project installations, design maintenance, and testing of telecommunications/data. Assists with the development of telecommunications and data transfer plans, policies and procedures. Responsible for technical training for end-users of the equipment. Ensures technical issues requiring actions between S/ES and IRM are quickly and accurately completed and assist in bridging the lines of communications with IRM.

Serves as a video telecommunications technician for classified and unclassified video resources. Responsible for operation, coordination, scheduling, maintenance, and testing for both classified and unclassified video communication resources properly allocating video resources to ensure that an unsecured and secure highly available environment is maintained. Coordinates with other agencies sites users for scheduling video teleconferences. Serves as a voice telecommunications technician, responsible for programming, operation maintenance, testing and connections for all secure voice telecommunications.

Provides Tier I and II support for the Redwood DNX Telephone Conferencing Bridge System and coordinates maintenance work with the Department’s Telephone Wireless Division.  Serve as the primary programming office for the unclassified telephone system providing telephone services for the Secretary of State, Deputy Secretaries and Executive Secretariat, and other Principal office suites. The Merlin Telephone system is the Department of State’s Operation Center’s secondary non-secure telephone system.  Responsible for CMS classified support system support to including handling of all related circuit and mechanical problems. 

Possess the operational and technical knowledge of the STE and Ricoh/ILEX classified fax machine. Perform maintenance and testing for the STE classified fax machine, and the telephone connection, as well as testing for the unclassified fax machine and its telephone connection.  Serves as the Executive Secretariat’s alternate Communication Security Custodians responsible for ensuring accuracy of the transaction log and incoming/outgoing transactions with the Central Office of Record COMSEC Vault. Assist with semi-annual inventories and annual audit inspections for over 1100 Cryptographic Controlled Items (CCI). Ensures accountability, performs complete semi-annual inventory, re-key  all COMSEC materials, that successfully passes annual COMSEC audits/inspections.

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements, including education and any selective placement factors described below by the closing date of this announcement.  Education may only be substituted in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order to be credited towards qualifications.

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.  Click on the link for a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials.

Applicants applying for the GS-11 grade level must meet one of the following
requirements:

A. Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09
level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.  

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

Experience in evaluating, analyzing, developing, managing, or improving communications systems, procedures, and requirements that demonstrated knowledge of current developments and trends in communications concepts and technology.

In addition, qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

 - Experience testing and maintaining a classified or unclassified videoconferencing system.

 - Experience providing customer support for telephone system hardware and software.

 - Experience installing or upgrading encryption software.

OR

B. Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M. from an accredited college or university ;  

OR

C. Have a combination of graduate level education from an accredited college or
university AND specialized experience (as described above), which is equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal Service.  This experience and education together meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

Combination of Experience and Education: When an applicant has less than
one year of specialized experience as described in the announcement, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education
with experience to meet the total qualification requirements.  Generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full time year of graduate study).  The percentage of specialized work experience and the percentage of graduate
study must total at least 100%.

NOTE: To qualify based on education, your major field of study must have been in
electrical or electronic engineering, mathematics, physics, public utilities, statistics, computer science, telecommunications management, information systems management, business administration, industrial management, or other fields related to this position.

NOTE:  If you are qualifying based on education, you ARE required to 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.

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HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Your application will be evaluated and rated under the Category Rating and Selection procedures.  Based on your responses to the job-specific self-assessment questions, eligible candidates are placed for selection consideration into one of three pre-defined quality categories as described below:

Highly-qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications for the position, candidates must fully demonstrate proficiency in all major aspects of the position.  

Well Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in some but not all of the major aspects of the position.

Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of knowledge, skill and ability of the position.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

 - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

 - Skill in identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions

 - Skill in considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. 

 - Skill in identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance relative to the goals of the system.

 - Knowledge of software programs, automation tools, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology. 

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience(s) and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity.  In order to fully evaluate your application and receive proper credit, your resume should include: (1) paid and non-paid experience, job title, dates held (month and year for qualifying purposes to receive credit), number of hours worked per week, and salary (2) knowledge of the subject matter and technical skills pertinent to this position; (3) specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work; and (4) names and phone numbers of your current and/or previous supervisor(s). Your resume should contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying.  This information should be clearly identified in your resume.  Failure to provide information sufficient to determine your qualifications for the position will result in loss of consideration.  For tips on writing your resume, please visit the USAJOBS Resource Center.

If, after reviewing your resume and self-assessment questionnaire responses and a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, a score will be manually determined that reflects your documented experience.  This may result in a lower score, which may also eliminate you from consideration for this position.

Application of Veterans Preference: The Category Rating Method does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three," but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each pre-defined quality category. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent (i.e., CPS and CP) must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) candidates must be rated "Well Qualified" for the position to receive consideration for special priority.

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any required supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement.  Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.

The Department of State offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. In addition to these benefits, we also offer the Student Loan Repayment Program, Child Care Centers, Child Care Subsidy, Flexible work schedule, Transit Subsidy Program. For additional information on Federal benefits click here.

OTHER INFORMATION:

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER - Your Social Security Number is requested under the authority of Executive Order 9397 to uniquely identify your records from those of other applicants who may have the same name.  As allowed by law or Presidential directive, your Social Security Number is used to seek information about you from employers, schools, banks, and others who may know you.  Failure to provide your Social Security Number on your application materials will result in your application not being processed.

SELECTIVE SERVICE - If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify at the time of appointment that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under Selective Service law.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION - This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.  If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Office of Employee Relations, Disability/Reasonable Accommodations Division, at (202) 261-8180.  The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

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Technical assistance with your on-line application can be obtained by contacting the Help Desk at mgshelp@monster.com OR by calling (866) 656-6830 or (703) 269-4944 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET

ALTERNATE APPLICATION PROCEDURES

NOTE:  If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package by fax.  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 two 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.

NOTE:  Paper applications and information sent by mail WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

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. Veterans Preference - If claiming veteran's preference, you must indicate the type of veteran's preference you are claiming on your resume.

For 5-point veteran's preference, you must provide a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge which must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty.  If you are currently on active duty, you must provide an official statement of service from your command/unit which states the date you entered active duty, expected discharge type and date, and campaign medals you have received OR other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions.  If the appropriate information is not submitted to confirm your discharge status, dates of service, etc., you will not receive credit for the claimed active duty military service.

For 10-point veteran's preference, you must submit a SF-15 and any documentation required by this form to support your claim.  If we cannot verify your 10-point preference status, you will receive 5-point preference if veterans' preference requirements have been met.  For further information regarding Veterans, click here.

To gain access to your DD214 online, please visit: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/get-service-records.html

5. 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.

6. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles must submit a copy of the appropriate documentation with their application. See links below:

ICTAP Considerations
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.

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

After all application packages have been received, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.  After we review and evaluate all applications, the most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews.  After a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability and or security background investigation.
 
You will be notified up to four times during the hiring process:

1. Upon receipt of your application.
2. Upon minimum qualification determinations.
3. After the certificate is issued.
4. After final selection is made.

For instructions on how to view the status of your application, please click here.