Passport Specialist - Direct Hire Authority

Summary This serves as public notice for the use of OPM's Direct Hire Authority. Applicants who meet the qualification requirements will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration. We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.  This position is located in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Arkansas Passport Center.  Passport Specialists adjudicate passport applications and provide guidance in dealing with passport applications. Learn more about this agency Duties Receives and examines passport applications forwarded by passport application acceptance agents (clerks of court, postal service officials or military personnel), or presented in person by the applicant or the applicant's representative. Receives and examines passport applications, including applications for amendments, endorsements or replacement 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. 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. At the GS-5 level, the incumbent performs essentially the same duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are of less responsibility and independence and receive closer supervision than at the GS-7 level. Requirements Conditions of employment U.S. Citizenship is required. Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing. Must be able to obtain and maintain a 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 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.  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. If you do not qualify based on education or experience alone, you can combine your education and experience by converting each to a percentage and then adding the percentages. To calculate this, determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required; then determine your education as a percentage of the education required; then add the two percentages. The total percentages 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. 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. 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: 1.    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. 2.    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. 3.    Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision. 4.    Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. 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. 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. 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 (for example, 6 months equals 50%) and the percentage of graduate study (for example, 9 graduate hours for a GS-07 equals 50% where 18 graduate hours constitute a full time year) must total at least 100%. Additional information For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations (OAA) at [email protected].    OAA is responsible for reviewing and adjudicating reasonable accommodation (RA) requests for the Assessment Battery being used for this announcement.  RA requests cover additional time on timed sections only.  Applicants MUST submit their application before the vacancy closes, even if pending an adjudication decision. 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 [email protected].    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 other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.  Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority, veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply.  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.  Expand Hide  additional information Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.