Foreign Service Human Resources Officer

Duties

Duties

Some of the specific duties and responsibilities of HROs include managing human resource issues for U.S. Direct-Hires (USDH) and Locally Employed Staff (LE Staff). These include but are not limited to:

Locally Employed Staff Human Resource Responsibilities

• Talent Management : Oversee the lifecycle of (LE Staff) employment from recruitment, security and medical clearances, onboarding, benefits, compensation, training, discipline, performance, to separation. Oversee the hiring and performance process for Eligible Family Members (EFM).
• Performance Management : Oversee the LE Staff performance evaluation process. Counsel employees and supervisors on career development. Manage disciplinary actions.
• Employee Relations and Recognition : Manage the interagency mission awards program. Counsel employees and supervisors on leadership and interpersonal skills.
• Policies and Procedures : Create and abolish local positions. Review position descriptions to ensure that position classifications are fair and accurately reflect the realities of the position. Monitor changes to local labor law s and Department policy , and update the Local Compensation Plan and LE Staff Handbook. Prepare and lead presentations for staff on policies and procedures. Coordinate with State Department lawyers on legal matters as appropriate.
• Supervision : Supervise, direct, mentor, and evaluate LE and EFM HR office staff.
  
  

U.S. Direct-Hire Human Resource Responsibilities

• Talent Management : As Post Training Officer, approve training requests, develop mentoring programs, training programs, and administer intern, fellows, and seasonal hire programs. Coordinate the annual bidding process.
• Performance Management : Coordinate the annual evaluation s process. Counsel and advise USDH staff on career development. Liaise with appropriate offices in Washington to manage poor performance and discipline. Develop workload projections.
• Employee Relations and Recognition : Develop and present orientation programs. Oversee post language programs. Oversee implementation of diplomatic immunity, accreditation, and residential permit requirements.
• Policies, Procedures, Salary and Benefit Administration: Disseminate federal benefits information, assignment information, and newly enacted policies and procedures.
• Contribution to Mission Development : Advise on HR policies, contribute to the annual Mission Strategic Plan , participate in Mission-wide activities such as representational events and VIP visits. Serve as acting Management Officer or Financial Management Officer as needed.
  
  

Possible Domestic HR Assignments: Board of Examiners, Course Manager at the Foreign Service Institute, Career Development Officer, and Subject Matter Expert, among other opportunities.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Be a U.S. citizen and accept assignments based on the needs of the FS.*
• Be able to obtain a Top Secret Security Clearance.
• Meet the minimum medical qualification standard.
• Be able to obtain a favorable Suitability Review Panel determination.**
• Be at least 20 years old to apply; at least 21 years old to be appointed.
• Be appointed prior to age 60 (preference eligible veterans excepted).***
  
  

Foreign Service Human Resources Officers (HROs) serve at many of the Department of State posts throughout the world, in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, and Regional Centers in Charleston, South Carolina, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Frankfurt, Germany.

Responsibilities

HROs are responsible for the U.S. Direct Hire (USDH) and, overseas, Locally Employed (LE) staff Human Resources (HR) programs for the Department of State and participating U.S. government (USG) agencies. Responsibilities include managing a range of HR functions including:

• Recruitment and staffing;
• Performance management, appraisal, and training and development;
• Salary and benefits administration;
• Employment policies and procedures;
• Workforce planning and position classification.
  
  

An HRO must adhere to the highest standards of integrity, dependability, attention to detail, teamwork, and cooperation while accepting the need to travel, to live overseas, and when necessary, to live away from family.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience

Specialized Experience is work in the field of Human Resources management that demonstrates the applicant has a combination of specific knowledge, skills, and abilities pertinent to a FS HRO position. Applicants must demonstrate that their job-related experience has been of a progressively responsible nature.

Qualifying Specialized Experience must consist of at least 60% or more of the following duties:

• Recruitment and staffing - recruitment, qualifications review, testing, interviewing
• Staff training and development
• Performance management and appraisal
• Employee relations; work-life balance, discipline
• Salary and benefits administration - wage and benefits surveys and analysis, administration of employee benefits programs such as health benefits, life insurance, and retirement systems
• Drafting and/or implementation of Human Resources policies and procedures
• Labor relations and laws - U.S. and local laws including EEO and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA)
• Position classification
• Supervision
  
  

In addition to meeting the requirements above, applicants must possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills and a strong customer service orientation.

Experience as a Human Resources professional in a multicultural, diverse, or international environment is an asset.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities (KSA)

The Department has conducted extensive job analysis research to determine Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) and other attributes conducive to successful performance in this position. An applicant's education level, work experience, and other qualifications will be considered as part of the hiring decision-making process based on these KSA criteria.

General Human Resources Knowledge : Recruitment, training, candidate assessment, change management techniques, information security methods, employee evaluation procedures, awards procedures, benefit programs, grievance and disciplinary procedures, engagement and quality of work life, management of remote work, career development, leadership principles, supervision principles, mentoring techniques, performance metrics, equal employment opportunity law and sources of bias, information resources, legal terminology, cross-cultural communication,

Skills : Written communication, interpersonal interactions, building relationships, customer service, resolving conflict, working with others of diverse backgrounds, managing laterally and upward, leadership, training, evaluating and interviewing personnel, running meetings, teamwork, critical thinking, creative problem solving, decision making, organizing, planning, project management, time management, computer and internet technology, operating HR communication networks, data analysis, professional social interaction, counseling and giving constructive feedback, managing intense emotional situations, presentations and public speaking, being adaptable and resilient, and self-development.

Other Requirements : Continuous learning, cross-cultural awareness, cross-cultural interest, tolerance for working overseas, tolerance of travel, tolerance of varying work environments, worldwide availability, tolerance of living away from family, attention to detail, dependability, accountability, integrity, and willingness to perform other duties.

Foreign Service Specialists must demonstrate and maintain a high standard of English.

Education

Applicants Must Possess One Of The Following

• High school diploma or equivalency, or Associate degree, and a minimum of five years of specialized experience within the last 10 years, or
• Bachelor's degree and a minimum of three years of specialized experience within the last 10 years, or
• Master's degree in human resources or labor relations from an accredited university or college, and a minimum of two years of specialized experience within the last 10 years.
  
  

You must submit a copy of your university transcript(s) with your application. If you do not submit this documentation to demonstrate your educational achievements, your candidacy will not continue. If you do not submit this documentation to demonstrate your educational achievements, your candidacy will not continue. Please see the Required Documents section for additional required attachments.

Official or unofficial transcripts may be submitted with your application. Your transcript must include your name, the school's name, the degree and date awarded, and have no missing pages. A transcript missing any of these elements will not pass the minimum qualifications and the candidacy will not continue. Copies of diplomas may not be submitted in lieu of transcripts for education above high school level. PDF documents are required; illegible documents will not be accepted. Documents sent via link will not be accepted.

Education from a program or institution within the United States must be accredited at the time of program completion by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation .

Education completed in foreign high schools, 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. Only accredited organizations recognized as specializing in the interpretation of foreign education credentials that are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) are accepted. If documentation from an accredited organization is not provided, your candidacy will not continue.

NACES: www.naces.org/members.htm

AICE: www.aice-eval.org/members

For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, please refer to the Office of Personnel Management and the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of State neither endorses nor recommends any individual evaluation service.

OPM: www.opm.gov

U.S. Department of Education Accreditation Tool: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation

Additional Information

• EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION PROGRAM (E-Verify) - Verification of employment eligibility in the United States is required.
  
  

U.S. law requires companies to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States - either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization. This agency uses E-Verify to compare information from the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) records to confirm employment eligibility. If eligibility cannot be verified, employment will be terminated.

• The Department of State Suitability Review Panel and standards are defined in Chapter 3 of the Foreign Affairs Manual. For more information please visit: https://fam.state.gov/.
• For more information about Veteran's Preference and how it is applied in the selection process, please visit: https://careers.state.gov/faq-items/are-veterans-given-hiring-preference/ .
  
  

No applicant will be considered who has previously been separated from the Foreign Service under sections

• 607,
• 608,
• 610 or
• 611 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, or who resigned or retired in lieu of separation under these provisions. In addition, no applicant will be considered who has previously been separated for failure to receive a career appointment under section
• 306 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, or who resigned or retired in lieu thereof.
  
  

A Foreign Service Specialist separated for failure to receive a career appointment under section 306 may not re-apply to be a Foreign Service Specialist in the same skill code, but may apply for another skill code, or to be a Foreign Service Generalist.

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 3110, relatives of federal employees cannot be granted preference in competing for these employment opportunities.
  
  

It is the policy of the Federal Government to treat all employees with dignity and respect, and to provide a workplace that is free from discrimination, whether discrimination is based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity or pregnancy), national origin, disability, political affiliation, marital status, membership in an employee organization, age, sexual orientation, or other non-merit factors.

The Department of State provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. Procedures vary by test type, and all candidates must request reasonable accommodations in advance. For more information visit https://careers.state.gov/faq-items/what-is-the-assessment-centers-policy-on-reasonable-accommodations-for-persons-with-disabilities-or-those-who-have-medical-conditions-or-other-needs-such-as-the-use-of-medical-devices-or-acc/ .