Foreign Administrative Support Specialist

About the role

The positions are located in the DEA, Canberra, Australia Country Office and the Tokyo, Japan Country Office. This position primary purpose is to serves as an advisor to the Country Attaché (CA), Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC), and Special Agent in Charge (SAC) on administrative program and policy matters.

What you will do

• Manages office budget; controls financial operations and manages accounting records.
• Performs accounts reconciliations.
• May be required to maintain imprest account.
• Serves as personnel liaison representative.
• Provides human resources advice and assistance concerning personnel actions, time and attendance, pay issues, foreign allowances, leave administration, and security clearance process.
• Performs procurement and property management functions to include procuring supplies and services; maintaining stock level controls; negotiating with vendors to obtain best price and warranties; and performing annual inventory of all accountable property.
• Obtains and manages official government vehicles, arranges for servicing, maintains vehicle usage records, prepares monthly reports, and coordinates the disposal of vehicles.
• ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION: Length of Tour: Employees are limited to a maximum of five years of service in an overseas assignment.
• The initial tour of duty for this assignment is 3 (three) years.
• After the initial tour of duty has been completed, extensions may be granted in one-year increments up to the five-year maximum.
• Employees who wish to remain on an overseas assignment in excess of the five-year maximum must request a tour extension or renewal before the end of their current assignment.
• Employees who are approved to extend their overseas assignment beyond the five-year maximum will forfeit the right to return to an office of preference.
• They will be placed in an appropriate position at a DEA domestic office where a vacancy exists.
• At the conclusion of an overseas tour, DEA will attempt to return employees to their home location.
• If such a placement is not possible, employees' office of preference lists will be considered.
• However, employees are reminded that assignments are determined based on the needs of DEA.
• Canberra, Australia Country Office Post (Hardship) Differential: None Post (Cost of Living) Allowance 30% Danger Pay Allowance: None Home Leave: Allowed after the initial 24 months incident to tour renewal.
• Housing Allowances: Housing paid for by U.S. Government, Canberra is a furnished post.
• Foreign Language: None Rest & Recuperation: None Relocation Incentive: No Educational Allowances**: Yes, see below Tokyo, Japan Country Office Post (Hardship) Differential: None Post (Cost of Living) Allowance 10% Danger Pay Allowance: None Home Leave: Allowed after the initial 24 months incident to tour renewal.
• Housing Allowances: Housing paid for by U.S. Government, Tokyo is a furnished post.
• Foreign Language: None Rest & Recuperation: None Relocation Incentive: No Educational Allowances**: Yes, see below *Post (cost of living) allowance, post (hardship) differential, and danger pay allowance (if applicable to the advertised post) are subject to change.
• Detailed post (cost of living) allowance information can be found here.
• Detailed post (hardship) differential information can be found here.
• Detailed danger pay allowance information can be found here and here.
• Overseas Transition Preparation: Please contact DEA Family Liaison Officers Kieran Mandato (***) or N'Dorah Z.
• Walker (***) for Post Reports that detail living conditions for employees and their families at post.
• Click here for a Prospective Post Priorities Worksheet that can help you consider what is important to you and your family in the foreign PCS decision-making process.
• For more information regarding the foreign PCS process, please see the PCS Foreign Assignment Relocation Handbook and the Foreign Orientation Handbook.
• Training Requirements: Selectees for this position must successfully complete five mandatory foreign assignment courses on DEALS: Serving Abroad for Families and Employees (SAFE); Personnel Recovery 1 (PR1); Foreign Orientation Program (FOP); Counter Threat Awareness Training (CTAT), and Promoting International Religious Freedom (PIRF).
• Selectees must also successfully complete Personnel Recovery Emergency Preparedness (PREP), a two-week in-person course conducted by the DEA Office of Training in Stafford, Virginia and West Virginia.
• Selectee's family members 18 years of age and older are also required to take CTAT and may have additional training requirements if they intend to work at an embassy abroad.
• More information regarding training requirements can be found here.

Education

See the qualification 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: ***

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.

K-12 Education: Education of dependents through high school is provided by, or paid for by, the U.S. Government as allowable and authorized in accordance with appropriate regulations. The Department of State's (DOS) Regional Education Officers from the Office of Overseas Schools determines a school's adequacy level based upon numerous factors.

All questions and concerns regarding adequacy clarification should be directed to the Regional Education Officers from the DOS Office of Overseas Schools at *** or ***. Do you have a student in your family who benefits from special education services?

Please contact DEA Family Liaison Officers, information below, to further discuss your student's needs and the post's ability to adequately serve them. Detailed education allowance regulations can be found here and FAQs can be found here. Note that dependents under the age of 23 enrolled in college are allowed one round trip to overseas locations every 12 months.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The assessment questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions which provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)).

While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question in 200-words or less. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and have not used a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot.

Applicants will only be considered for the Eligibilities for which they claim in the job questionnaire AND must provide the supporting documentation. Applicants will not be considered for Eligibilities for which they did not claim, regardless of the documentation submitted with the application.

All qualified Non-Competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) candidates must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Candidates are considered well qualified if their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) exceed the minimum qualifications described in the announcement.

ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE: You may preview the ***

Documents you must provide

• All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
• Resume - must be no more than two pages in length; resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
• Resume should include applicants' name, email address, phone number, relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training.
• Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year), work schedule (e.g. part or full-time), the number of hours per week worked/volunteered, job title and description of duties performed.
• Education/Certification/Licensure when relevant or required for position.
• See Guidance for Applicants on 2-Page Resume and visit the USAJOBS Help Center for more information.
• Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on education.
• See the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information.
• If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
• SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action): SF-50(s) must show the effective date, position title, series, grade, salary, tenure, competitive status, position occupied, full promotion potential, and name of agency.
• Multiple SF-50s may be needed to show all required information.
• Award SF-50s often do not show the required information.
• To verify the time in grade requirement, applicants must submit a SF-50 verifying the highest grade held for at least 52 weeks.
• Examples include, promotions with an effective date greater than one year, within grade increases demonstrating the highest grade held for at least 52 weeks or appointments/conversion of appointments with an effective date greater than one year.
• Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable.
• (e.g., reduction-in-force (RIF) separation notice, RIF separation SF-50 personnel action, certification of expected separation, etc.), most recent Performance Rating and more recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting current position, grade level, and duty location.
• Other Qualification documents (e.g. certificates, certifications, etc.), if applicable.
• See the Qualification section of this announcement for more information.

What to expect next

Once the online application package is received, you will be notified through USAJOBS of your qualification status and referral or non-referral to the hiring official for further consideration. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. We will notify you by email the outcome after each of these steps has been completed.

Your application status will be updated up to four times during the following hiring phases: After applications are received. After applications are assessed to determine qualifications. After candidates are referred to the hiring manager.

If selected, candidates may receive additional notifications regarding the next steps in the hiring process. Your status will also be updated on your USAJOBS account throughout the process.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application.

Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis.

If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision.

You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement.

To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

(***) Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees.

If an applicant is currently, or has been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, applicants must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office listed in this announcement. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.

If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Division/Office listed in this announcement. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. If eligible, telework and/or remote work agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.

Please note that any approved remote work arrangement is subject to the locality pay area of the alternative telework worksite.