Foreign Service Office Management Specialist (FS 9017)

About the role

The U.S. Department of State is developing a rank-ordered list of eligible hires for a limited number of Foreign Service Office Management Specialist (OMS) positions. Learn more about Foreign Service careers at *** There is more to joining the Foreign Service than just the base salary.

Refer to the Benefits section for more information on total compensation.

What you will do

• Foreign Service Office Management Specialists (OMS) are U.S. diplomats who serve in essential mission staff and support roles at embassies, consulates and domestic offices worldwide.
• They provide a broad spectrum of operational, administrative, technical, and executive staffing support services that are critical to the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department.
• The responsibilities of an OMS vary based on the size and needs of the post, as well as the specific assignment.
• As OMSs gain experience and advance in their careers, their scope of work expands, and they become eligible for positions with greater responsibility.
• The position requires strong administrative, operational, and technical skills; excellent interpersonal abilities; adaptability to fast-paced and challenging environments; a strong command of English, and proficiency with standard office software and social media platforms.
• The following list outlines typical entry-level OMS duties.
• This list is not exhaustive or ranked by priority: General Office Support: Implements knowledge and records management policies.
• Develops and updates administrative and operational procedures.
• Supervise staff, depending on the assignment.
• Oversees office budgets, including vouchers, travel expenses, and petty cash.
• Facilitates visitor access to the office.
• Manages inventory and orders office supplies.
• Maintains and certifies employee attendance records.
• Coordinates office responses to Department and Congressional requests.
• Preparing Written Materials: Reviews, drafts, and edits diplomatic correspondence and documents.
• Facilitates document clearances as required.
• Prepares presentations, reports, and other written materials.
• Communicates on behalf of principals to internal and external stakeholders, including senior officials.
• Supporting Department Personnel and Principals: Manages calendars and schedules, arranges meetings, conferences, and VIP visits.
• Makes travel arrangements and processes related expense vouchers.
• Facilitates connections between key stakeholders and external officials, both virtually and in-person.
• Attends meetings, takes notes, and drafts meeting summaries or other documents.
• Trains incoming staff on administrative and operational procedures.
• Conducts special projects and participates in embassy and Department committees.
• Organizing and Supports Official Events: Plans, organizes, and supports special official events and functions of all sizes.
• Manages visitors' access for events.
• Ensures adherence to protocol requirements and local customs.
• Advancing Technology and Innovation: Leads or supports change management and innovation initiatives.
• Provides first-line IT support, including troubleshooting hardware and software issues.
• Supports virtual communications, social media, AI platforms, Microsoft Office applications, and Department-specific programs.
• Educates staff on new technologies and digital tools.
• Integrating with Local Culture: Utilizes foreign language skills to accomplish tasks.
• Attends and hosts representational events.
• Liaises with host country personnel and other interlocutors.
• Builds and maintains official contacts with governmental and non-governmental organizations.
• Participates in local outreach activities.
• Note: Foreign Service personnel may be required to perform duties outside of normal business hours to meet mission needs, support official visits, or participate in after-hours duty rotations.
• Compensation for additional hours worked will vary based on individual work schedules.

Requirements

• Foreign Service Office Management Specialists (OMS) serve in critical roles at U.S. embassies, consulates, and domestic offices worldwide.
• OMSs must demonstrate the highest standards of integrity, dependability, attention to detail, teamwork, and cooperation.
• They are expected to accept assignments based on the needs of the Foreign Service and must be prepared for frequent global travel.

Education

At the time of application, candidate must possess: A high school diploma or equivalent and three years of specialized experience in the last 10 years; or An associate's degree and two years of specialized experience in the last 10 years; or A Bachelor's or higher degree in any major and one year of specialized experience in the last 10 years.

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, ***

Foreign Education Foreign education acquired outside of any state of the U.S., the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or any territory or possession of the U.S. must be evaluated by a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services (NACES or AICE) in order to be given credit towards qualification.

The accredited interpretation must include the summary and the foreign education transcripts. Foreign education transcripts that have not been evaluated by a credential evaluation service will not be accepted and the candidacy will be terminated.

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

Please refer to the Required Documents Section on how to submit the required education documentation for this position.

How you will be evaluated

Candidates will be evaluated on their total background including experience, education, awards, training, and self-development as it relates to the position. Selection for this position will be made only from among candidates possessing the best qualifications. Part-time work experience will be prorated.

The Department of State prohibits candidates from plagiarizing any portion of their employment application materials to include responses to questions in which candidates must provide a narrative response.

Candidates must create their own responses originally and not copy or adapt them from other sources.

The Department analyzes candidate submissions for plagiarism and will discontinue any individual's candidacy if found to have violated this plagiarism policy.

While the Department of State encourages candidates to create their narratives with great care, including correct use of grammar and style, candidates are prohibited from using any artificial intelligence (AI) tool, to include but not limited to ChatGPT, to aid in their written responses.

The Department will discontinue any individual's candidacy if found to have violated this prohibition on use of AI tools in the application process. The Department of State reserves the right to cancel and/or disqualify any application or to withhold test results when, in its judgment, a testing irregularity occurs.

Testing irregularities include, but are not limited to, candidate misconduct, plagiarism, and/or misrepresentation of material fact, including in narrative descriptions of accomplishments. The Department may verify content provided by candidates by contacting references. It also conducts extensive background checks of work and education history of candidates offered employment.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Documents you must provide

• It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure the application is complete before the closing deadline of this announcement.
• Incomplete applications will be disqualified.
• In the online application, candidates must answer all self-assessment questions and include 10 years of work history.
• Applications missing any responses will be terminated.
• Education Documents When requested, candidates with qualifying OMST scores must submit the following documentation to demonstrate they possess the educational level required for this position.
• Candidates should add *@state.gov as a trusted sender.
• Neither the Department of State nor Pearson are responsible for the failure of candidates' internet service provider to deliver e-mail messages.
• A high school diploma or transcript; and/or Official or unofficial college or university transcripts.
• Progress reports and grade reports will not be accepted.
• Candidates should not submit university diplomas in lieu of higher education transcripts.
• All documents must comply with the following requirements to be accepted: Must be in PDF format.
• Any other format will be rejected.
• Documents sent via link or secured message, in any other format non-attachment format, or sent directly from credential evaluation services will be rejected.
• Must have no missing pages.
• Transcripts must include candidate's full name, school's name, degree and date awarded/conferred.
• Candidates with a name change should submit an official document reflecting the change.
• All foreign education transcripts must adhere to additional requirements.
• See the Foreign Education information in the Education Requirements section.
• Submit Veteran's Preference documentation in PDF format for Candidates aged 60 to 64 when requested.
• If claiming Veteran's Preference, a copy of the applicant's DD-214 "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty" that must include the applicant's Character of Service must be submitted with the application.
• If claiming a 10-point Veteran's Preference, the applicant's VA letter and SF-15 must be submitted in addition to the DD-214.
• A certification from the armed forces is required only if a veteran has not yet received their DD-214.
• It must confirm that the service member is expected to be discharged under honorable conditions within 120 days and include service dates, expected discharge date, character of service, and any applicable disability rating.

Benefits

Benefits include health and medical coverage, federal retirement benefits, and paid leave. Overseas benefits include tax-free housing and tax-free education allowance for dependent children between K-12 overseas, and an unrivaled opportunity to see the world and experience different cultures.

What to expect next

Pearson forwards candidates' test results as well as their applications to the Department of State. After the Department of State receives the information, the Department will notify all applicants via the e-mail they provided during the application process of the next steps in the process.

We recommend adding the Department of State domain (@state.gov) as an approved sender to your inbox. Due to the high volume of applications, we ask all candidates to remain patient and await communication. It is not uncommon for several months to pass before candidates are informed of the application results.

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 U.S. – either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization.

This agency utilizes 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 the employee's information does not match DHS and/or SSA records, the employee is given an opportunity to resolve the problem.

If eligibility cannot be verified, employment will be terminated. **The U.S. Department of State Suitability Review Panel and standards are defined in Chapter 3 of the Foreign Affairs Manual. For more information please visit: *** ***For more information about Veteran's Preference and how it is applied in the selection process, please visit the link.

No candidate will be considered who has previously been separated from the Foreign Service under sections §607, §608, or §610 or §612 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, or who resigned or retired in lieu of separation under these provisions.

In addition, no candidate 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 pursuant to Sections 306, 607, 608, 610, 612, may not re-apply to be in the same skill code but may apply for another skill code or to be a Foreign Service Generalist. A Foreign Service Generalist separated pursuant to Sections 306, 607, 608, 610, 612 may not re-apply as a generalist but may apply to a Foreign Service Specialist vacancy.

Executive Branch agencies are barred by 5 U.S. 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 U.S. 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 and retaliation, in accordance with the standards set forth by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The U.S. Department of State provides reasonable accommodation to candidates with disabilities.

Procedures vary by test type, and all candidates must request reasonable accommodations in advance. For more information visit Requesting Reasonable Accommodations - Careers (state.gov). Decisions for granting reasonable accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.

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.