Foreign Service Financial Management Officer (FS 2101)

Summary

The U.S. Department of State is developing a rank-ordered list of eligible hires for a limited number of Foreign Service Financial Management Officer (FMO) positions. Learn more about Foreign Service careers at https://careers.state.gov. There is more to joining the Foreign Service than just salary. Refer to the Benefits section for more information on total compensation.

Duties

FMOs are responsible for the management of the financial activities of our diplomatic and consular posts abroad, at our Financial Services Centers, and in Washington, D.C. Typical duties include, but are not limited to, the following: Serves as Chief Financial Officer at the assigned location and acts as funds control and certifying officer for USG agencies, with responsibility for the correctness and propriety of all payments. Provides a full range of financial services including development of budgets and financial plans, control of obligations and expenditures, preparation and audit of payment vouchers, responding to audit requests and close audit recommendations, administration of payroll plans, salary and allowance payments, cashier operations, the purchase of foreign currencies, and disbursement of funds. Facilitates the International Cooperative Administrative Support Services (ICASS) Platform by managing ICASS finances and budget for all U.S. Government agency customers, administering agreements and resolving disagreements, ensuring labor and funding resources, and performing data analysis. Negotiates and administers agreements with other USG agencies to provide administrative support services through Department of State facilities and personnel. Establishes and maintains working relationships with local banking officials and fiscal authorities and conducts negotiations concerning exchange rates and banking services. Cultivates local contacts with Host Government Officials to negotiate elements of Local Compensation planning and reporting. Serves as key advisor to senior embassy management and advises other managers in program decision-making and planning by analyzing financial aspects of various programs, reviewing performance metrics for accomplishments of strategic goals and objectives, so that managers can determine the best use of limited resources. Helps develop and maintain the Department's financial management system, ensuring compatibility with requirements of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and that it meets user needs for accurate, timely financial data and processing. Uses Department of State computer systems to record, analyze, and report financial data and plans. Supervises, evaluates, trains, and promotes the personal professional development of Locally Employed Staff, U.S. Direct Hire Staff, and contractors who provide continuity to the accounting and financial work done overseas and domestically. Supports the use of financial software tools and ensures adequate financial management staffing levels. Demonstrates commitment to equal employment principles and provides guidance on human resource financial questions. Broadens knowledge of financial management policies and practices of other agencies, improves language competency and cultural sensitivity, and participates in shared mission activities. Follows all security procedures, establishes and assesses management controls, and mitigates risk using policy guidelines and generally accepted accounting standards for the prevention of waste, fraud, and mismanagement.

Requirements

Candidates must submit a copy of university transcript(s) in the online application or the candidacy will be terminated. 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. 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 of 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. OPM: www.opm.gov U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov Please refer to the Required Documents Section on how to submit the required educational documentation for this position.

Qualifications and evaluation

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 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. Candidates with finance-related higher education and specific experience in financial management or accounting are preferred. The quality and depth of a candidate's education and specialized experience should demonstrate the candidate's aptitude and potential to master the complex skills required of FMOs. 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. You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Education

At the time of application, the candidate must possess at least a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 24 semester hours (36 quarter hours) in accounting or finance earned at the undergraduate or graduate level from an accredited school. 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) to be given credit towards qualification. The accredited interpretation must include the summary and the foreign education transcripts. The Department of State will not accept foreign education transcripts that have not been evaluated by a credential evaluation service and will terminate the candidacy. 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. OPM: www.opm.gov U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov Professional Certifications Professional certifications such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), or graduate degrees from an accredited school in business, government, or public administration are preferred with concentrations in accounting or finance. Please refer to the Required Documents section on how to submit the required educational documentation and preferred certifications for this position. In addition to the education requirements, candidates must possess a minimum of: Three years out of the last 10 years of Specialized Experience for consideration at the FP-04 level; or Four years out of the last 10 years of Specialized Experience for consideration at the FP-03 level. Substituting Education for Specialized Experience The candidate may substitute graduate educational achievement earned at an accredited school (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours is equivalent to one year) for specialized experience as follows: For one year of specialized experience: One full academic year of graduate education in business or public administration, with a concentration in accounting or finance. For two years of specialized experience: Completion of all requirements for a master's or equivalent degree, or two full academic years of graduate education in business or public administration, with a concentration in accounting or finance. For three years of specialized experience: Completion of all requirements for a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent), or three full academic years of graduate education in business or public administration, with a concentration in accounting or finance.

Benefits

Benefits include health and medical coverage, federal retirement benefits, and paid leave. Overseas benefits include tax-free housing and a tax-free education allowance for dependent children between K–12 overseas, and an unrivaled opportunity to see the world and experience different cultures. The salary range listed is extracted from the Foreign Service Overseas and Washington pay scales. The starting step is determined in part by the highest education level achieved and specialized experience beyond minimum qualifications. Individuals already working in government positions may be appointed based on their highest previous rate as a federal employee. For information on salary, please view our Foreign Service Entry Salaries.

How to apply

The application submission deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement. Begin the application process and register to take the Financial Management Officer Test (FMOT) as indicated in the steps below. Do not apply through USAJobs. Visit https://www.pearsonvue.com/us/en/dos/specialist.html and create a web account. Follow the instructions to complete the application process. Answer any self-assessment/affirmation questions. Your information is automatically saved as you proceed. You may interrupt the application process and return to it at any time until you submit. Complete, review, and submit the information. Once submitted, your information will be used to evaluate your qualifications for this position. Candidates have until two weeks after the closing date of the vacancy announcement to register with Pearson VUE and complete the online skills test. Select an appointment date to take the FMOT at one of Pearson VUE's test centers. The test is an important part of the selection process, covering the Job Knowledge, English Expression, and Situational Judgment necessary to perform the functions of this position. Candidates experiencing technical difficulties with the application process should contact the Pearson VUE Customer Service Desk by calling 1-888-671-2197 (toll free), 1-952-905-7483 (toll), or by utilizing the Chat function at www.pearsonvue.com. The Help Desk is available Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time and is closed on local holidays.

Required documents

When requested, candidates with qualifying FMOT scores must submit the following documentation to demonstrate they possess the educational level and specialized skills required for this position. Candidates should add @state.gov as a trusted sender. Neither the Department of State nor Pearson VUE is responsible for the failure of a candidate's internet service provider to deliver email messages. PDF documents are required. The Department of State will terminate the candidacy if the required documents do not meet the requirements below or if the application process is incomplete. 1. Resume that clearly outlines the dates of employment and specifies all relevant experience for the position, including at least 10 years of work history. 2. Education and Other Documents: Candidates must submit the documentation below to demonstrate they possess the educational level required, or the Department will terminate the candidacy. Official/unofficial college/university transcripts are accepted. University diplomas are not accepted in lieu of transcripts. All documents must comply with the following requirements to be accepted: o Be in PDF format. The Department will reject other formats. o Be an attachment. The Department will reject documents sent via link, secured message, or in any other non-attachment format, or sent directly from credential evaluation services. o Be complete with no missing pages. o Be legible. o Transcripts must include the candidate's full name, the school's name, and the degree and date awarded/conferred. Candidates with a name change should submit an official document reflecting the change. o All foreign education transcripts must adhere to additional requirements. See Foreign Education Information in the Education Requirements section. 3. Certifications and/or Licenses must adhere to the same requirements as transcripts. Certifications such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), or graduate degrees from an accredited school in business, government, or public administration are preferred with concentrations in accounting or finance. 4. Veterans' Preference Documentation for candidates aged 60 to 64. If claiming Veterans' Preference, a copy of the candidate's DD-214 "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty" — which must include the candidate's Character of Service — must be submitted with the application. If claiming a 10-point Veterans' Preference, the candidate'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.

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: https://fam.state.gov/ ***For more information about Veterans' Preference and how it is applied in the selection process, please visit: https://careers.state.gov/faq-items/are-veterans-given-hiring-preference/ No candidate will be considered who has previously been separated from the Foreign Service under §607, §608, §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 §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 §§306, 607, 608, 610, or 612 may not reapply 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 §§306, 607, 608, 610, or 612 may not reapply 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 Department of State provides reasonable accommodation to qualified candidates with disabilities. Procedures vary by test type, and all candidates must request reasonable accommodation in advance. For information on requesting reasonable accommodation, please visit: https://careers.state.gov/requesting-reasonable-accommodations/ The Department of State makes decisions for granting reasonable accommodation 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.