Passport Specialist -Direct Hire

We are hiring many Passport Specialists across the Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA). CA is responsible for the welfare and protection of U.S. citizens abroad, issuance of passports & the protection of U.S. border security. 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. 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. Examines the evidence of citizenship submitted within passport applications to establish authenticity and make recommendations on passport issuance. Identifies gaps or inconsistencies in documentary evidence and seeks to reconcile same through judicious questioning of public counter applicants, or through requests for additional documentary evidence. 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. 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. Experience reviewing and examining official documents for completeness and authenticity in effort to prevent fraud. 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: 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. 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. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision. 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. See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements. 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%. Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. You must possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university AND meet one of the following provisions of the superior academic achievement: 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. 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. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision. 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. 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.