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The U.S. Department of State is developing a rank-ordered list of eligible hires for a limited number of Diplomatic Technology Officer (DTO) vacancies based on the needs of the Department. Learn more about the Department and a career as a Foreign Service Specialist, please visit us at https://careers.state.gov.
There is more to joining the Foreign Service than just salary. Please refer to the Benefits section for more information on total compensation.
Learn more about this agency10/01/2024 to 09/30/2025
$64,803 - $128,106 per year
FP 04 - 05
No
No
Occasional travel - Foreign Service Specialists and their immediate families spend the majority of their careers assigned to U.S. overseas missions. There may be times, during crisis or to support mission-critical needs, when specialists may need to travel independently, without family, to hardship posts.
Yes—Foreign Service Specialists generally spend the majority of their careers assigned to overseas missions and at times, live away from family and/or in difficult or isolated conditions.
Permanent - Permanent after tenure granted by a Foreign Service Specialist Tenure Board.
Full-Time
Excepted
MC
Yes
Yes
DTO-2024-0002
811765300
Must be a U.S. citizen. Candidates should read the entire announcement to ensure they meet all requirements. Candidates may reapply one year after their most recent date of application submission for the same position. Candidates may not apply if a State Department Suitability Review Panel denied suitability in the last two years for any position, (except if the denial was for a DS Special Agent (SA) candidate whose denial was based solely on the unique requirements for SAs).
Foreign Service Diplomatic Technology Officers (DTO) are responsible for the Department’s Diplomatic Technology (DT) programs and systems world-wide.
The duties of DTO vary according to the size of the post and the requirements of the specific diplomatic mission. At various times, at posts around the world or in domestic locations, the following are some examples of the types of duties and responsibilities a DTO is expected to perform:
Customer Service Skills:
Information Technology Skills:
Information Management Skills:
Information Security:
Essential Physical Requirements
Some of the essential functions of the Diplomatic Technology Officer (DTO) job have a physically demanding component. In the execution of the duties and tasks listed above, DTOs are required to:
Please do not submit the application through USAJobs.
Please submit application and register to take the Diplomatic Technology Officer Test (DTOT) at: https://gov.pearsonvue.com/dtot.html
Qualifying Specialized Experience must demonstrate the potential to perform in progressively more responsible positions in the information technology field. An applicant's work experience will be evaluated for level of responsibility and length of experience.
To qualify as Specialized Experience, 60% or more of the duties must be related to:
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
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.
At the time of application, candidates must possess one of the following to be considered for the FP-05 grade:
At the time of application, candidates must possess one of the following to be considered for the FP-04 grade:
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.
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.
*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 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 candidate 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 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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
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 U.S. 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.
It is the candidate's responsibility to ensure that the application is complete. Incomplete applications will disqualify the application from further consideration.
In the online application, candidates must answer all questions, include 10-years of work history, and complete the Personal Narrative Questions and Statement of Interest. Applications missing any responses will be terminated.
Substantive Knowledge: Give the best example of a situation where you found a solution to a practical problem by using your knowledge of information technology (IT) programs. Indicate the nature of the problem, who was affected by the problem, in what way, and the results or benefits of your solution.
Intellectual Skills: Describe a time when you had to analyze a complex IT situation and make a quick decision. What process did you follow for making the decision? Were you satisfied with the results?
Communication Skills: Describe a situation in which you used your communication skills to describe a technical issue to a non-technical audience.
Managerial Skills: DTOs are often required to manage projects, demonstrating the ability to plan and organize, set priorities, employ a systematic approach, and allocate time and resources efficiently. Describe a project that you managed or helped to manage and how you sought to achieve the project’s goals.
Leadership Skills: Describe a time when you identified a serious problem involving IT services or IT solutions that required immediate action. How did you take the lead in solving the problem?
This required narrative should discuss:
Candidates with qualifying DTOT scores will be requested via email to submit educational documentation. Candidates should add *@state.gov as a trusted sender. Neither the Department of State nor Pearson Vue are responsible for the failure of candidates’ internet service provider to deliver e-mail messages.
Candidates must submit the following documentation to demonstrate that they possess the educational level required for this position.
The transcripts must comply with the following requirements to be accepted:
Submit Veteran’s Preference documentation for candidates aged 60 to 64. If claiming Veteran’s Preference, a copy of the candidate’s DD-214 "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty" that must include the candidate’s Character of Service must be submitted with the application. If claiming a 10-point Veteran’s 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.
Application packages must be complete, submitted, and received by the closing date to be considered. There are no exceptions.
Submit your application and register to take the Diplomatic Technology Officer Test (DTOT) as indicated in step 1 below. Do not apply through USAJobs.
Candidates experiencing technical difficulties with the application process should contact the Pearson Vue Customer Service Desk by calling 1-866-389-8339 (toll free), 1-952-905-7483 (toll) or by utilizing the Chat function at www.pearsonvue.com. The Help Desk is available Monday – Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time and is closed on local holidays.
For more information on the Foreign Service Specialist hiring processes, please visit our FAQs at http://careers.state.gov/faqs.
Candidates will be notified by e-mail from the U.S. Department of State about the outcome of the initial application review and if they will be further considered for this Foreign Service position. Applicants should add the Department of State domain (@state.gov) as an approved sender.
Due to the high volume of applications, we ask all applicants to remain patient and await communication. It is not uncommon for several months to pass before applicants are informed of the application results.
The Department of State will invite candidates who pass the qualifications review process to participate in the Virtual Foreign Service Specialist Assessment (VFSSA). For more information, please visit Our FAQs at http://careers.state.gov/faqs.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/811765300. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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