Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Instructional Systems Specialist

Department of State
Department of State - Agency Wide
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is in the Management Tradecraft Training Division, School of Professional and Area Studies at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI/SPAS/MTT), in the U.S. Department of State. 

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
02/13/2023 to 02/24/2023
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$132,368 to - $172,075 per year
Pay scale & grade
GG 14
Location
Arlington
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - Term - 2 year appointment - May be extended without further announcement
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
FSI-2023-0005
Control number
706283100

Duties

Help
  • Serves as an authoritative consultant and trouble shooter on course-learning objectives and design methodologies for the division and the approximately 150 course titles owned and sponsored by the division.
  • Serves as an authoritative consultant and expert advisor regarding the most effective professional educational techniques to be incorporated into training programs for management professionals across the Department.
  • Directs and/or personally participates in designing, developing, and delivering training programs, course plans, schedules, and selections of instructors.
  • Conducts follow-up surveys, studies, and interviews to assess effectiveness of administrative training programs.
  • Performs a variety of administrative and oversight tasks related to Contracting Officer Representative (COR) duties to support General Management courses.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. 

To qualify for this position, applicants MUST meet the required basic entry qualification requirements described below:

Basic Requirements: Degree: that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours appropriate to the work of the position to be filled. The course work must have included study in at least 4 of the following 5 areas:

  1. Learning theory, psychology of learning, educational psychology: Study of learning theories as they relate to the systematic design, development, and validation of instructional material.
  2. Instructional design practices: Study of the principles and techniques used in designing training programs, developing design strategy and models, and applying design methods to the improvement of instructional effectiveness.
  3. Educational evaluation: Study of the techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of instructional/educational programs, including developing written and performance tests and survey instruments, and determining reliability and validity of evaluation instruments.
  4. Instructional product development: Study of the techniques appropriate for developing training materials, including identifying learner characteristics, specifying objectives, applying training strategy, validating training materials, and evaluating training.
  5. Computers in education and training: Study of the application of computers in education and training, including selecting appropriate computer software.

In addition to the above requirements, this position requires specialization in (one or two) functional areas, where more specific academic preparation is necessary. Applicants must have coursework in the following functional area(s) as part of the above-required 24 semester hours: Instructional design.

Note: All applicants are REQUIRED to submit transcripts of educational requirement by the closing date of this announcement. You MUST (1) submit a copy of your college transcript(s) with your application, and if selected, an official college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment; (2) transcripts MUST be legible AND include your name, major, school name/location, course title/number, date completed, grade, and number of credits earned; (3) if you attended more than one college you MUST submit a transcript from each institution if you wish your education to be considered in qualifying you for this position; (4) all college coursework that may be pertinent to qualifying you for the position MUST be included on the transcripts. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

IN ADDITION to meeting ONE of the basic entry qualification requirements listed above, the applicant MUST have at least one year of specialized experience that has equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Experience designing courses and course modules for adult learning.
  • Experience reviewing and advising staff on teaching technical skills to provide management and supervisory training.
  • Experience utilizing state-of-the-art training methods and techniques.

Note: All applicants ARE required to submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-14 position.

Education

See the qualifications 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: www.naces.org/members.php.

Additional information

  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
  • If eligible, telework [and/or remote work] agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. 
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.  If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days.  Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. 

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Under the provisions of the Authority, 22 U.S.C. 4024(a)(4)(B); Section 704(a)(4)(B) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, veterans' preference does not apply. Traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply. For this announcement, all applicants will be assessed to determine if they meet the qualifications for this position, specifically the education, specialized experience, and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) necessary to perform the work of the position.  All applications that meet the required qualifications will be referred to the selecting official in the order in which the applications were received..

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following KSAs and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

  • Knowledge of contracting and laws, regulation, practices, procedures and processes.
  • Skill in applying theories, principles, methods and practices of adult education.
  • Knowledge of curriculum development and course design.
  • Knowledge of training technology.
  • Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
  • Skill in Teaching, Training and Pedagogy.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.