Supervisory Special Program Manager

Supervisory Special Program Manager U.S. Department of State Office of the Under Secretary for Political Affairs (P) Bureau for Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) Office of Program Management – Ministry of Interior (OPM-MOI) Introduction This position is located in the Office of Program Management-Ministry of Interior (OPM-MOI) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. OPM-MOI works with the Ministry of Interior (MOI) and with the Saudi State Security Presidency (SSP). OPM-MOI leads an interagency effort currently including the Departments of State (State), Defense (DOD), Homeland Security (DHS), and Justice (DOJ), and other interagency partners. U.S. Chief of Mission staff working for the program in the Kingdom perform their duties primarily in Saudi facilities. This position is located in OPM-MOI, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The incumbent serves as a Supervisory Special Program Manager (SSPM), supervises three FS-02 equivalent Special Program Managers (SPMs), and participates in all areas of preparation, planning, development, execution, and accountability of OPM-MOI initiatives with the Saudi Government. The incumbent is a member of multiple Integrated Project Teams (IPT) and is expected to guide U.S. government agencies and senior Saudi colleagues through the process of designing and executing joint projects that meet U.S. national interests and Saudi government goals, while balancing the institutional and individual equities of multiple stakeholders. This is a position which must balance subject matter expertise portfolios, along with the SPMs, while effectively leading the SPM team, providing quality control over unit work products, supervising the SPMs, and providing them with feedback, mentorship, and professional development opportunities. Major Duties and Responsibilities The Supervisory Special Program Manager (SSPM) serves as a subject matter expert (SME) and advisor to U.S. program officials and through U.S. leadership also to senior Saudi staff on current and emerging public security, emergency management, infrastructure protection, counterterrorism, and capacity building projects. Having mastered the application of a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods for the assessment and improvement of operational effectiveness, the incumbent serves as an expert action officer and analyst who can easily share knowledge among the diverse OPM-MOI team. In addition, the SSPM serves as a team lead, coordinating efforts across the team, representing the team in senior leadership meetings, and ensuring team work quality meets expectations. OPM-MOI is structured into teams, and the incumbent must be a strong team player able to work jointly with colleagues including Program and Project Management experts, Foreign Affairs Officers (who provide political and policy context), participating interagency members, U.S. Embassy officials, and other relevant SMEs as required by each project. Specific responsibilities include: Supervise, manage work product, and lead a team of three Special Program Managers (SPM), subject matter experts in their fields. Assess and identify strategies for developing training and advisory programs between the U.S. Government and Saudi Arabia’s agencies responsible for public security, emergency management, and counterterrorism, including identifying the correct U.S. agency partnerships to engage with Saudi entities. Assess risk and opportunities for potential new initiatives, current project scope changes, and provide public security program SME oversight. Actively participate in and/or coordinate efforts and meetings between U.S. and Saudi colleagues, potential U.S. implementing agencies, U.S. universities, U.S. non-government entities, and centers of excellence that may assist OPM-MOI in project planning, assessments, development of program management documentation, and execution efforts. Monitor, assess, and provide feedback to ensure that contractors and implementing agencies meet the commitment of their contracts/agreements. Serve as primary interagency liaison between OPM-MOI and U.S. interagency partners. Perform other duties as assigned. Knowledge Required by the Position The candidate should possess a bachelor’s degree and 20 years of full-time experience with either a U.S. federal law enforcement agency or U.S. public safety department in one or more of the following disciplines: law enforcement; special weapons and tactics; counterterrorism; or public security. At least two years of supervisory experience is required. In addition to the above have: Awareness of training and curriculum development processes, facilitation and instruction. Mastery of advanced management and organizational principles and practices along with a comprehensive knowledge of planning, programming, and budgeting regulations, guidelines and processes. The ability to write accurate and timely reports. Communicates complex issues in simple terms in an efficient, prompt and professional manner. Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office applications is required – at a minimum in Excel, Power Point, and Word applications. Knowledge of the various jurisdictions of Federal, State, and local law enforcement and public security agencies. Position Requirements Must know and understand U.S. Department of State security regulations Bachelor’s Degree and extensive relevant work experience U.S. Citizenship Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance Ability to obtain and maintain a Department of State issued Medical Clearance Good communication skills in English, both written and oral Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Extensive experience working with a range of public security concepts, programs, and practices needed to advise decision-makers on and to design and plan for program requirements. Experience supervising teams. Experience providing advice and guidance to staff, other agency officials, contractors, and foreign government representatives concerning U.S. Government policies and procedures. Experience with interagency stakeholders in resolving problems. Experience protecting and safeguarding personnel, facilities, classified materials, operations, and processes at locations outside the United States. Experience providing advice and guidance to staff, other agency officials, contractors, and foreign government representatives concerning policies and procedures. Experience analyzing complex issues and experience leading organizational or team actions in accordance with plans, goals, and objectives. Experience working closely with senior leadership of an organization. Experience communicating directly with senior level officials of a host government, overseas. Experience working in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment, and working accurately under pressure and in difficult circumstances. Experience establishing and maintaining effective and constructive working relationships with people of different national and/or cultural backgrounds with respect for diversity. Supervisory Controls The SSPM reports to the Director through the Deputy Director. The incumbent works daily with senior Saudi officials and is expected to do so with little supervision and a highly developed level of diplomacy and cultural awareness. The SSPM must exercise independent initiative and is fully responsible for the actual planning and carrying out of assignments of the SPM team; resolving linguistic or other problems as they arise; coordinating the work with others as necessary; quality assurance for the SPM team; supervising the team of SPMs, representing the SPM team in senior leadership meetings; and interpreting policy at his/her own initiative in terms of established objectives, with guidance from the Director and/or Deputy. Work in most cases is considered definitive and subject to only cursory review, when fully successful. The key exception is in the finalization of international agreements, where the SSPM reviews project team recommendations with the Director, and if needed seeks additional Department guidance, before additional action is taken. Guidelines Guidance, direction, and delineation of policy approaches are broad in nature and jointly developed in conversation with senior OPM-MOI-US officials. The incumbent must exercise initiative and independent judgment in proposing or choosing the appropriate subjects for assessment and developing specific analytical approaches. Department of State guidelines for supervision, writing style and standards, ethical guidelines, and other policies as relevant apply and guide the work. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manuals and Handbooks OPM-MOI-US Standard Operating Procedures Applicable Embassy Riyadh Management and Security Notices U.S. law and regulation Scope and Effect The position involves analyzing and advising on public security, emergency management, infrastructure protection counterterrorism, and capacity building projects. The position involves monitoring programs and determining the necessity for adjustments or changes to current policies. Supervision and management, including quality assurance reviews, feedback, and mentorship is a significant portion of the workload, accompanied by the most challenging subject matter expertise portfolios. Personal Contacts Regular contacts are with senior U.S. and KSA officials, senior staff of interagency partner organizations, OPM-MOI staff members, officials and other personnel from other federal agencies, and personnel from private U.S. and international industry. Contacts occur in a wide variety of planned and unplanned, formal and informal settings, including open meetings and conferences where the incumbent represents the OPM-MOI-US and the Department of State, and may be called upon to explain and defend the agency’s programs and positions. Purpose of Contacts Contacts are to exchange information; resolve problems; coordinate and advise on a variety of procedures, projects, assessments, and other work efforts. In the performance of duties, the employee encounters all employees of OPM-MOI. The incumbent sometimes has to interview employees for sensitive information and for this reason, the employee in this position must be someone who can be trusted by both management and colleagues. Physical Demands The work is normally sedentary, requiring no special physical demands. The demands associated with travel to and from remote areas, for example occasional site visits within KSA, in restrained time frames over under-developed infrastructure and conveyances, require an average resistance to fatigue and physical hardships. Travel is required, as needed, and may include remote locations and trips with changes in schedule or short notice. Work Environment The position is duty-stationed in Riyadh, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Work is largely performed in an office setting, but may include site visits and other external venues. During travel and site visits within KSA, one will encounter harsh desert climate conditions, with exceptionally high heat and sandstorms and may encounter locations with underdeveloped infrastructure and conveyances. One must be willing and able to abide by the laws, regulations, and requirements of living in the Kingdom, including the social environment of Saudi Arabia.