Travel Assistant

For further information - the complete position description listing all of the duties, responsibilities, required qualifications, etc. may be obtained by contacting the Human Resources Office at

The incumbent is one of seven team members in the Embassy Paris Visit Support Unit (VSU). VSU supports 53 agencies with 950 employees. They provide travel service support to 5,000 to 7,000 visitors per year including hotel reservation, transportation, visas, and managing VIP visits. In an average month, the incumbent is involved in providing the full range of travel services for six Ambassadorial trips, three cabinet-level visitors, two Congressional Delegations, dozens of executive level visitors, and nearly 750 other official travelers averaging over 15,000 hotel nights. VSU also provides the full range of travel support for an average of one Presidential visit and two multilateral events involving thousands of delegates per year.

Requirements:

All selected candidates must be able to obtain and hold a Public Trust (Low Risk-Non Sensitive) security clearance.

All selected candidates will be subject to a background investigation and may be subject to a pre-employment medical exam.

Selected candidate must be able to begin working within a reasonable period of time (12 weeks) upon receipt of agency authorization and/or clearances/certifications or their candidacy may end.

Education Requirements:

EDUCATION: A minimum of two years post-secondary school is required.

Please address this factor in your ERA application under Education.

Evaluations:

You will be evaluated against the qualifications and requirements in this vacancy announcement.

You may be asked to complete a pre-employment language or skills test.

You must complete the application form and provide the required documents. Your application must address all the position qualifications and requirements including education, experience, language, and any knowledge/skills/abilities listed. If you fail to submit a complete application, then your application may be disqualified for this position.

Qualifications:

Experience: A minimum of three years of experience in hotel business (group/event manager, sales manager) is required.

Please address this factor in your ERA application under Major Duties and Responsibilities.

Languages: THESE WILL BE TESTED

English - Good working knowledge; speaking, reading & writing.

French -Fluent; speaking/reading/writing, may include the ability to translate.

Please address this language requirement in your ERA application.

Job Knowledge:

Excellent knowledge of hotel, rail and foreign Embassy visa procedures.

Good knowledge of motorcades security practices.

Please address this factor in your ERA application under Major Duties and Responsibilities.

Skills And Abilities:

Excellent skills in negotiation.

Ability to work independently.

Ability to plan complex events.

Ability to prioritize multiple demands on time.

Ability to work under pressure.

Ability to work with figures and plan a budget.

Ability to work long hours.

Good organization skills.

Ability to maintain high level contacts.

Ability to resolve both professional and personal disputes among team members, contractors and visiting delegations on the spot and ability to quickly adjust large logistical plans as schedules shift.

Please address this factor in your ERA application under Major Duties and Responsibilities.

Benefits:

Agency Benefits:

SALARY: the annual gross salary includes: the profit-sharing allowance, the vacation allowance, the bonus allowance and the "Comité d'Entreprise" allowance.

MEAL TICKETS: Meal tickets have a face value of EUR 8.25/day. 60% of the daily amount is paid by the U.S. Government. An employee contribution of EUR 3.30 per ticket will be deducted in payroll. The number of meal tickets is limited to 202 workdays per year.

TRANSPORTATION: Employees are eligible for a reimbursement of 50% of the cost of public transportation passes purchased for commuting purposes.

HOLIDAYS: The U.S. Missions in France observe eleven U.S. holidays per year and up to ten French holidays.

WE ALSO OFFER:

• A rewarding work environment at the heart of bilateral relations

• The opportunity to contribute to meaningful and diverse projects

• An inter-agency awards program to recognize outstanding contributions

• Real opportunities at the crossroads of commitment and skills provided employees have the required qualifications, relevant experience, and the motivation to grow

• Special leave: 5 days per year dedicated to caring for a sick family member (with supporting documentation)

• Workplace wellness program

• Employee onboarding program

For EFMs, benefits should be discussed with the Human Resources Office.

The pay plan is assigned at the time of the conditional offer letter by the HR Office.

Other Information:

HIRING PREFERENCE SELECTION PROCESS:

A hiring preference is extended to eligible and qualified applicants in the order listed below. It is essential you accurately describe your status in your application, failure to do so may result in a determination that you are not eligible for a hiring preference.

HIRING PREFERENCE ORDER

• Appointment Eligible Family Member (AEFM) / U.S. citizen Eligible Family Member (USEFM) who is a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran*

• AEFM / USEFM

• Foreign Service (FS) on Leave without Pay (LWOP) and Civil Service (CS) with reemployment rights **

• IMPORTANT: US citizen Eligible Family Member (USEFM) applicants who claim status as a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran must submit a copy of their most recent DD-214 ("Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty") preferably Member Copy 4, Letter from Veterans' Affairs which indicates the present existence of a service-connected disability, equivalent documentation, or certification. A "certification" is any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant. The certification letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. Acceptable documentation must be submitted in order for the preference to be given.

** This level of preference applies to all FS employees on LWOP and CS with re-employment rights back to their agency or bureau.

For complete definitions of AEFM, USEFM, EFM, Member of Household, etc., please visit the 3 FAM 7210 Definitions.

ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS

The following apply to EFMs, USEFMs, and AEFMs only:

Current employees who used a hiring preference to gain employment who are within their first 90 calendar days of employment are not eligible. This does not apply when the hiring mechanism is TEMP or the work schedule is intermittent or irregular.

• Candidates with a hiring preference who have already accepted a conditional offer of employment may NOT be extended a second conditional offer of employment unless and until they withdraw their candidacy for the first position in writing.

The following apply to Locally Employed (LE) staff only:

• Current employees serving a probationary period are not eligible.

• Current employees with an Overall Summary Rating of Needs Improvement, Unsatisfactory, or an MBC score of less than 100 points on their most recent Employee Performance Report are not eligible.