3 FAH-1 H-2250
FOREIGN SERVICE SPECIALIST CAREER CANDIDATE PROGRAM
(CT:POH-216; 04-16-2019)
(Office of Origin: HR/CDA and HR/PE)
3 FAH-1 H-2251 ASSIGNMENT PROCEDURES
FOR SPECIALIST career CANDIDATES
3 FAH-1
H-2251.1 Policy
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
HR/CDA is guided by the following provisions in assigning
Foreign Service Specialist Career Candidates:
(1) HR/CDA will consider service needs, to include
filling high-priority entry-level positions and reducing or eliminating
staffing gaps or periods of dual incumbency.
(2) HR/CDA will consider career development, to
include experience in different posts or assignments during their first two
tours, and language skills development wherever possible and within the context
of service need and available entry-level positions.
(3) Individual qualifications (e.g., language skills)
may also be considered where appropriate and consistent with service needs.
(4) Foreign Service Specialist career candidates are
expected to complete at least two entry-level directed tours; assignments may
be located within the United States or abroad, as required by the needs of the
Foreign Service.
(5) No assignments in other occupational categories
will be authorized for Foreign Service Specialist Career Candidates.
3 FAH-1 H-2251.2 Details and Leave
Without Pay
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
a. As the goal of the Specialist Career Candidate
Program is to provide clear evidence of career Foreign Service potential within
the time period of the candidates limited appointment, details to other
agencies will generally be avoided.
b. Except for employee entitlements to leave without
pay (LWOP) under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) (3 FAM 3530),
under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA),
and under Executive Order 5396 (disabled veterans seeking necessary medical
treatment) and requirements under 5 U.S.C. 8150 (regarding workers
compensation), the authorization of LWOP is a matter of administrative
discretion, as provided in 3 FAM 3510.
As the goal of the Specialist Career Candidate Program is to provide clear
evidence of career Foreign Service potential within the time period of the
candidates limited appointment, HR/CDA does not recommend that candidates
request discretionary LWOP prior to tenure. However, bureaus/posts may
authorize specialist career candidates up to 90 days LWOP under certain
conditions as defined in 3 FAM 3510.
3 FAH-1 H-2251.3 Supervision
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
a. The immediate rating and reviewing officers of
specialist career candidates will be responsible for their supervision and for
the development of work-related skills that can be learned through experience
on the job.
b. Rating and reviewing officers are also responsible
for conscientious evaluation of specialist career candidates performanceincluding
establishing work requirements, periodically holding Performance Review sessions,
and annually completing formal evaluationsto support their professional growth
and to provide the Specialist Tenuring Board with the information needed to
decide whether a candidate should be offered career status.
3 FAH-1 H-2252 FUNCTIONAL
IDENTIFICATION
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
a. Specialist career candidates will be given primary
skill codes in their occupational categories when they receive their initial
limited appointments.
b. Only after tenuring may a specialist career
candidates skill code be changed in accordance with the rules and procedures
published in 3
FAM 2620, 3
FAH-1 H-2620, and 3 FAH-1 H-2650.
3 FAH-1 H-2253 PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
PROCESS
3 FAH-1 H-2253.1 Purpose
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
The purposes of the performance evaluation process for
specialist career candidates are to:
(1) Furnish
assessments on which the Specialist Tenuring Board can base its decision to
offer tenure and career status in the Service to specialist career candidates;
(2) Provide
specialist career candidates with periodic assessments of their performance so
that they can plan their careers realistically and better prepare for them; and
(3) Provide
information to the Director General of the Foreign Service in cases of
unsatisfactory performance of assigned duties so that an informed judgment can
be made for possible early termination of a specialist career candidate for
unsatisfactory performance (see 3 FAM 2256).
3 FAH-1 H-2253.2 Performance
Reviews for Specialist Career Candidates
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
a. Supervisors of specialist career candidates should
hold at least two Performance Review sessions during each annual rating cycle
at approximately 120-day intervals and no less than once during assignments of
less than one year.
b. In meeting with a specialist career candidate, the
rating officer should prepare at least one written Performance Review statement
on Form DS-1974 and present it to the candidate for discussion.
c. The DS-1974 is intended solely as a performance
review mechanism to provide employees with feedback on where they are doing
well and where they need to develop further; it will not be placed in the
candidate's performance file, and will in no way bind the rating officer in
later judgments on the candidates overall performance during the full rating
period.
d. The DS-1974 is not required for assignments of six
months or less, but at least one oral session is required.
e. All career candidates should be counseled regarding
their strengths and weaknesses and ways to improve their performance, enhance
their professional development, and strengthen their potential for tenure and
advancement.
f. Reviewing officers should keep informed of
candidates' progress and make themselves available for counseling or mentoring,
as appropriate.
g. The principal officer, deputy chief of mission, or
deputy assistant secretary responsible for oversight of the candidate program
in the bureau or post will oversee the adequate, periodic counseling and
mentoring of candidates by the rating and reviewing officers.
3 FAH-1 H-2253.3 Unsatisfactory
Performance Procedures
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
a. An unsatisfactory rating cannot be given to a
candidate unless the candidate received notice in writing of the areas of
performance that were deficient and had a reasonable opportunity to demonstrate
satisfactory performance. A period of 60 calendar days ordinarily will be
sufficient to demonstrate needed improvement. In some cases, however, a
shorter period may be dictated by safety or security concerns that could
overlap with performance issues, by the imminent departure of an employee from
post, or by other significant factors that necessitate such a decision. In all
cases, the employee will be advised of the timetable for improvement.
b. An EER in which the candidates performance is rated
as unsatisfactory must be submitted to HR/PE rather than through ePerformance.
HR/PE will refer the case to the Director General for review.
c. Upon being advised by the Director of HR/PE that a
specialist career candidates performance has been rated unsatisfactory, the
Director General will:
(1) Advise the candidate in writing of this rating and
grant a period of at least 10 working days for the candidate to offer comment
on the rating; and
(2) Conduct further review or inquiry regarding the
candidates performance as the Director General may deem appropriate. All
material generated by such a review or inquiry or otherwise considered by the
Director General will be made available to the candidate, who will be granted a
period of 10 working days from receipt of such material in which to offer
comment.
d. Upon completion of the above procedures, the
Director General will review all relevant and admissible material on file
regarding the candidates performance and will do one of the following:
(1) Advise the candidate that the rating of
unsatisfactory performance has been changed to satisfactory, and initiate
action to ensure that all personnel records reflect this determination;
(2) Direct that the candidate be separated from the
Service under section 612 of the Act; or
(3) Withhold judgment regarding possible action for a
specified period of further on-the-job observation. The post or bureau must
submit to HR/PE the EER immediately following the additional period stating
either that the candidates performance is satisfactory or unsatisfactory. The
Director General will readdress the question based on overall performance
history at that date.
e. When ordering separation under Section 612 of the
Foreign Service Act, the Director General will set the effective date, which
may be no less than 30 days following notification of that action, excluding
travel time required to return to Washington, DC, if abroad.
3 FAH-1 H-2254 PROMOTIONS
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
The following procedures apply to the promotion of
specialist candidates.
3 FAH-1 H-2254.1 Administrative
Promotions
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
See 3 FAM 2329.3.
3 FAH-1 H-2254.2 Specialist
Candidates Not Promoted Administratively
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
a. Specialist career candidates at grade levels above
those subject to administrative promotions will compete for available
promotional opportunities in their occupational category along with other
eligible specialists in their class and competition group in regular Selection
Board competition, in accordance with Foreign Service Career Candidate Tenuring
Board Precepts, also known as the Tenuring Board Precepts. (The Tenuring Board
Precepts are available on the HR/PE website under All Precepts.)
b. All specialist career candidates, regardless of
promotional procedures, are subject to Specialist Tenuring Board review for
tenuring and career status described in 3 FAM 2250 and 3 FAH-1 H-2255.
3 FAH-1 H-2255 THE SPECIALIST TENURING
BOARD
3 FAH-1 H-2255.1 Composition
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
a. The Specialist Tenuring Board (Board) will consist
of:
Specialist career members of the Foreign Service of Class FP-4
and above, except Office Management Specialists, who may serve at FP-5;
Foreign Service Officers of Class FO-4 and above; and
Members of the Senior Foreign Service.
b. Each Board will include one or more members of
minority groups and women.
c. To the maximum extent possible, each Board will
include representatives of the specialist categories in which candidates are to
be considered or members knowledgeable about the responsibilities of the
specialist categories. Depending on the specialist categories to be
reviewed, Board membership may range from four to six persons.
d. The most senior member will serve as chairperson.
3 FAH-1 H-2255.2 Appointment
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
a. HR/PE will convene the Board four times per calendar
year. Members are appointed for one Board session only, but can serve
consecutively. If a member serves consecutively, the name will be shared with
the exclusive bargaining representative (AFSA).
b. A list of the members under consideration for
appointment will be submitted to AFSA on an informational basis; AFSA may offer
comment. Such comments will be considered, but will not be binding in
making the final appointments. Language governing recusals of Board members
can be found in the Procedural Precepts regulating the Tenure Board process.
(The Tenure Board Precepts are available on the HR/PE website under All
Precepts.)
3 FAH-1 H-2255.3 Responsibilities
and Duties
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
a. At least once each quarter during the calendar year,
the Office of Performance Evaluation (HR/PE) will prepare lists of specialist
candidates in each occupational category who meet eligibility requirements for
review for career status (see 3 FAM 2254.2).
The Director, HR/PE, will certify these lists for the consideration of the
Board.
b. The Board will review the official performance files
of the specialist candidates certified for consideration following established
Tenuring Board Precepts.
(1) The Board will review and make recommendations on
granting tenure to specialist career candidates, except for specialists in the
medical occupation categories (physicians, medical technologists, nurse
practitioners, and psychiatrists), as soon as possible after completion of 24
months of service. Specialists in the medical occupation categories will be
reviewed as soon as possible after completion of 36 months of service.
(2) When a Board judges that additional evaluated
experience is needed in order to make a tenuring decision, a second review will
take place a year after the first. If a Board still feels that additional
evaluated experience is needed in order to make a tenuring decision, a third
review may be held six months after the second. If necessary, a one-year
extension of the four-year limited appointment for specialist candidates may be
granted to permit a third review. The third review will take place, to
the extent practicable, approximately (but not less than) 60 days prior to the
end of the period of extension;
(3) Boards monitor all evaluation material prepared on
specialist candidates to determine whether the material is adequate to provide
the basis for the career judgment, which the Board must make within the
prescribed time. HR/PE may return any evaluation material deemed
inadequate for the Boards purpose to the preparer for amplification and/or
clarification; and
(4) For those candidates not recommended for tenure
who will be considered at a subsequent session of the Board, the Board will
write notification statements, as guidance to the candidates and should
identify areas for improvement. The Board will provide counseling statements
for those candidates whose chances of being recommended for tenure at a
subsequent session are in doubt due to an identifiable performance weakness.
Any such statements will be included in the official Board findings and will be
given to the candidates in question (and their respective Career Development
Officers) and as part of the Board Report to the
Director General. The counseling statement will not become part of the
Official Performance Folder, unless the recipients so requests in writing.
3 FAH-1 H-2255.4 Board Action
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only
a. Any action taken by the Board requires the
concurrence of at least four Tenure Board members. In the case of tenure
denial, no action unfavorable to the candidate under review will be taken
without consideration of the file by all members of the Board, absent a
recusal.
b. The Board will provide the Director General with the
following:
(1) An alphabetical list of names of those
specialist career candidates recommended for tenure;
(2) An alphabetical list of the names,
accompanied by counseling statements, of those specialist career candidates
recommended for a second tenure review;
(3) An alphabetical list of the names, accompanied by
counseling statements, of those specialist career candidates recommended for a
third review;
(4) An alphabetical list of the names of those
specialist career candidates the Board does not recommend for tenure.
Individuals who are not recommended for tenure will be separated from the
Service at the end of their limited appointment, or earlier if the Boards
recommendation for earlier separation is approved by the Director General;
(5) Any recommendations for extension of a
specialist candidates appointment for a third review by the Board with a
detailed statement as to why the extension is recommended; and,
(6) The Boards observations on the operation of
the Specialist Career Candidate Program, the Employee Evaluation Report (EER)
form, and the Tenure Board Precepts and procedures with such recommendations as
it may desire to make. Such a report will be included in the official board
findings. A copy of the report, including recommendations or comments, other
than those concerning individuals, will be made available to officials of AFSA
on a confidential basis. If the Board requests that a portion of its statement
not be disseminated and explains its reason for this request, those portions so
identified also will be deleted and the reasons explained to AFSA.
3 FAH-1 H-2256 TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT
REMOVAL OF NAMES FROM TENURING LISTS
(CT:POH-216;
04-16-2019)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Only)
a. The procedures outlined below for temporary or
permanent removal of names from specialist tenure lists apply to all specialist
career candidates recommended for tenure by a Board (see 3 FAM 2255).
b. The Director General will inform the specialist
career candidate concerned in writing of the action taken (unless subject to a
do not notify order) and will initiate, pursue, or monitor such inquiry,
investigation, or proceeding as is appropriate to the issue giving rise to the
removal. The candidate will be given an opportunity to submit whatever
information or documents the candidate believes are pertinent to the
case. Upon disposition or resolution of the issue, the Director General
will either:
(1) Request that the necessary administrative action
be initiated to confer tenure on the specialist candidate; or
(2) In the case of disciplinary action, request that
the Board, which earlier recommended tenure, determine whether or not the
specialist candidate is, in view of the documents added to the performance
file, qualified to be granted tenure. Upon re-review of the specialist
candidates file, the Board will receive no information regarding the candidate
not previously supplied to it, other than material added as a result of the
inquiry, investigation, or proceeding that gave rise to the temporary
removal. Prior to Board re-review, the specialist candidate will be
supplied copies of all material added to the file and will be accorded the
opportunity to submit a response or rebuttal for placement in the file.
c. The subsequent finding of the Board regarding the
specialist candidate in question will be final and binding to the same extent
as if made at the initial session. If the Board concludes that the
candidate is qualified, based on the current record, to receive tenure, the
Director General will initiate action to confer tenure. If the Board
concludes that the candidate is not qualified, on the current record, for
tenuring, the Director General will make permanent the prior exclusion of the
name from the tenure list.
3 FAH-1 H-2257
through H-2259 UNASSIGNED