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Foreign Affairs Officer

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

Summary

These positions are located in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Office of Afghanistan (SCA/A) and the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP).  

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/05/2019 to 08/09/2019
Salary
$83,398 to - $108,422 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
Washington, DC
2 vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional overseas and domestic travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
HR/SS/CTAP-2019-0008
Control number
541531000

Duties

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  • Gathers, reviews and interprets information and data submitted by overseas posts, other federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and/or international sources.
  • Serves as primary point of contact for the Bureau in the program management or implementation process.
  • Serves as liaison with the governmental and non-governmental communities to inform and to explain U.S. policies.
  • Researches, analyzes and evaluates data to validate existing policy or to recommend changes or new policies or guidance.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • One year probationary period, unless excepted by regulation.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
  • U.S. Citizenship is required.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements, including education, and any selective placement factors 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.

NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement.

Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F.

Applicants must have the required experience or education as described below and meet any selective factors, when specified.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

Have a bachelor's or graduate degree from an accredited college or university in international law, international relations, political science, economics, history, sociology, geography, social or cultural anthropology, law, statistics, or in the humanities;

OR

Have a bachelor's or graduate degree from an accredited college or university that included a combination of courses, with at least 24 semester hours in international law and international relations, political science, economics, history, sociology, geography, social or cultural anthropology, law, statistics, or in the humanities;

OR

Have 12 semester hours in one of the above disciplines and 12 semester hours in statistics / quantitative methods.

OR

Have a combination of education and experience where your coursework was equivalent to a major, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours, (as shown above), PLUS appropriate relevant experience OR additional education.

OR

Have completed at least 4 years of appropriate experience in one OR more of the fields listed above in work associated with international organizations, problems, or other aspects of foreign affairs. (NOTE: qualifying work experience may have been gained through residence, study, teaching, business or commercial activities, military service, newspaper work, military or civil government activities, missionary or international relief work, or other experience in foreign countries.)


IN ADDITION to the basic requirements, this position requires one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.  Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

SCA/A

  • Experience drafting decisions memoranda, briefing materials, talking points, analytical reports, public statements and/or position papers for management officials.
  • Experience managing programs and ensuring effective execution.
  • Experience analyzing and presenting information to senior officials for use in policy formulation.

J/TIP

  • Experience applying U.S. domestic and foreign policy goals and objectives related to human trafficking issues; and
  • Experience performing research on human trafficking policy issues.

To be considered well-qualified, in addition to meeting minimum qualifications, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all of the major aspects of the position.

Note:  If you are qualifying based on education, you MUST 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.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements, if applicable.

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.  Click on the link for a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials.

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 ReasonableAccommodations@state.gov.

How you will be evaluated

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

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

  • Ability to provide advice, guidance and consultation based on results of analyses.
  • Ability to establish and maintain liaison with officials throughout the foreign affairs community. 
  • Ability to communicate orally and in writing. 
  • Knowledge of the realm of foreign and international affairs.
  • Skill in oral and written communication to prepare, present, and defend analyses.

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. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Your resume should include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. For assistance with creating a resume, please click
here.

Qualified candidates are assigned a score between 70 and 100.  Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) candidates must be rated "Well Qualified" for the position and earn a score of at least 85 (when applicants are rated in a range of 70 to 100) to receive consideration for special priority.

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any required supporting documentation by the closing date of this job opportunity. Your applicant package must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.


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