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Lead Foreign Affairs Officer - Direct Hire Authority

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

Summary

The position is in the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability; Office of Strategic Stability and Deterrence Affairs (ADS/SSD)

SSD provides support in enhancing the security of the United States and its allies by promoting stability, extending deterrence, and reducing nuclear threats through the policy development, negotiation, and implementation of arms control and confidence-building measures.

For more info about this office, visit: ADS/SSD

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
09/30/2024 to 10/14/2024
Salary
$163,964 to - $191,900 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Situational telework only.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - May require domestic and/or international travel.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Announcement number
HRSC/T/ADS-2024-0023
Control number
812032800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This serves as public notice for the use of an Agency-specific Direct Hire Authority. Applicants will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration. We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.

Duties

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  • Oversees staff responsible for implementing the New START Treaty and conceptualizing future measures, commitments to limit, control, and verify nuclear arsenal.
  • Negotiates with key senior Officials to achieve consensus on initiatives and policies to negotiate and implement existing and future arms control measures.
  • Analyzes issues critical to policy development and implementation which include leading diplomatic engagement strategies with foreign government officials.
  • Provides advice and recommendations on nuclear arms control, strategic stability, and nuclear weapons issues.
  • Directs all aspects of the interagency Verification Compliance and Analysis Working Groups (VCAWGs) and works closely with the chair of the New START backstopping committee.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top 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/
  • Obtain/maintain eligibility to access Sensitive Compartmented Information

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.

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.)

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.

IN ADDITION to the basic requirements, this position requires one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 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: 

  • Experience coordinating team projects, setting priorities, or mentoring others on a team.
  • Experience developing and implementing policies related to arms control, nuclear deterrence, or strategic stability.
  • Experience leading discussions on arms control, nuclear deterrence, or strategic stability.

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. 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 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 similar positions in any Bureau/Office listed on this announcement for approximately 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.

This position is being filled through the Department of State’s direct hire authority for Foreign Affairs positions. Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority, veterans’ preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply. For this announcement, all applicants will be forwarded to the selecting official for further consideration, and you may be subject to assessments during the selection process (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, structured interview, etc.). If you are selected, we will review your resume and required documents to determine if you 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.

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 U.S. national security and foreign affairs policies related to the verification of and compliance with arms control.
  • Knowledge of European, Eurasian, and Indo-Pacific security environments.
  • Skill in policy analysis.
  • Knowledge of U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons and missile systems.
  • Ability to provide policy guidance and recommendations regarding nuclear arms control.
  • Ability to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Candidates are considered well qualified if their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) exceed the minimum qualifications described in the announcement.


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