Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Foreign Affairs Officer - Direct Hire Authority

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

Summary

These positions are located in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, Office of Conventional Arms Threat Reduction (ISN/CATR).

ISN leads the U.S. effort to prevent the spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, as well as related materials and delivery systems.

CATR leads efforts to prevent the proliferation of destabilizing conventional weapons and advanced technologies, as well as efforts on export controls to protect the use of dual-use goods.

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
11/14/2024 to 11/20/2024
Salary
$99,200 to - $153,354 per year

Salary will be based on the grade level for which you are selected.

Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Location
Washington, DC
2 vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
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
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Announcement number
HRSC/T/ISN-2025-0010
Control number
818919700

This job is open to

Help

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

Help
  • Serves as an initial point of contact for all incoming actions from internal and external sources regarding U.S. dual use export control licensing within an assigned geographic portfolio.
  • Monitors political, economic, and other developments, trends, and reporting to understand the implications for U.S. interests and achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives.
  • Advises on problems and possible solutions related to dual use export control measures in the assigned geographic portfolio.
  • Liaises with internal and external stakeholders to advance U.S. national security policies and objectives.
  • At the GS-12 level, the incumbent performs essentially the same duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are of less responsibility and independence and receive closer supervision than at the GS-13 level.

Requirements

Help

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.
  • Statement of Employment & Financial Interest required prior to appointment.
  • 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/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements 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.

GS-12 Applicants:

IN ADDITION to meeting one of the basic entry qualifications requirements listed above, applicants applying for the GS-12 MUST have 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:

  • Experience analyzing foreign policy concerning threat reduction of conventional weapons or export controls on dual use technologies.
  • Experience monitoring global developments and issues impacting U.S. national security interests.
  • Experience preparing and presenting briefings.

GS-13 Applicants:

IN ADDITION to meeting one of the basic entry qualifications requirements listed above, applicants applying for the GS-13 MUST have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 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 implementing foreign policies concerning threat reduction of conventional weapons or export controls on dual use technologies.
  • Experience evaluating global developments and trends to assess the impact on U.S. national security interests.
  • Experience advising on issues or problems related to dual use export control measures.

Education

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

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 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 current U.S. foreign policy objectives and programs.
  • Knowledge of U.S. foreign affairs information sources, processes, and organizations.
  • Skill in foreign policy implementation.
  • Ability to advise on issues related to dual use export controls.
  • Ability to liaise with others.
  • Skill in oral and written communication sufficient to prepare and present analyses.

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.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.