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FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICER

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

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Treaty Affairs, Office of the Legal Adviser (L/T).

The Office is responsible for drafting, negotiating, and interpreting treaties and international agreements; serving as the depositary for certain multilateral treaties and international agreements; and carrying out a wide range of treaty- and agreement-related functions.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
05/02/2025 to 05/08/2025
Salary
$142,488 to - $185,234 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Some foreign and domestic travel may be involved.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - CTAP eligibles only
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Announcement number
GTM/TSCTAP-2025-0024
Control number
836326800

Duties

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  • Advising on constitutional questions regarding such matters as the relative powers of the President and Congress regarding treaties and executive agreements.
  • ·Coordinating the transmittal of treaties to the Senate for advice and consent prior to ratification.
  • Preparing and publishing numerous reports and other products on treaties and international agreements, many of which fulfill statutory requirements or treaty obligations.
  • provides advice and assistance to attorneys in the Office of the Legal Adviser , to State Department officials and officials of other agencies, to Congressional staff members, and to members of the public on U. S. treaty practices
  • Drafts material for inclusion in mandatory reports prepared for Congress and drafts or oversees, the preparation of instructions for Posts explaining and applying treaty procedures.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required 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.

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-13 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 advising on constitutional questions regarding such matters as the relative powers of the President and Congress regarding treaties and/or executive agreements.
  • Experience overseeing compliance with the formalized processes by which the organization authorizes the negotiation and conclusion of international agreements.

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.

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, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume will be conducted and compared against your responses to the assessment questions to determine if you are qualified for this job.  Note:  Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating. 

Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, will be assigned a score between 70 and 100.  The assessment is used to measure the degree in which your background matches the competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Knowledge of foreign affairs and international relations.
  • Knowledge of treaty law.
  • Ability to recommend program improvement methods and strategies.
  • Ability to liaise with internal and external partners.

Agency Career and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and 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 selection priority.  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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