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Summary

This position is located in the Office of the Under Secretary for Management (M), Office of White House Liaison (WHL), Office of Presidential Appointments (PAS). M/WHL/PAS leads and manages the Department of State's Presidential Appointments Program, the U.S. Government's Foreign Service and Consular commissioning program, and the Department's diplomatic and consular titles program.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
01/29/2026 to 02/04/2026
Salary
$85,447 to - $158,322 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 13
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC
Many vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. 
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Announcement number
M-MPI-2026-0001
Control number
855843300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. Department of State career or career conditional status employees in the competitive service; employees who are on temporary or other non-status appointments who have reinstatement or non-competitive eligibility for a competitive service appointment (e.g., tenured Foreign Service employees, employees on an excepted service appointment at the USUN who have previous career status, etc.); and CTAP.

Duties

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  • Serves as a technical expert for one of the US Government programs led by PAS, managing the execution and strategic planning of assigned functions. Represents the Office and speaks on behalf of PAS in a variety of forums and audiences.
  • Interprets government-wide legislation, regulations , and Department policies affecting areas of responsibility and assesses their impact on program activities; develops policies and recommends action for program objectives/improvements.
  • Responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring management information systems that support assigned program(s) and provide metrics on the progress in executing long and short-range plans.
  • Coordinates projects designed to provide critical analytical data/information to Senior officials, including White House Liaison, for taskers, hearings, and other high-level meetings that impact key Office programs and initiatives.
  • At the GS-11/12 levels, the incumbent performs essentially the same duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are of less responsibility and independence and receives closer supervision than the GS-13 level.

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.
  • Obtain/maintain eligibility to access Sensitive Compartmented Information

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 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

GS-11

Applicants applying for the GS-11 grade level must meet one of the following requirements:

A. Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience preparing correspondence, reports, statistics, and analytical documents for use of internal and external audiences.
• Experience monitoring and tracking the accomplishment of program goals, objectives, and priorities.
• Experience analyzing and evaluating a variety of sources such as federal regulations, policies, and directives in order to brief staff on program findings and/or recommendations.

OR B. Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M. from an accredited college or university.

OR C. Have a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience (as described above), which is equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal Service. This experience and education together meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

Combination of Experience and Education: When an applicant has less than one year of specialized experience as described in the announcement, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education with experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full time year of graduate study). The percentage of specialized work experience and the percentage of graduate study must total at least 100%. Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you may lose consideration for this position.

GS-12

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to 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 researching issues and drafting proposed guidelines used in the development of Department policies, issuances, and directives.
• Experience using a variety of qualitative and quantitative techniques for analyzing and measuring the effectiveness of administrative and technical programs.
• Experience identifying challenges and making recommendations to management on program related issues.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-12 position.

GS-13

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to 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 independently applying analytical and evaluation techniques to identify, consider and resolve program issues.
• Experience interpreting government-wide legislation, regulations, and policies to evaluate program efficiency and effectiveness and provide program/process recommendations to management.
• Experience producing analytical reports, policy recommendations, and memoranda for consideration by senior leadership.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 position.

Education

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

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. 
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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 limited to two pages will be conducted and evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications for this position. The evaluation process consists of an online assessment and a subject matter expert review of your resume. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Knowledge of strategic program/project management techniques.
  • Skill in analyzing and interpreting data to develop policies and recommend programmatic solutions.
  • Skill in using qualitative or quantitative methods to analyze, assess, and improve program effectiveness.
  • Ability to communicate orally to conduct fact finding interviews, meet and deal with senior officials, and present recommendations to management.
  • Ability to communicate in writing to develop policy, guidance, instructions, and reports of findings and recommendations.
  • Ability to independently plan, organize and prioritize work.

In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We do not make assumptions regarding your experience. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials may result in your removal from consideration.

Resume review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Your resume should demonstrate how you meet all aspects of the specialized experience statement. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., links embedded in your resume will not be opened).

Agency Career and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be considered well-qualified for the position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority. 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.


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