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Deputy Assistant Secretary

Department of State
Department of State - Agency Wide

Summary

This Foreign Affairs Officer serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counter Threat Finance and Economic Sanctions (EEB/TFS) and statutorily mandated Sanctions Coordinator. The officer oversees sanctions policy, coordinates with other agencies and international partners, advises the Secretary of State, and engages with Congress on sanctions.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/16/2026 to 02/20/2026
Salary
$169,279 to - $197,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—As per Agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes - A Statement of Employment and Financial Interests (OGE-450) required.
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
E-MPI-2026-0002
Control number
857465600

Duties

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  • Oversees development and implementation of U.S. economic policies and objectives for multilateral and bilateral sanctions programs.
  • Resolves complex international threat finance and sanctions issues.
  • Engages internal and external stakeholders on sanctions compliance and policy objectives.
  • Represents the Department in congressional consultations on sanctions coordination.
  • Develops U.S. economic policies on threat finance, sanctions, and geopolitical friction.

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

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.)

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 providing oversight of U.S. economic sanctions program development and coordinating interagency counter-threat financing measures.
  • Experience defining policy issues, resolving complex international sanctions matters, and recommending policy adjustments.
  • Experience coordinating sanctions policy, engaging stakeholders on compliance, and representing Department to Congress.

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.

In addition, applicant's experience must also demonstrate that the candidate possesses the following qualities:

  • Ability to assign, review, and supervise the work of others;
  • Objectivity and fairness in judging people on their ability, and situations on the facts and circumstances;
  • Ability to adjust to change, work pressures, or difficult situations without undue stress;
  • Willingness to consider new ideas or divergent points of view; and
  • Capacity to "see the job through."

Education

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

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 (for example, 6 months equals 50%) and the percentage of graduate study (for example, 9 graduate hours for a GS-07 equals 50% where 18 graduate hours constitute a full time year) must total at least 100%.

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.

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 by an HR specialist to determine if you are qualified for this job. 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 sanctions law & policy
  • Knowledge of threat finance methodologies
  • Ability to align sanctions policy with diplomatic strategies
  • Knowledge of U.S. domestic & foreign policy
  • Knowledge of international economics
  • Skill in engaging stakeholders on compliance and policy

Agency Career and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be rated "Well Qualified" and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job 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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