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Foreign Affairs Officer

Department of State
Department of State - Agency Wide

Summary

This position is located in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Office of Andean Affairs (WHA/AND). The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs is responsible for managing and promoting U .S. interests in the region in. The incumbent serves as the senior Foreign Affairs Officer developing policy analysis on security cooperation, human rights, malign actors, and serves as the main liaison with the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA). 

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/24/2026 to 03/01/2026
Salary
$121,785 to - $158,322 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
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 - Occasional Travel may be required for this position.
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
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
PERT-CTAP-2026-0007
Control number
858617300

Duties

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  • Develops and presents policy options and recommendations to senior officials for use in policy formulation through analytical memos and other policy documents on threats to U.S. national security and sources of instability in the Venezuelan region.
  • Prepares Office of Andean Affairs (AND) leadership to speak on critical subjects before a wide variety of public groups and in meetings with congressional representatives and staff.
  • Liaises with international and multilateral organizations to reinforce U.S. national interests related to Venezuela and provide briefings and policy recommendations on security policy assistance.
  • Writes analytical reports, briefings, and policy documents on Venezuela's political, security, human rights, and counterterrorism issues.
  • Tracks and analyzes a broad range of source material in both intelligence channels and open -source materials to inform policymakers, develop policy alternatives and options, and provide recommendations and analysis.

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 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-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 analyzing political, security, and transnational issues in Latin America or similar regions, including assessing non-state actors, criminal networks, malign foreign influence operations, and rapidly evolving situations.
  • Experience coordinating interagency policy initiatives and programs related to political transitions, economic stability, sanctions, security stabilization, counter-narcotics, transnational crime, migration management, democratic transitions, institutional capacity building, or post-conflict stabilization efforts.
  • Experience serving as liaison between U.S. Government agencies and/or U.S. Embassies overseas to advance foreign policy objectives.

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. 
  • 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 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 Latin American regional politics, economics and society, and U.S. foreign policy toward the region.

• Ability to analyze and evaluate information from a variety of sources. 

• Ability to establish and maintain liaison with officials throughout the foreign affairs community.

• Ability to provide, guidance, and consultation based on results of analyses.

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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