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International Program Specialist

Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary of the Interior
Office of International Affairs (INT)

Summary

You will serve as an International Program Specialist with the Office of the Secretary of Interior.

This position is located within the Department of the Interior (DOI), Office of the Secretary (OS), Assistant Secretary-Insular and International Affairs, International Support Branch, WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

This vacancy announcement is open to Office of International Affairs (INT) employees within DOI/OS only.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$85,447 - $111,087 per year

First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Promotion potential
12
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position. Occasional domestic and international travel may be required.
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
OS-1701-26-MM-088(IMP)
Control number
881485800

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Duties

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DOI PROGRAM Wide - This is a Merit Promotion announcement for career and career conditional Department of Interior employees within the Office of International Affairs (INT), Career Transition eligibles (CTAP), and those who are eligible under the hiring paths listed above. Refer to Required Documents section for more information.

At the full performance level (GS-12) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

International Travel Arranging:

  • Processes complex international travel authorizations, reservations, and vouchers in official systems, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with Federal Travel Regulation and Department policy.
  • Coordinates complete itineraries, validates traveler documentation, tracks approvals, monitors trip status, and prompts timely completion of pre- and post-travel requirements.

Travel Policy & Process:

  • Develops, updates, and maintains travel policy guidance for international operations in alignment with Federal Travel Regulations, Department policies, and interagency requirements.
  • Manages and administers travel systems, troubleshoots issues, validates transactions, and provides technical support and training to users.

Budget and Administration:

  • Conducts analytical studies of organizational elements to improve administrative operations, resource utilization, and management effectiveness.
  • Executes budgetary and financial management actions necessary for office, program, and project functions. Performs fact-finding, summarizes program data, identifies trends, and drafts basic forecasts, reports, and justifications. Supports in-person meetings with foreign delegations by coordinating logistics and assisting visitors.

J-1 Visas:

  • Reviews and evaluates J-1 visa and waiver applications for compliance with federal regulations and Department program standards, resolving routine issues independently.
  • Coordinates with internal and external stakeholders to provide technical assistance on J-1 program processes. Prepares analytical reports summarizing program activity, trends, and compliance findings for management review.

Salary Range Information (Per Annum): $85,447 to $111,087. *First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. citizen or national.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Direct Deposit participation required.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period OR 2-year trial period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.

This probationary or trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 08/27/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications A, B, or C below:

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level:

A. Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors).

Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience (Must meet all):

  1. Managing complex international travel arrangements in an official government travel system (such as ConcurGov/ETS2), including authorizations, reservations, vouchers, and compliance reviews for foreign travel.
  2. Assisting with budgetary or financial management functions for projects, offices, or programs using Federal funding.
  3. Reviewing, interpreting, and applying Federal Travel Regulation, agency travel policies, or international program requirements to ensure adherence, resolve compliance issues, and update internal procedures.
  4. Administering or supporting paperwork process for a federally-regulated program (such as J-1 visas or Passport processing), including reviewing applications, monitoring applicant status, and preparing compliance documentation and reports.
  5. Coordinating logistics for official international engagements, such as foreign delegation visits or interagency meetings, including organizing meeting support, preparing materials, and ensuring alignment with Departmental requirements.

-OR-

B. Education: You may substitute education for experience if you have achieved:

  • Ph.D. OR equivalent doctoral degree, OR
  • 3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, OR
  • LL.M., if related.

You must include transcripts.

-OR-

C. Combination of education and experience as listed above. To combine education and experience, first take equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education as a percentage. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week and transcripts.

Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.

Physical Demands/Work Environment: Work is performed in an office environment, though occasional domestic and international travel may be required.

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of the USA Hire Assessment, if required.

All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

DUE WEIGHT: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, you must submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.

Office of the Secretary of the Interior

The Department of the Interior protects and manages the Nation's natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island Communities. Click here to learn more about the Department of the Interior and its bureaus.

The Office of the Secretary includes the Immediate Office of the Secretary, certain secretarial officers, designated staff immediately serving those officials and offices which serve department-wide functions or perform program functions directly on behalf of the Secretary. Click here to learn more about the Department of Interior Office of the Secretary.

Agency contact information

DOI Staffing Team 2 (OS/SOL)
Email
StaffingTeam2@ios.doi.gov
Address
Office of the Secretary
45600 Woodland Road
Sterling, VA 20166
US

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