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Foreign Affairs Officer

Department of State
Department of State Headquarters

Summary

This position is located in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs , Office of Specialized and Technical Agencies (IO/STA). IO/STA is the primary State Department contact with IO missions in Geneva, Vienna, Montreal, and Nairobi and provides policy leadership and coordinates U.S. participation in more than 40 international organizations.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—Situational telework allowed in accordance with agency policy and procedures.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$169,279 - $197,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Promotion potential
15
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional domestic and/or international travel required.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Top Secret
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
P/IO-MPI-2027-0004
Control number
887873200

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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  • Leads/conducts high-profile interdisciplinary studies of management, governance, oversight, accountability, and administrative practices across the UN, its agencies, and international organizations
  • Produces authoritative analytical policy assessments and recommendations that guide departmental and interagency policy, support senior leadership decision-making, and inform interagency deliberations.
  • Serves as the Department's principal advisor on U.S. foreign policy objectives and priorities related to management, governance, oversight, accountability, and institutional reform matters.
  • Serves as the Bureau's lead coordinator for Department and interagency policy development on international organization management, governance, oversight, and institutional reform issues.
  • Provides authoritative policy and leadership support to IO Missions and their senior officers when they are in Washington .

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.

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-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 analyzing and developing U.S. foreign policy related to the governance, oversight, and accountability of complex international or government organizations. 
  • Experience advancing U.S. interests through governing body processes and engagement with international stakeholders.
  • Experience coordinating with international stakeholders to promote effective, efficient, and accountable management structures and processes. 

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

  • 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 and may require a higher or lower security clearance.  Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. 

  • Agency & Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP & ICTAP): View OPM’s  CTAP & ICTAP eligibility website for more information. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category and submit supporting documents under the required documents section of this announcement to receive selection priority consideration. To be considered Well-Qualified applicants must: score an 85 or above, meet Minimum Qualifications, and demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all major aspects of the position. 

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.

A review of your resume  will be conducted and compared against your responses to the crediting plan questions to determine if you are qualified for this job.  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 evaluation process consists of an online assessment and a subject matter expert  resume review of applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates based on the crediting plan assessment. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.  Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating.  

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies: 

  • Knowledge of U.S. foreign policy objectives and the role of international organizations.
  • Ability to analyze complex policy, operational, financial, and organizational issues.
  • Ability to develop and recommend policy positions and strategies.
  • Ability to serve as a subject matter expert on assigned international and thematic issues.
  • Ability to coordinate and collaborate with U.S. Government and international stakeholders.

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. 

Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.  Qualified non-competitive candidates must be deemed best qualified based on the applicant assessment in order to be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. 

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.).  If meeting basic qualifications through education only or a combination of education and experience, applicants will not be referred to the SME panel but will be reviewed by the HR Specialist for referral. 

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 earning a score of 85 or above and meeting minimum qualifications, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all of the major aspects of the position. 


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Department of State Headquarters

Agency contact information

HRSC Customer Svc Ctr
Phone
000-000-0000
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
HRSC@state.gov
Address
U.S. Department of State
Not accepting applications by Mail
Charleston, South Carolina 29405
United States

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