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FOREIGN AFFAIRS SPECIALIST

Department of the Air Force
Non-DOD And Other Support

Summary

Click on "Learn more about this agency" button below to view Eligibilities being considered and other IMPORTANT information.

The primary purpose of this position is: To review, analyze, and make recommendations based on the political-military, Security Cooperation/Security Assistance budget activities, and strategic policy integration within SAF/CDM and Department of the Air Force.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
12/08/2025 to 12/19/2025
Salary
$142,488 to - $185,234 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
FEW vacancies in the following location:
Fairfax, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
9L-AFPC-1284639-038182-DLJ
Control number
851876900

Duties

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  • Coordinates, develops and reviews USAF and USG policy and procedures on DoD-wide efforts to ensure appropriate handling of proposed and ongoing security cooperation, security assistance, as well as international lease agreements in support of the USAF Security Cooperation and Security Cooperation Governance structure.
  • At the agency level, is responsible for analyzing and examining all segments of security cooperation case/line authority.
  • Senior foreign advisor responsible for implementing and allocating segments Foreign Military Sales and Security Cooperation activities.
  • Manages all segments of security cooperation SAF/CDM.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship Required
  • Males must be registered for Selective Service, see www.sss.gov
  • This posn is subject to provisions of the DoD Priority Placement Program
  • Disclosure of Political Appointments
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a TOP SECRET clearance with Special Compartmented Information (SCI) as a condition of employment.
  • Mobility is a condition of appointment. Employee must sign an Air Force-wide mobility agreement.
  • This is a Mission-Essential position performing a Mission-Critical-Function with must continue uninterrupted after the occurrence of an emergency and continued through full resumption of all functions. IAW, DoDI 3020-42, Defense Continuity Programs.
  • Master’s degree in international Affairs, International Relations, or Strategic Studies is highly desired or over 10 years of experience in International Affairs or Security Cooperation.
  • Completion of a Senior Service School, (i.e. Air War College, National War College, RAND Fellows, etc.) is highly desirable.
  • - PCS expenses if authorized will be paid IAW JTR and Air Force Regulations, more information on PCS benefits/requirements may be found at the following link: https://afciviliancareers.com/regulatory/.

Qualifications

Conditions of Employment Cont.

  • This is a Security Cooperation (SC) position due to the nature of the position's duties and responsibilities. Position requires incumbent to attain DoD Security Cooperation Certification in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2017, Title 10 U.S. C., Sect. 384. Incumbent must maintain "good standing" in an appropriate Area of Concentration (AoC) and certification level as determined by supervisor. Employee must meet DoD Security Cooperation Workforce Certification requirements applicable to the duties of the position. Selectee must meet the education and experience requirements for the designated Certification AoC and Certification Level within one year (Basic-level) or two years (Intermediate-level, Advanced-level and Expert-level) from Security Cooperation Workforce Development-Database entry date to become certified in accordance DoD SC Workforce Certification requirements as outlined in the Implementation Guidelines for the DoD SC Workforce Certification Program signed by the Director, DSCA. Incumbent of this position is required to comply with all Department of Defense and Defense Security Cooperation Agency requirements of this certification program. This certification requirement is a condition of employment for this position. Failure to obtain DoD SC certification within the required time may subject the incumbent to adverse action. Incumbent is required to maintain 20 hours of Security Cooperation professional development continuous learning every two-year period to maintain good standing in the DoD Security Cooperation Workforce Certification Program.
  • This position has been designated by the Air Force as a Testing Designated Position (TDP) under the Air Force Civilian Drug Demand Reduction Program. Employee must pass initial and periodic short notice drug testing. Illegal drug use by employees in sensitive positions presents a clear threat to the mission of the Air Force, national security, and public safety.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR 0130 SERIES: A Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) or a degree with a major or equivalent, or a combination of courses totaling 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 12 semester hours in one of the above disciplines and 12 semester hours in statistics/quantitative methods. NOTE: You must submit copies of your transcripts.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: courses equivalent to a major, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours, as shown above. NOTE: You must submit copies of your transcripts.

OR

Experience: four 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. Evaluation of Experience: Qualifying experience may have been 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.

AND

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13(or higher) grade level or equivalent pay systems (may have been obtained in the federal service, military, or public sector). Examples of specialized experience expert knowledge of national security strategy and policy, international relations, foreign affairs, foreign assistance programs, and related fields with specific experience in leading a team involving these functions within a region and with foreign partners is desirable. Ability to identify and analyze political-military and Security Cooperation problems, weigh relevance and accuracy of information, generate and evaluate alternative solutions, and make recommendations to senior executive leaders. Expert knowledge and broad understanding of USAF foreign military sales programs and Security Cooperation challenges. Note: You must submit a copy of official transcripts.


FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-13 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-14 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks. NOTE: Applicants applying as VEOA candidates who are current GS civil service employees or are prior GS civil service employees within the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
  • Comprehensive knowledge of the USAF Security Cooperation and Security Assistance Governance structure and is able to support and execute the full duties of the DAF senior leadership in their role coordinating security cooperation and security assistance policy and program issues across the SC enterprise.
  • Extensive knowledge of US foreign policy, legislation/directives, the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA), and other DoD, Air Force and Space Force directives/regulations governing the sale of military articles and services to foreign governments.
  • Skill and diplomacy in dealing with senior officials in the Federal Government, industry and the international community.
  • Ability to research and analyze information/situations to provide decision support and recommendations in support of senior Air Force officials' decision-making.
  • Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, to develop and coordinate, then justify, defend, present, advocating and advising on security cooperation and security assistance processes, actions, and decisions.
  • Ability to perform work requiring a professional knowledge of the formulation and implementation of foreign policy of the United States in the conduct of the relations, primarily of a political or politico military nature, of the United States with other governments.
PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

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

Education

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

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

IF USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY: If position has a positive degree requirement or education forms the basis for qualifications, you MUST submit transcriptswith the application. Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience, transcripts must be verified prior to appointment. An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education. Click here to check accreditation.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

Additional information

Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible: MSP applicants, if determined best qualified, must be selected, and placed at the highest grade for which they applied. You must include a completed copy of the DD Form 3145-4, Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility for MSP. Click here to obtain/download a copy of the DD Form 3145-4, Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist.

120-Day Register: This announcement may result in a 120-day register that may be used to fill like vacancies for 120 days after the closing date. Applicants may be referred for consideration as vacancies occur.

Priority Placement Program (PPP) Applicant Eligible: PPP Applicants, if determined well qualified and selected, will be placed at the at the full performance level. You must include the applicable completed copy of the PPP Self-Certification Checklist dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility as a PPP Applicant. Click here to obtain/download a copy of the applicable PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD3145-1 through DD3145-4, select the appropriate checklist for your claimed preference). To determine the applicable PPP Self-Certification Checklist required to substantiate the eligibilities you are claiming, refer to the AF Civilian Employment Eligibility Guide located in the Required Documents section of this vacancy announcement.

Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit.

Disabled veteran leave is available to a Federal employee hired on/after 5 Nov 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more. For more information, click here.

If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here.

Tax Law Impact for PCS: On 22-Dec-2017, Public Law 115-97 - the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017" suspended qualified moving expense deductions along with the exclusion for employer reimbursements and payments of moving expenses effective 01-Jan-2018 for tax years 2018 through 2025. When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit GSA Bulletin FTR 20-04 here for additional information.

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 application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The resume/documents you submit must support your responses to the online questionnaire. If your application contradicts or does not support your questionnaire responses, you will receive a rating of "not qualified" or "insufficient information" and you will not receive further consideration for this job.

For additional information on what to include in your resume, click here.

APPRAISALS/AWARDS: Hiring Managers use objective methods and consider previous performance appraisals and awards in the selection process. Current Federal Civilian employees should list any relevant performance related rating and/or awards in your resume.

Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

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