Foreign Affairs Officer

Full Job Description

This position is in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Office of Foreign Assistance (SCA/FA).

This office advances Bureau strategic goals through coordination and management of foreign assistance in the SCA region and oversees policy on specific discrete issues, including counterterrorism, China, critical minerals, and sanctions.

The office's work has high public visibility as well as senior Administration and Congressional attention.

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-13 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 synthesizing U.S.

foreign/international policy information sources and conducting strategic assessments to inform and develop policy recommendations.

Experience implementing and/or managing foreign assistance programs and budgets; including collaborating with interagency partners (i.e.

OMB or other federal agencies) on development, resource allocation, and strategic planning.

Experience providing policy and technical advice to senior leaders and briefing and consulting with policymakers and international partners on the development and implementation of new or modified policies.

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. Major Duties:

• Provides expert policy analysis, development, and coordination of strategies, options, and alternatives to meet current, changing, and developing requirements of assigned policy objectives for SCA countries.
• Develops authoritative policy recommendations, alternatives, and strategies, and works directly with senior policy-making officials in the formulation of U.S. policy.
• Conducts overseas site visits to collect information on potential problems and proposes solutions to foreign assistance program implementation.
• Leads the Bureau's annual foreign assistance budget preparations.
• Participates in briefings to Congressional staff, and coordinates closely on foreign assistance budget.