Foreign Affairs Officer

Full Job Description

These Foreign Affairs Officer (FAO) positions are in the Office of the Secretary, Policy Planning Council, (S/P).

One position will serve as Senior FAO with the primary responsibility of conducting policy formulation and analysis, managing public diplomacy on policy issues and interagency policy coordination.

The second position will serve as the Senior FAO responsible for coordinating the Policy Risk and Opportunity Planning (PROP) Group and managing the PROP cycle.

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 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.

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 providing advice and guidance related to foreign assistance, politics, military and national security; Experience developing and presenting information, analysis and policy recommendations on foreign policies for senior management; Experience monitoring and disseminating reports on worldwide political and economic developments; AND Experience collaborating with internal and external working groups to develop US positions and ensure consensus on policy proposals and foreign policy issues.

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. Major Duties:

• Research and develop an analysis of issues being considered for action by the Secretary, Deputy Secretaries, and other Principals covering all areas of US foreign policy and relations with other countries, international and regional institutions.
• Coordinate substantive information and materials with counterparts within and outside of the Department and synthesize this information into policy papers, briefing materials, and talking points for the Secretary and other Principals.
• Prepare and present analyses, provides guidance, solicits information, defends proposals, and negotiates agreements to the Secretary, Deputy Secretaries, Under Secretaries, and the S/P Director.
• Develop and maintain a network of contacts throughout the Department, other executive departments and agencies with foreign affairs concerns, Congressional staffs, non-governmental organizations with similar interests, and academic institutions.