Foreign Affairs Officer

Full Job Description

This position is located in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, Office of Regional, Global and Functional Affairs (H/RGF).

The Office of Regional, Global, and Functional Affairs (RGF) advances the Secretary's legislative agenda in accordance with the Administration's foreign priorities, and other interests to Congress.

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 coordinating, drafting, and/or presenting Congressional testimony, briefing materials, and formal written and oral communications in support of legislative initiatives, ensuring accuracy, policy consistency, and responsiveness to Member and committee staff inquiries.

Experiencing analyzing pending legislation, amendments, and policy initiatives to provide authoritative guidance to senior leadership on legislative strategy, implementation considerations, and alignment with administration priorities and interagency positions.

Experience working with the interagency (other federal agencies, the National Security Council, and/or White House). Major Duties:

• Serves as key point of contact for Hill inquiries, and organizes efforts to develop position papers, briefing materials, testimony, and other documentation in coordination with Department bureaus and other Executive Branch agencies.
• Maintains close working relationships with Members of Congress, personal staff, and committee staff for purposes of obtaining views, providing assistance, and exchanging information on pending legislative initiatives.
• Briefs Members of Congress and their staff on legislation and on related issues of concern to the Department and the Administration.
• Coordinates and facilitates effective communication between diplomatic professionals of the Department and Members of Congress, their personal staffs and the staffs on Department oversight committees and subcommittees.
• Continuously reviews policies, assesses political viability of options and alternatives, develops innovative approaches relating to the Department's legislative matters.