Supervisory Foreign Affairs Officer

Full Job Description

This Foreign Affairs Officer position is in the Office of the Secretary, Policy Planning Council, (S/P).

You will serve as Senior Foreign Affairs Officer responsible for conducting policy formulation and policy analysis, managing public diplomacy on policy issues and interagency policy coordination.

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 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-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 serving in an advisory capacity to individuals at the highest level on complex, sensitive, and controversial foreign policy matters.

Experience applying theories and principals of financial management in developing, reviewing, executing, and/or assessing large budgets.

Experience conducting complex studies of foreign policy programs and defending the results orally and in writing.

Experience developing policy options, conducting complex foreign policy analysis, and formulating strategies using a variety of sources; AND Experience coordinating between US government stakeholders on issues related to sanctions in various regions.

In addition, applicant's experience must also demonstrate that the candidate possesses the following qualities: Ability to assign, review, and supervise the work of others; Objectivity and fairness in judging people on their ability, and situations on the facts and circumstances; Ability to adjust to change, work pressures, or difficult situations without undue stress; Willingness to consider new ideas or divergent points of view; and Capacity to "see the job through." 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:

• Serves as Supervisory Foreign Affairs Officer responsible for developing strategies and overseeing implementation of policies to advance strategic view of global trends and frame recommendations for the Secretary of State to advance U.S. interests.
• Directs the development of position papers and policy proposals and the provision of regional expertise and insights to other S/P offices and other bureaus for the development and execution of policies and programs.
• Analyzes and develops innovative policy proposals, frameworks, and options for adoption take a long-term, strategic view of global trends and frames recommendations that support and further US foreign policy objectives and interests.
• Advises Department leadership and external stakeholders on issues raised through these and other fora relevant to critical policy issues which lead to the development of policy options and recommendations, programs, engagements, and other efforts.
• Maintains contacts with leadership internal and external to the State Department, to create common cause, advancing solutions to critical and emergent foreign policy issues, and driving implementation of contentious solutions to policy issues.