Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Office of Analysis for Africa (INR/AF). INR/AF develops and executes the program of review and analysis of classified, unclassified, and open-source materials concerning all countries in sub-Saharan Africa, U.S. international relationships and interests in that region. The incumbent serves as the Senior Intelligence Officer (SIO) for the African Union, Sudan, South Sudan and contiguous regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Leads and helps develop INR's efforts to provide all source analysis on Sudan & South Sudan, the Africa Union and East-Central African countries and their impact on U.S. foreign policy and national security interests in that region.
• Serves as the Department's expert intelligence spokesperson at meetings and briefings of Congressional committees and task forces on issues related to Sudan, South Sudan, African Union, and the countries of East-Central Africa.
• Serves as the Bureau's senior Intelligence Community (IC) coordinator on intelligence analysis and research on issues related to Sudan, South Sudan and the African Union, and East-Central African issues.
• Serves as a formal mentor by guiding and developing the professional tradecraft capabilities of other analysts, especially as it relates to the analysis of Sudan, South Sudan, the African Union, and East-Central Africa issues.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Some travel may be required; 2-3% of the time.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
15

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• One year probationary period, unless excepted by regulation.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• Obtain/maintain eligibility to access Sensitive Compartmented Information
• U.S. Citizenship is required.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements, including education, and any selective placement factors 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 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to 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 drafting and coordinating joint intelligence communication (IC) analysis and briefings on issues related to East-Central Africa, Sudan, South Sudan and the African Union.
• Experience briefing Cabinet-level U.S. officials and other senior executive branch policymakers on issues related to Sudan, South Sudan and the African Union.
• Experience applying and advising on inter-agency policies and procedures regarding intelligence analysis and support, including liaison functions with Intelligence Community colleagues and proper security procedures for handling classified information.

There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-15 position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements, if applicable.

Additional information

For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or ReasonableAccommodations@state.gov .

If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:

• Knowledge of all-source intelligence analysis.
• Knowledge of East and Central African and sub-Saharan politics, economics and society, and U.S. foreign policy toward the regions.
• Ability to analyze and evaluate information derived from a variety of sources.
• Knowledge of the realm of foreign policy / international affairs.
• Ability to establish and maintain liaison with officials throughout the foreign affairs community.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Your resume should include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. For assistance with creating a resume, please click here .

Qualified candidates are assigned a score between 70 and 100. Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) candidates must be rated "Well Qualified" for the position and earn a score of at least 85 (when applicants are rated in a range of 70 to 100) to receive consideration for selection priority. If, after reviewing your resume and self-assessment questionnaire responses and a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, a score will be manually determined that reflects your documented experience. This may result in a lower score, which may also eliminate you from consideration for this position.

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any required supporting documentation by the closing date of this job opportunity. Your application package must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. Qualified non-competitive candidates must be deemed best qualified based on the applicant assessment in order to be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.

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Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system "Gateway to State" by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume - your resume or any other written format you choose should contain the required information as specified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section. Insufficient information will result in an ineligible rating.

2. A completed online job specific self-assessment questionnaire through the Department's automated system "Gateway to State".

3. Transcripts - if applicable, see the Qualifications section of the announcement. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

4. If you are qualifying based on other criteria listed under the Qualification Section of this announcement, you must submit the required supporting documentation (certificates, certifications, etc.) with your application by the closing date.

5. Current eligible DOS employees (per 3 FAM 2315) including non-competitive applicants must submit a SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) that shows the effective date, position title, series, grade, salary, tenure, position occupied, full promotion potential, AND submit a copy of your most recent completed annual performance appraisal that includes the final rating. If a performance appraisal does not exist, is incomplete or unavailable, a Form DS-1812 (Applicant Appraisal) or equivalent form from another agency signed by the current supervisor is acceptable. Mid-year progress reviews will not be accepted.

6. CTAP eligibles must submit a copy of the appropriate documentation with their application. See link below:

CTAP Considerations

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.