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Foreign Affairs Officer

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Washington, D.C
Closing date
Dec 4, 2020
Duties

Summary

This position is in the Office of Specialized and Technical Agencies which manages U.S. Policy in specialized and technical international agencies, organizations and programs in its portfolio. The office has the responsibility for developing U.S. positions on all matters concerning the administration, structure, finance and foreign policy issues arising in those organizations.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the Cyber Policy Advisor for the Bureau.
  • Serve as the Bureau's primary action officer for multilateral cyber and internet issues.
  • Coordinate Department of State and U.S. Government efforts related to telecommunications, cyber and internet issues in the United Nations (U.N.) system.
  • Analyze intelligence and diplomatic reporting that impact U.S. engagement across the U.N.
  • Serve as advanced negotiator in multilateral negotiations with the goal of advancing U.S. interests.
  • Maintain relationships with foreign diplomats to build coalitions and persuade representatives from like-minded governments to accept the U.S. policy.
  • Coordinate U.S. engagement on internet governance, cyber security and information and communication technologies for development issues at the U.N. General Assembly.


Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

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


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.

Basic Requirements

  • Degree: major or equivalent, or a combination of courses totaling 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 12 semester hours in one of the above disciplines and 12 semester hours in statistics/quantitative methods.

    or
  • Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

    or
  • Experience: four 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.


  • Evaluation of Experience

    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.

    For positions at grades GS-12 and above, this experience must have included either (a) responsibility for the direction and coordination of research, analysis, or other professional work in one or more of the fields listed in A above, or (b) specialized professional work of a high level of difficulty and responsibility in one or more of these fields. This high level experience must have been in such specialized activities as (1) formulation of instructions and policy guidance for United States representatives in international organizations; (2) transport and communication involving knowledge of economic, political, and technical aspects of international aviation, shipping, inland transport, or radio, telephone, and telegraph, etc.; (3) cultural affairs involving formulation and operation of policy on large-scale international cultural exchange programs; (4) occupied area affairs involving problems of occupation of conquered or liberated countries, regions, or zones; or (5) other specialized international affairs such as analyzing public opinion and attitudes, evaluating specific conditions, trends, or forces in a foreign country, formulating policy on problems of petroleum resources or fisheries, etc., representing foreign interests, protecting American property or interests, arranging for conferences, or similar activities.

    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 analyzing intelligence reports, developing strategies and coordinating U.S. engagement efforts regarding foreign policy of cyber security, internet and digital technology issues and governance.

    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.

    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 Department goals, objectives, programs and relationships regarding cyber, internet and telecommunication issues.

    -Knowledge of multilateral diplomacy, international and multinational negotiations.

    -Knowledge of emerging technology issues to provide guidance on developing policy.

    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.

    To preview questions please click here .

    Background checks and security clearance

    Security clearance
    Top Secret

    Drug test required
    Yes

    Position sensitivity and risk
    Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk

    Trust determination process
    National security

    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.

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