Duties

Please visit the Department's Career Site for more details on the duties and responsibilities of a Consular Fellow .

Special Circumstances

This Consular Fellow LNA appointment is 60 months but may be terminated at any time based on the needs of the Service. A Consular Fellow is assigned to a U.S. embassy or consulate with the expectation that the appointment and potential extensions will permit completion of a standard two-year tour of duty. Upon completion of the first tour of duty, the Consular Fellow may be assigned to a different post. These Fellows are full professional members of embassy and consulate teams. Consular Fellows, however, do not provide expedited, alternate, preferential, or otherwise special access into the Department of State Foreign Service. These appointments do not lead to onward employment with the Department of State or with the U.S. government.   Consular Fellows may apply to become Foreign Service Specialists or Officers, as well as Civil Service employees, but they must meet all applicable qualifications and complete the standard application and assessment processes. Consular Fellows who subsequently enter the Foreign Service as Entry Level Officers are still required to fulfill the consular service requirement. Consular Fellows must also complete 24 months of service as a Consular Fellow before joining the career Foreign Service, if offered such a position.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

The U.S. Department of State is developing a rank-ordered list of eligible hires for Limited Non-Career Appointment (LNA) Consular Fellow positions. To learn more about the Department of State and the Consular Fellows Program visit the Careers website.

Qualifications for Employment:

• Be a U.S. citizen and able to obtain authorization to work in country or countries of assignment.
• Be able to obtain a Top-Secret Security Clearance.
• Be able to obtain a Foreign Service Medical Clearance.
• Be able to obtain a favorable Suitability Review Panel determination.
• Be at least 20 years old at the time of application; at least 21 years old at the time of appointment.
• E-Verify:  Verification of employment eligibility in the United States is required.
• Must speak and read an eligible foreign language at the required proficiency level (current eligible languages are  Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish). 
• Must be certified as compliant with E.O. 14043 on COVID Vaccination.

For more details on language proficiency review information at Language Tests - Careers (state.gov) .

The Consular Fellow LNA appointment is for 60 months but may be terminated at any time, with 30 days' notice by either the Consular Fellow or the Department. A Consular Fellow is assigned overseas to a U.S. embassy or consulate with the expectation that the appointment and potential extensions will permit completion of a standard two-year tour of duty. Upon completion of the first tour of duty, the Consular Fellow may be assigned to a different post for an additional two-year tour.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

General knowledge of the United States, including customs and culture, society, trends, history, economy, government, political system, and constitution.

Skill in written and oral communication, including English grammar and usage, techniques for effective interpersonal communication, techniques for handling interviews, complaints, sources of information, and public speaking ability.

General skills in computers, including computer operations, common office software programs (e.g., Microsoft), e-mail systems, internet. Successful applicants will receive training in specialized Consular software applications.

General subject matter, including psychology and human behavior, interacting with individuals undergoing stress. Basic mathematics.

Required language fluency as outlined above.

Education

There is no minimum Education requirement for this position.

Additional information

Other Information:*The Department of State Suitability Review Panel and standards are defined in Chapter 3 of the Foreign Affairs Manual. For more information please visit:   http://www.state.gov/m/a/dir/regs/fam **Please visit the Department's Career site for more information about Veteran's Preference and how it is applied in the FS Selection Process .

E-Verify: EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION PROGRAM (E-Verify) -  U.S. law requires organizations to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States - either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization.  This agency utilizes E-Verify to compare information from the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) records to confirm employment eligibility.  If the employee's information does not match DHS and/or SSA records, the employee is given an opportunity to resolve the problem.  If eligibility cannot be verified, employment will be terminated.

No applicant will be considered who has previously been separated from the Foreign Service under sections §607, §608, §610 or §611 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, or who resigned or retired in lieu of separation under these provisions. In addition, no applicant will be considered who has previously been separated for failure to receive a career appointment under section §306 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, or who resigned or retired in lieu thereof.

Executive Branch agencies are barred by 5 US Code 3303 as amended from accepting or considering prohibited political recommendations and are required to return any prohibited political recommendations to sender. In addition, as mandated by 5 US Code 3110, relatives of federal employees cannot be granted preference in competing for these employment opportunities.

It is the policy of the Federal Government to treat all employees with dignity and respect and to provide a workplace that is free from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, and pregnancy), national origin, disability, genetic information, age, political affiliation, marital status, or other non-merit factors.

The Department of State provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for any part of the application or hiring process should so advise the Department at the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations (OAA) at OAA@state.gov within one week of receiving an invitation to an oral assessment. Decisions for granting reasonable accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.