Foreign Affairs Officer

This position is located in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM), Office of Defense Trade Controls Policy (DTCP), Country and End-User Analysis Division (CEA). PM provides policy direction in the areas of international security, defense trade, defense trade controls, foreign military sales, defense strategy and policy, security assistance, and military operations. 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.) Applicants must have the required experience or education as described below and meet any selective factors, when specified. In addition to, you must have the following below: If you are applying for the GS-11: IN ADDITION to meeting one of the basic entry qualifications requirements listed above, applicants applying for the GS-11 MUST also meet one of the requirements listed below: Have at least 1 year of specialized experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience must be related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience collecting and organizing information related to foreign policy, national security, or regulatory program area to support a written summary or report. Experience reviewing records or files against guidelines and identifying those that require higher-level review. Experience preparing draft correspondence or written material for review. OR Have 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of the position to be filled. OR Have a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience which is equivalent to the work of the position and equivalent to the GS0-9 level in the Federal service. This education and experience must meet 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. If you are applying for the GS-12: IN ADDITION to the basic requirements, this position requires one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 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 researching and summarizing information related to foreign policy, national security, or regulatory program area for use by others. Experience applying a set of laws, regulations, or policy guidelines to review cases or records and identify those requiring further action. Experience communicating with internal and external stakeholders to support a program or policy objective. If you are applying for the GS-13: IN ADDITION to the basic requirements, this position requires one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 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 information related to foreign policy, national security, or regulatory program area and preparing written products that inform a decision or recommendation. Experience applying a set of laws, regulations, or policy guidelines to evaluate individual cases, requests, or proposals and determining an appropriate resolution or referral. Experience communicating with internal and external stakeholders to exchange information, coordinate action, or resolve issues. 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. Develop, coordinate, and manage commercial defense trade controls policy related to assigned country, regional, and functional portfolios. Identify, gather, monitor, analyze, and report on developing political, military, national security, economic, legislative, and policy developments and issues which affect the USG policy stance and actions. Draft referrals to Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance of unfavorable Blue Lantern results and other potential civil and criminal violations of U.S. export control laws and regulations. Interpret and assess significance of developments for U.S. foreign policy and national security interests, applying broad and in-depth knowledge of assigned country, regional, and functional portfolios. Advise office management, directorate leadership, and senior PM Bureau officials on regional and functional commercial defense trade control issues, accompanying them on overseas missions as appropriate. At the GS-12 & GS-11 level, the incumbent performs duties as outlined above; however, the scope and complexity of assignments are of less responsibility and independence. The incumbent receives closer than normal supervision than at the GS-13 level. Security clearance required: Top Secret

Education See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements. When an applicant has less than one year of specialized experience as described in the announcement, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education with experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full time year of graduate study). The percentage of specialized work experience (for example, 6 months equals 50%) and the percentage of graduate study (for example, 9 graduate hours for a GS-07 equals 50% where 18 graduate hours constitute a full time year) must total at least 100%. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.