Foreign Affairs Specialist
: Job Details :

Duties Incumbent typical work assignments may include the following:GS-15Serves as a Foreign Affairs Specialist, responsible for analyzing the military balance for insights into key emerging competition areas.Analyzes highly complex foreign policy and defense issues from the standpoint of U.S. goals and objectives to develop appropriate analyses in support of DoD objectives.Identifies the U.S. position within those competition areas and provides strategic guidance based on key findings.Examines changes in the international security environment and the interaction of regional dynamics and military trends and capabilities.Conducts competitive strategy analysis to support leadership decision-making.Identifies the scope and key questions within each area of research, designs the methodologies for analyzing these areas to produce detailed outputs of the nature, underlying driving forces, and balance within areas of analytic inquiry over time.Executes complex analytical projects using multiple sources of information or in the absence of validated data.GS-14Develops products that communicate trend identification and analysis, projection of alternative futures, with particular focus on the impact of these futures on key allies and partners.Provides analysis and assessments that deliver in-depth contextual understanding of critical developments and potential developments in areas of identified or emerging national security importance.Produces reports containing analysis of relevant intelligence data to identify key developments, threats, vulnerabilities or opportunities; comparative assessments; trend projections; and after-action reports from analytical events.Maintains relationships within the intelligence community and other relevant governmental and nongovernmental organizations to obtain the most useful and accurate data from a variety of perspectives and sources.Requirements Conditions of EmploymentU.S. Citizenship is requiredMales born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial periodMust be determined suitable for federal employmentRequired to participate in the direct deposit programThis position is subject to pre-employment and random drug testingThis position may be subject to the DoD Priority Placement ProgramThe incumbent must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance with SCI and SAP components. A Special Background Investigation (SBI) is required with favorable adjudication by a determining authority.This position may require up to 20% occasional travel away from your normal duty station for official business on military or commercial aircraft.The incumbent may be required to work other than normal duty hours, which may include evenings, weekends, and/or holidays and/or overtime. QualificationsFor qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the length of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.Read more about what should I include in my federal resume? at Basic RequirementsDegree: 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.ORCombination 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.ORExperience: 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.Foreign Affairs Series 0130 (opm.gov)You may qualify at the GS-15 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates: Defining national security issues for senior leadership review; Conducting the analytical approaches involved in producing a net assessment, to include methodologies such as war-gaming, trend analysis and alternative futures analysis; Utilizing interpersonal skills sufficient to communicate effectively, interview, convince, influence, advise, and respond to key leadership when soliciting information, presenting and defending conclusions and recommendations, and administering assigned programs; Analyzing highly complex foreign policy and defense issues from the standpoint of U.S. goals and objectives, and to develop appropriate analyses in support of Agency objectivesYou may qualify at the GS-14 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates:Creating, exploring, evaluating, and implementing solutions for understanding and assessing key Allies and Partners as well as a thorough understanding of the U.S. strategic, foreign policy, and national security policy-making architecture and the coordination process;Utilizing professional knowledge of foreign military capabilities, operational concepts, doctrine, strategic outlook, potential future objectives and alternative approaches to achieving those objectives;Understanding and assessing the force design choices of a select allies and partners and to identify the choices with the most military potential or highest utility for the U.S.;Utilizing knowledge and skill of foreign military capabilities, operational concepts, doctrine, strategic outlook, potential future objectives and alternative approaches to achieving those objectives.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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: The VOW Act Chapter 21 of Title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 2108a, requires Federal agencies treat active duty service member as veterans, disabled veterans, and preference eligible, when they submit, at the time they apply for a Federal job, a certification of active service in lieu of a DD-214, assuming the service member is otherwise eligible. A certification letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. The service member's military service dates are necessary in order to determine whether he or she meets the definition of veteran under 5 U.S.C. 2108(1). The certification must reflect the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date of submission. The certification must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters and must indicate when your terminal leave will begin (if applicable), your rank, dates of active duty service, the type of discharge and character of service (i.e. honorable). Further, under paragraph (h) of the rule, agencies are required to verify a qualifying separation from military service prior to appointment, through the DD-214 or other appropriate documentation. Your preference and/or appointment eligibility will be verified prior to appointment. Active duty members that fail to provide a valid certification of service with their initial application will be found not eligible. Military members may be appointed before the effective date of their military retirement/separation if member is on terminal leave.Current or Former Political Appointees: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:Position title;Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);Agency; and,Beginning and ending dates of appointment.All qualifications and education requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in yourresume.Required Documents Section (Cont'd)Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians PPP Eligible: MR and NG technicians PPP applicants must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self-Certification Checklist to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician preference. Click here to obtain a copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self-Certification Checklist.Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians Receiving Disability Retirement PPP Eligible: MR and NG technicians receiving disability retirement PPP applicants must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability PPP Self-Certification Checklist to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability preference. Click here to obtain a copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability PPP Self-Certification Checklist.EducationARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate studyFOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: Additional informationPriority consideration programs continue under their current operating procedures.A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application. Please view the following link for information on how to obtain an alternative application Appointment Authorities: For more information on appointment authority eligibility requirements:Other Special Appointment Authorities Interchange Agreements Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: Employed Annuitants (Reemployed Annuitants): Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. /www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/Nepotism: Under the provisions of 5 USC 3110, an individual may not be appointed into a position if the position is under the supervisory chain of command of a relative.Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.Required Documents Section (Cont'd)Retained Grade PPP Eligible: Retained Grade PPP applicants, must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Retained Grade PPP Self-Certification Checklist to verify your eligibility for Retained Grade preference. Click here to obtain a copy of the Retained Grade PPP Self-Certification Checklist Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefitsEligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.How You Will Be EvaluatedYou will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Once the announcement has closed, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.All qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your responses to the assessment questionnaire and the competencies listed below. The assessment questionnaire link can be found under the 'How To Apply' section.International Engagement Action PlanningInternational Engagement Assessment & AnalysisInternational Engagement ImplementationInternational Engagement Policy DevelopmentOral CommunicationWritingFor Category Rating: Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of the three quality categories: Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Best Qualified. Qualified Category = Does not exceed the basic qualifications requirements described in the Qualifications section of this announcement. HighlyQualified Category = Meets the basic qualifications requirements described in the Qualifications section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the Critical Competencies defined below. Best Qualified Category = Meets the basic qualifications requirements described in the Qualifications section of this announcement and excels in the Critical Competencies defined below. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position.The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the rule of three but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).