FOREIGN AFFAIRS SPECIALIST

Basic Requirement: 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. Time in Grade: For entry at the GS-13 level, status applicants must have served 52 weeks as a GS-12 or higher grade in the Federal Service. For entry at the GS-14 level, status applicants must have served 52 weeks as a GS-13 or higher grade in the Federal Service. For entry at the GS-15 level, status applicants must have served 52 weeks as a GS-14 or higher grade in the Federal Service. Specialized Experience: For the GS-13, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable in difficulty and responsibility to GS-12 if outside the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as advising senior agency civilian leadership (e.g. Director, Principal Director, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Under Secretary, Secretary) on political-military matters affecting U.S. national security interests; supporting the development of policy options and recommendations for senior DoD civilian leadership (e.g. Deputy Assistant Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Under Secretary, Secretary) to support the U.S. National Security Council-led interagency decision-making process; supporting the preparation of papers, memoranda, briefings, and/or messaging for senior agency civilian leadership (e.g. Deputy Assistant Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Under Secretary, Secretary); and supporting Congressional engagement by drafting Advance Policy Questions, responses to Questions for the Record, written and oral testimony, and/or Member and staff briefings. For the GS-14, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable in difficulty and responsibility to GS-13 if outside the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as advising senior agency civilian leadership (e.g. Director, Principal Director, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Under Secretary, Secretary) on political-military matters affecting U.S. national security interests; developing policy options and recommendations for senior DoD civilian leadership (e.g. Deputy Assistant Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Under Secretary, Secretary) to support the U.S. National Security Council-led interagency decision-making process; conducting analyses regarding the development, interpretation, and/or implementation of agency, national security, or U.S. foreign policies; preparing papers, memoranda, briefings, and/or messaging for senior agency civilian leadership (e.g. Deputy Assistant Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Under Secretary, Secretary); and supporting Congressional engagement by drafting Advance Policy Questions, responses to Questions for the Record, written and oral testimony, and/or Member and staff briefings. For the GS-15, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable in difficulty and responsibility to GS-14 if outside the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as advising senior agency civilian leadership (e.g. Deputy Assistant Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Under Secretary, Secretary) on political-military matters affecting U.S. national security interests; conducting far-reaching analyses impacting the development, interpretation, and/or implementation of agency, national security, or U.S. foreign policies; preparing papers, memoranda, briefings, and/or messaging for senior agency civilian leadership (e.g. Deputy Assistant Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Under Secretary, Secretary); developing policy options and recommendations for senior agency civilian leadership (e.g. Deputy Assistant Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Under Secretary, Secretary) to support the U.S. National Security Council-led interagency decision-making process; shaping Congressional engagement through the preparation of Advance Policy Questions, responses to Questions for the Record, written and oral testimony, and/or Member and staff briefings; and crafting and successfully negotiating consensus policy positions with other DoD, U.S. Government, and foreign entities to advance DoD’s national security objectives. In addition to meeting the specialized experience requirements, qualified applicants must also possess the quality of experience as it relates to how closely or to what extent an applicant’s background, recency of experience, education, and training are relevant to the duties and responsibilities of the announced position. Candidates must clearly demonstrate the possession of competencies necessary to successfully perform the work of the position at the appropriate level to be qualified for the position. Applicants must describe how their experience meets the competencies within the body of the resume. No separate statements addressing competencies are required. Competencies: International Engagement Action Planning, International Engagement Assessment & Analysis, International Engagement Implementation, International Engagement Policy Development, Oral Communication, and Writing Qualification and time-in-grade requirements must be met at the closing date of this announcement.
This position is located in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (OUSDP). The USDP serves as the principal advisor and assistant to the Secretary of Defense for all matters concerned with the formulation of national security and defense policy with particular emphasis on the integration and oversight of DoD policy and plans to achieve national security objectives. Find out more about OUSDP on our LinkedIn page: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy | LinkedIn.