Foreign Affairs Officer

About the role

This position is located in the Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, Counter Threat Finance and Sanctions, Office of Sanctions Policy and Implementation (EEB/TFS/SPI).

Assists the Office Director in the coordination of international coalition building, formulation of sanctions policy, development of sanctions targets, and providing foreign policy guidance to the Departments of Treasury and Commerce on over eight thousand license requests a year.

What you will do

• Provides subject matter expert guidance to senior officials on the development, coordination, and management of economic sanction policies for Department officials and interagency contacts for countering activities that threaten U.S. interests.
• Analyzes the economy of potential sanctions on target countries to identify economically critical sectors where targeted sanctions would most effectively exert pressure on the host government.
• Directs sanctions policy implementation across office, directorate, and Bureau by leading interagency meetings, drafting memoranda for senior and seventh floor principals, and preparing and defending authoritative policy positions.
• Develops comprehensive analytical products to inform potential sanctions activity and global diplomatic engagement, particularly as they relate to impact assessments on targets, foreign economies, and the interests of the U.S. and its allies.
• Provides authoritative guidance to Department leadership and other U.S. Government (USG) agencies, foreign partners and allies, and private sector entities on sanctions analysis, including methodologies utilized to consider targets.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

How you will be evaluated

A review of your resume will be conducted and compared against your responses to the crediting plan questions to determine if you are qualified for this job. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, will be assigned a score between 70 and 100.

The evaluation process consists of an online assessment and a subject matter expert resume review of applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates based on the crediting plan assessment. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.

Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies: Ability to analyze and evaluate information from a variety of sources. Ability to provide advice, guidance, and consultations based on results of analysis.

Knowledge of the realm of Foreign policy & international affairs. Ability to establish and maintain liaison with officials throughout the foreign affairs community. Ability to analyze and provide advice on sanctions issues.

Ability to negotiate complex/unique issues in a variety of settings. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We do not make assumptions regarding your experience.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials may result in your removal from consideration. Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.

Qualified non-competitive candidates must be deemed best qualified based on the applicant assessment in order to be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. Resume review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience.

Your resume should demonstrate how you meet all aspects of the specialized experience statement. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., links embedded in your resume will not be opened.).

If meeting basic qualifications through education only or a combination of education and experience, applicants will not be referred to the SME panel but will be reviewed by the HR Specialist for referral.

Agency Career and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be considered well-qualified for the position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority.

To be considered well-qualified, in addition to earning a score of 85 or above and meeting minimum qualifications, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all of the major aspects of the position. You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Documents you must provide

• All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
• Resume limited to two pages showing relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training.
• Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours per week worked/volunteered.
• Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must support your answers to the completed online assessment questions.
• Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.
• Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on education.
• See the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information.
• If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
• Most recent SF-50s (Notification of Personnel Actions), if you are a current eligible DOS employee (per 3 FAM 2313.4(a)(5)), including current employees applying under a non-competitive hiring authority.
• The SF-50s must show: effective date, position title, series, grade, salary, tenure, position occupied, full promotion potential, and name of agency.
• Multiple SF-50s may be needed to show all required information (e.g., promotion, within-grade increase, and separation SF-50s).
• Award SF-50s often do not show the required information.
• Performance appraisal, strongly encouraged for current eligible DOS employees.
• Submit a copy of your most recent (i.e., usually within the last 18 months) final (i.e., not a mid-year review) official (i.e., signed by the rating official and in original format) annual performance appraisal for the hiring manager's consideration.
• If a performance appraisal is not available, you may provide a statement and/or a statement from your supervisor explaining the reason one is not available and your servicing HR Office contact information (name, email address, phone number).
• Note: You may be requested to provide an appraisal to the hiring official if one was not provided with your application.
• To receive a promotion, the employee's most recent performance rating must be “fully successful” or an equivalent level or higher.
• Employees who are tentatively selected to receive a promotion will be required to provide performance documentation within two business days of request.
• Servicing HR Offices may be contacted to verify performance ratings.
• Non-competitive hiring authority eligibility documentation, if applicable.
• If you are a current eligible DOS employee applying under a non-competitive hiring authority (e.g, FS tenured employees, USUN reinstatement eligibles, Schedule A), you must submit proof of non-competitive eligibility with your application.
• For information related to Schedule A hiring authority for individuals with disabilities visit OPM's hiring information site.
• CTAP documentation, if applicable (e.g., reduction-in-force (RIF) separation notice, certification of expected separation, etc.).
• In addition submit a copy of your current (or last) performance rating of record which must be at least fully successful or equivalent and submit all required documents listed above that apply to you (e.g., resume, transcripts, SF-50, etc.).

What to expect next

After all application packages are received, we will review applications and evaluate applicants' qualifications. Then, in approximately two weeks after this announcement closes, we will refer candidates, as described in the “How You Will Be Evaluated” section, to the hiring manager for selection consideration.

Your application status will be updated up to four times during the following hiring phases: After applications are received. After applications are assessed to determine qualifications. After candidates are referred to the hiring manager.

After a selection is made. For the selected candidates who receive a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability review and/or security background investigation that generally takes an average of at least two to six months.

Additional information

For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at ***. If eligible, situational telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.

If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days and may require a higher or lower security clearance. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

Agency & Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP & ICTAP): View OPM's CTAP & ICTAP eligibility website for more information.

You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category and submit supporting documents under the required documents section of this announcement to receive selection priority consideration.

To be considered Well-Qualified applicants must: score an 85 or above, meet Minimum Qualifications, and demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all major aspects of the position.