FOREIGN AFFAIRS SPECIALIST

Summary

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Duties

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The purpose of this position is: To serve as a Country Director in the Regional Affairs Directorate (Foreign Affairs Specialist). Reviews, analyzes, and makes recommendations on the political-military, economic, and security assistance aspect of the United States Air Force relations with and interests across various areas of responsibility

Duties

1. Responsible for recommending and implementing policy guidance for direction, integration, management and supervision of international programs and activities affiliated with the Department of the Air Force concerning country and/or regional responsibility
2. Areas of direct responsibility include implementation of US and USAF policy, military contacts and cooperative activities, country and regional reviews
3. Reviews and establishes policy on current developments in their country portfolio.
4. Representee of USAF at weekly, monthly, and annual interagency and departmental conferences and meetings

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship Required
• Males must be registered for Selective Service, see
• A security clearance may be required
• If authorized, PCS will be paid IAW JTR and AF Regulations. If receiving an authorized PCS, you may be subject to completing/signing a CONUS agreement. More information on PCS requirements, may be found at:
• This position is subject to provisions of the DoD Priority Placement Program
• Disclosure of Political Appointments
• Depending on the type of position (competitive/excepted) you are selected for, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period OR 2-year trial period.
• Upon completion of your probationary/trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance.
• This position is designated by the Air Force as a Testing Designated Position (TDP) under the Air Force Civilian Drug Demand Reduction Program. The employee must pass initial and periodic short notice drug testing. (cont'd)
• Illegal drug use by employees in sensitive positions presents a clear threat to the mission of the Air Force, national security, and public safety.
• Employee must be comfortable in dealing with high-ranking foreign representatives and able to utilize tact and diplomacy on all occasions.
• Majority of work is performed in an office setting; however, the position does require extensive travel (as much as 25% of time), both within CONUS and overseas, often on short notice and for extended (1-2 week) periods of time.
• Work may occasionally require travel away from the normal duty station on military or commercial aircraft/vehicle to conferences, meetings, or functions away from the duty office/location. Travel may include overnight stays.
• Mobility is a condition of employment. The employee must sign an Air Force-wide mobility agreement.
• A bachelor's degree in international politics, International Affairs, or Education is highly desired. Language competency and regional experience highly desired.
• Completion of an Intermediate Service School, (i.e. ACSC, AFLEP, ELDP, AFIT, etc.), within six years accepting position is highly desired.
• his is a Security Cooperation Workforce job; employees will be required to complete Security Cooperation Workforce Development (SCWD) 2.0 certification within two years of accepting this position.
• Employee should be able to sustain periods of high stress without danger to the individual's health. Work is primarily sedentary in nature, and no special physical ability is required to do the work.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Professional and Scientific Positions, Foreign Affairs Series, 0130.

BASIC REQUIREMENT OR INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL 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. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts.

OR

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION : A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. Courses equivalent to a major, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts.

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. Evaluation of Experience: Qualifying experience may have been 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.

AND

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade GS-12, or equivalent in other pay systems. Examples of specialized experience includes comprehensive knowledge in national security, strategic policy, international relations, foreign affairs, and foreign assistance programs; Comprehensive knowledge of the administrative laws, policies, regulations, and precedents applicable to the administration of the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and DoD Security Cooperation enterprises; Comprehensive knowledge of the intricate relationships between various agencies and programs, including the DoS, OSD NSC, DSCA, CCMD, and US Embassies; Expert knowledge of overarching national and defense strategy guidelines-including the National Defense Strategy, National Security Strategy, Security Assistance Manual, and DAF International Engagement Plan-to interpret policies, evaluate program effectiveness, and translate basic legislation and treaties into actionable USAF security cooperation goals.

FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-12 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-13 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks. NOTE: Applicants applying as VEOA candidates who are current GS civil service employees or are prior GS civil service employees within the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Knowledge of foreign affairs and national security policies and objectives; US defense programs and policies doctrine, strategy, and political-military structures internationally.

2. Knowledge of US foreign policy, legislation/directives, the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA), and other DoW and Air Force directives/regulations governing the sale of military articles and services to foreign governments.

3. Ability to research and analyze information/situations to provide sound advice and recommendation in support of senior Air Force officials' decision making.

4. Skill and diplomacy in dealing with senior officials in the Federal Government, industry and the international community.

5. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing to justify, defend, present, advocate, and/or advise on Security Assistance processes, actions, and decisions.

6. Ability to perform work requires a professional knowledge of the formulation and implementation of foreign policy of the United States in the conduct of the relations, primarily of a political or politico economic nature, of the United States with other governments.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

IF USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY: If position has a positive degree requirement or education forms the basis for qualifications, you MUST submit transcriptswith the application. Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience, transcripts must be verified prior to appointment. An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education. Click here to check accreditation.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

Additional information

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP eligible click here. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated well qualified or above for this position. You must submit a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location.

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. Click here for more information.

120-Day Register: This announcement may result in a 120-day register that may be used to fill like vacancies for 120 days after the closing date. Applicants may be referred for consideration as vacancies occur.

Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible: MSP applicants, if determined best qualified, must be selected and placed at the highest grade for which they applied. You must include a completed copy of the DD Form 3145-4, Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility for MSP. Click here to obtain/download a copy of the DD Form 3145-4, Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist.

Priority Placement Program (PPP) Applicant Eligible: PPP Applicants, if determined well qualified and selected, will be placed at the at the full performance level. You must include the applicable completed copy of the PPP Self-Certification Checklist dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility as a PPP Applicant. Click here to obtain/download a copy of the applicable PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD3145-1 through DD3145-4, select the appropriate checklist for your claimed preference). To determine the applicable PPP Self-Certification Checklist required to substantiate the eligibilities you are claiming, refer to the AF Civilian Employment Eligibility Guide located in the Required Documents section of this vacancy announcement.

Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit.

Disabled veteran leave is available to a Federal employee hired on/after 5 Nov 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more. For more information, click here .

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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