Foreign Affairs Officer-Direct Hire Authority_

Summary The position is located in the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA), reporting to the Secretary of State. SPEHA’s mission is to lead diplomatic engagement on U.S. hostage and wrongful detention policy. This serves as public notice for the use of an Agency-specific Direct Hire Authority. Applicants will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration. We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Responsibilities Serves as policy planner for SPEHA in reference to assigned portfolio, examining issues to include strategic goals and objectives and alignment of policy priorities and resources. Tracks Congressional issues related to hostages and wrongful detentions and provides updates and support to affected families. As required, the incumbent participates in U.S. Government delegations. Provides outreach and coordination with major players in the wrongful detention and hostage-related issues, including other federal agencies, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), Congress, and other stakeholders. Acts as principal SPEHA liaison with Consular Affairs (CA), the regional bureau, and with other relevant State Department offices, including senior principals, on wrongful detention and hostage related issues. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all the 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. 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.) 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. IN ADDITION to the basic requirements, this position requires one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 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 and developing policy guidance on sensitive foreign policy issues, crises, incidents, or fast-moving situations, which could include detentions, abductions, and/or kidnapping. • Experience monitoring and resolving issues related to sensitive foreign policy issues, crises, incidents, or fast moving situations, which could include hostage taking, detentions, abductions, and/or kidnapping. • Experience providing both oral and written briefings to senior officials. 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. Education See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements. 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. Additional Information · For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov. · If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Please note that any approved remote work arrangement is subject to the locality pay area of the alternative telework worksite. · Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Bureau/Office listed on this announcement for approximately 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.