Summary
This position is part of the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The incumbent serves as the subject matter expert for the DD-MEAF and other senior leaders
in the development and coordination of strategy and policy pertaining to Middle East countries within the Department of War, the Interagency and the National Security Council, LEAP and I2S. Coordinates with commands forward deployed in the Central Command area of responsibility, defense attachés, and regional military representatives.
This job is open to
Federal employees - Competitive service
Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Veterans
Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference
Military spouses
Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.
Individuals with disabilities
Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.
Special authorities
Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed in another hiring path.
Clarification from the agency
Federal employee means current and former permanent competitive service employees and special authorities (Interchange Agreement agency employees) may apply. Veterans eligibilities include 30% Disabled Vet or more, Individuals with Disabilities means Schedule A, and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) candidates are eligible to apply. Eligible EO 12721 and Military Spouse Preference (MSP) eligible under competitive and non-competitive appointment may apply.
Duties
As a Foreign Affairs Specialist (Middle East) at the GS-0130-15 some of your typical work assignments may include:
- Serve as the Principal Foreign Affairs Specialist for DD-MEAF, and the Director J5 (DJ5), Strategy, Plans and Policy.
- Develop products, supports meetings, builds relations, and serves as a connecting entity within the Interagency, Combatant Commands
and other organizations.
- Responsible for developing political military advice and policies for current and future military strategy, planning, guidance,
policy, civil-military affairs, and military and civil positions in projected and ongoing international negotiations, and interagency coordination within these areas of responsibility.
- Represent the JS at Middle East regional discussions and meetings with other USG agencies and participates in Middle East regional working groups, Operational Planning Teams (OPTs), ad hoc committees, and meetings with congressional members and staffs.
- Supports CJCS and other senior leadership travel to the region and visits by senior leaders and identifies and supports U.S. engagement opportunities with ally and partner military and civilian leadership including representing DoW/JS at meetings and other interactions
with allies' and partners' counterparts and leadership.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
- Resume and supporting documents (See How To Apply)
- Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
- May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
- Work Schedule: Full Time
- Overtime: Occasionally
- Tour of Duty: Flexible
- Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized/Authorized
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt/Non-Exempt
- Financial Disclosure: Required/Not Required
- Telework Eligibility: Eligible for situational telework only, including Emergency and OPM prescribed.
- SECURITY- Employee must obtain/maintain a Special Sensitive (Top Secret/SCI) security clearance
- May be required to work other than normal duty hours including evenings, weekends, and holidays, and will be compensated within the scope/guidelines of government civilian employment.
- Occasional travel to national and international areas will occur and may adjust the work environment.
- Drug Testing Position: Yes
Qualifications
You may qualify at the GS-15, if you fulfill the following qualifications:
A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service:
- Identifying issues related to U.S. regional mil-to-mil and governmental relationships in the Middle East in order to prepare leadership for meetings/hearings/testimony, and to represent Department of War (DoW)/Joint Staff (JS) at meetings, negotiations, and other interactions with visiting Middle East government officials, military counterparts and leadership.
- Providing political guidance into U.S. strategic military objectives and policies, U.S. foreign policy and national security policy-making architecture, and coordination processes. Selectee uses this knowledge to resolve major conflicts in policy and strategy objectives.
- Recognizing current Middle Eastern events and their historical background, especially regional conflicts, internal and external political relations of regional states, military organization, doctrine, capabilities, and vulnerability of states.
- Interacting with others from U.S. Government agencies, Congress, Combatant Commands and foreign governments to establish and maintain relationships with key individuals/groups throughout the chain of command.
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.
In addition to meeting qualifications, your application package must reflect the applicable experience to meet the Individual Occupational Requirements for the 0130 series.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.
*NOTE: Failure to provide transcripts will result in you being rated ineligible for this position.
Education
You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims.
All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that 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 study.
Foreign education may be qualifying if a private organization specializing in interpreting foreign education programs has deemed the foreign education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program or a U.S. accredited college or university has given full credit for the foreign courses.
Unofficial transcripts from U.S. Department of Education accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions listing your name, the name of the school, the date and degree awarded, and the list of classes and credits earned are acceptable for the application process. If selected, official transcripts are required before a firm job offer is made. A photocopy of your degree/diploma is not acceptable.
When relying on foreign education, submit transcripts and a copy of the equivalency evaluation results letter with a course-by-course listing. Documents must be in English or include an English translation. The hiring employer for this position does not evaluate degrees from foreign colleges or universities. For further information, visit: Foreign Education
Additional information
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.
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 benefits
Eligibility 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 evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the application process is complete, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational Questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
Competencies:
- Influencing and Negotiating
- Oral and Written Communication
- Planning and Evaluating
- Problem Solving
- Strategic Thinking
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP):This program applies 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 ICTAP eligibility criteria AND 2) be rated well-qualified for the position AND 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. Well-qualified means you possess the type and quality of experience that exceeds the position's minimum qualifications.
Priority Placement Program (PPP) DoD Retained Grade Preference (RGP): To receive this preference, you must choose to apply using the (RGP) eligibility. If you are claiming RGP and are determined to be Well Qualified for the position, you will be referred to the hiring manager as a priority applicant.
Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible (PPP DoD MRNG):In order to receive this preference, you must choose the (PPP DoD MRNG) eligibility, and fill out and submit the
Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self-Certification Checklist and copies of the appropriate documentation.
Priority Placement Program, DoD
Military Spouse Preference (MSP) (PPP MSP): In order to receive this preference, you must choose to apply using the(MSP) (PPP MSP) eligibility. If you are claiming MSP (PPP MSP) and are determined to be Well Qualified (score of 85 or above) for the position, you will be referred to the hiring manager as a priority applicant.
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc.). Your complete application includes your COMPLETE resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
The following documents are REQUIRED
1. Resume:
- IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement. The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position. Must include the work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted by an applicant, only the last resume submitted will be reviewed for qualifications and referred for selection consideration, if eligible. The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. Page margins should be 0.5 inches, and font styles must be legible. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text. We recommend using a font like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans.
- Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
2. Transcripts:
- This position has a degree or education requirement so you are required to submit a copy of your transcript
- College transcript (s), required if qualifying based on education. We accept unofficial transcripts, as long as they contain your name, the name of the school, the date and degree that was awarded, and the list of classes and credits earned.
3.
SF50 (IF APPLICABLE)
- All current and former civilian Federal employees must submit a copy of your MOST RECENT SF50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your tenure, grade and step, salary, and type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive); or similar Notification of Personnel Action documentation, i.e., Transcript of Service, Form 1150, etc. This is also a requirement to verify your Time in Grade (TIG).
4. Veteran's Documents:
- If applying using veteran's preference or under a Veteran's hiring authority you must submit the following documents: DD214 showing character of service, SF-15 Form and VA letter showing final percentage, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty.
PLEASE REVIEW THE BELOW LINK FOR OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS needed for proof of eligibility:
https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DODCustomersRequiredSupportingDocumentation.pdf
If you are claiming Military Spouse Preference, you must submit supporting documents with your application package. These documents must provide acceptable information to verify: you reside within the commuting area of your sponsor's permanent duty station (PDS); proof of marriage to the active duty sponsor, proof of military member's active duty status, and other documentation required by the vacancy announcement to which you are applying; and must meet all pre-employment criteria and be eligible for immediate noncompetitive appointment to a position in the competitive service.
Documentation required: Marriage Certificate or License, Signed Self-Certification Checklist, Veterans' Preference documentation (e.g., DD-214, VA Letter, Statement of Service, if applicable), Transcripts (if applicable).
Additional documentation required if previously held a federal position: SF-50s (e.g., LWOP, highest grade held, overseas appointments, etc.), SF-75 Information, and documentation of performance rating of record (dated within the last 12 months)
Military Spouse PPP Self-certification Checklist
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
- You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application. NOTE: Resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
- You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
- To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://www.usajobs.gov, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To preview the questionnaire, please go to
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12946565.
Review the General Application Information and Definitions at:
https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DoDGenAppInfo%2012-1-2020.pdf?ver=ECNbdsHtGilTd3OENN4A0Q%3d%3dNext steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated. You will receive another notification about the status of your application. A list of qualified applicants will be created and sent to the selecting official. All applicants reviewed and/or referred will receive a notification letter. All applicants must meet qualifications and eligibility criteria by the closing date of the announcement.
This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.