INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SPECIALIST Job in Yokota Air Base, Japan

Vacancy No. ST-12743527-25-TG Department Immediate Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
Salary $106,382.00 to $138,296.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 6/19/2025 Close Date 6/26/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Yokota Air Base, Japan


Summary

***ACCESS TO MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE IN JAPAN IS EXTREMELY LIMITED. Please see Additional Information section below.***

You will serve as an INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SPECIALIST in the J03 Secretary, Joint Committee of COMMANDER US FORCES JAPAN.

Duties

  • You will provide expertise and advising on possible effects and potential programs arising from policies, programs, defense plans and activities in Japan and Northeast Asia.
  • You will provide background information on Japan and Northeast Asian polities, institutions, society, culture, history, and foreign relations.
  • You will recommend courses-of-action to maintain and ensure the smooth functioning of the U.S. Japan security relationship.
  • You will develop quality products (policies, plans, programs, papers, analyses, briefings) on security, economic and political topics relating to U.S. Japan bilateral, and multilateral regional relations.
  • You will attend to the provisions of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the U.S. and Japan.
  • You will provide information during bilateral negotiations, guidance on international agreements, and authoritative information and evaluation of problems.
  • You will conduct liaison and negotiations with Japanese officials.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
  • Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
  • New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • Generally, current federal employees applying for GS jobs must serve at least one year at the next lower grade level. This requirement is called time-in-grade. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • This is an overseas position. You will be subject to and must be able to satisfy the overseas requirements of the 26Jul12 DODI 1400.25 V1230: http://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/140025v1230.pdf
  • This position may require travel to places within and outside the contiguous United States which could include remote or isolated sites. You may be required to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.
  • If eligible for permanent change of station, the appointee will be required to sign a transportation agreement to establish a Government time in service requirement of 12 months.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Passport.
  • May be required to obtain a VISA dependent on the overseas country's laws/regulations.
  • You will be required to sign the Statement of Understanding for Overseas Employment acknowledging receipt and understanding of the statement of living and working conditions for this location.
  • Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final top- security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • This position is subject to work an uncommon tour, including nights, weekends, and holidays to meet mission requirements. Overtime or night differential pay and/or unusual duty hours may be required.
  • You will be required to complete training, obtain, and maintain a government credit card for travel and travel-related purchases.
  • Successful completion of a pre-employment drug test (including marijuana) is required. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if you fail to report to the drug test appointment or fail the test. You will be subject to random testing.
  • You will be required to successfully complete a pre-appointment physical examination.
  • This position is considered Key/Emergency-Essential. You will be required to provide immediate and continuing support to ensure the success of combat operations or the availability of combat-essential systems.
  • This is a Mission Essential position. You will be required to ensure organization or facility continuity of operations and/or completion of tasks that are considered essential to the mission designated by a local or command decision.

Qualifications

In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-13 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 1) conducting international relations negotiations with senior-level host nation official; 2) researching, producing, and dissemination analytical international relations reports (e.g. Japan and Northeast Asia region); 3) providing expert advice, policy options, and consultant services; AND 4) knowledge of Japanese culture, political, and linguistic intricacies sufficient to hold informal and official negotiations with government of Japan (GOJ) in both English and Japanese.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series


Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Education

Applicants must meet the following Basic Requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual: Applicants must possess

A bachelor's or high degree with a 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

A combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major that included 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, plus four years of appropriate experience in one or more of the fields in work associated with international organizations, problems, or other aspects of foreign affairs or additional education; or 12 semester hours in one of the above disciplines and 12 semester hours in statistics/quantitative methods, plus addition education or appropriate experience gained through residence, study, teaching, business or commercial activities, military service, newspaper work, military or civil government activities, missionary or inter-national relief work, or other experience in foreign countries. (Experience may also have been gained through teaching college-level courses in international relations or problems associated with a specific foreign geographic area).

OR

Have at least 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.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if qualifying using education. See Required Documents for additional information.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Priority consideration will be given to military spouse preference and family member preference eligible residing in the commute area of the duty location for this position. Commute area is defined as the geographic area surrounding the duty location in which people can reasonably be expected to travel back and forth daily.

Military Spouses and Family Members may apply 30 days before their anticipated arrival date. However, they will not receive preference until arrival at the foreign location. Additional documentation may be required prior to granting preference.

Military spouses and family members who are appointed may not extend longer than 2 months following the transfer of the sponsor from the commuting area of the foreign duty station; 2 months beyond the separation of the appointee's sponsor; or any time beyond the time employee ceases to be a family member.

Military Spouse Preference applicants will be placed at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined Best Qualified (BQ). A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position.

PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation.

ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application: 1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

Additional information

The Secretary of Defense has ordered a department-wide hiring freeze subject to certain limited exceptions. This position is subject to the DoD hiring freeze. Offers of employment related to this vacancy announcement will not be executed until the position has an approved exemption

Employees (and their family members) who require medical or dental care in Japan may experience severe limitations accessing medical care both on the military installation and the local economy and also could incur costly medical expenses.

Must possess and maintain a minimum 2+/2+ Defense Language Proficiency Test (Japanese) or Japanese-Language Proficiency Test N2.

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement and Alternate Placement Programs.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

Pay retention may be granted when certain conditions are met.

Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees.

A relocation incentive is generally a single payment intended to offset some of the relocation costs experienced by the selectee. A relocation incentive may be authorized.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

During the application process you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt-in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180-days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf

Tour of duty will be 36 months.

To learn more about the living and working conditions at this military installation and additional Foreign Overseas information, please go to: https://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Overseas/Pages/default.aspx

Benefits

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.

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

When the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and responses to the Occupational Questionnaire, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies:

  • INTERCULTURAL RELATIONS
  • INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT ACTION PLANNING
  • INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS
  • INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT
  • ORAL COMMUNICATION


You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities or you may be found ineligible/not qualified.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All eligibility, qualifications, and time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Required Documents

You are required to provide documentation that supports the eligibility and qualification claims made in your resume and assessment questionnaire. You must submit the applicable documents listed here and those listed with the eligibilities you select in the announcement questionnaire with your application package. Applicants who do not provide supporting documentation that fully support their claims will not be referred to the hiring manager. Cover letter is optional.

A complete resume is required. Your resume must show relevant experience, job title, duties and accomplishments. Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support minimum qualifications. The following information should be provided in your resume, but it is acceptable to provide elsewhere in your application package: employer's name, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), hours per week, and pay plan, series and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09) for relevant federal experience.TIP: A good way to ensure you include all essential information is to use the Resume Builder in USAJOBS to create your resume.

Are you applying for a promotion? If you are a current GS employee applying for a higher grade than the grade that you currently hold you must provide an SF-50 that shows that you have held the next lower grade for at least one year. Some SF-50s effective within the last 52 weeks will not demonstrate you have held the next lower grade for at least one year (e.g. General Adjustment SF-50 from this year). In many cases, we need to see two (2) SF-50s to determine time-in-grade and eligibility for promotion. If you are a DoD employee, you can obtain a copy of your SF- 50(s) from MyBiz.

Are you claiming membership in any professional organizations, or possession of a license, certificate or credentials? Check the Conditions of Employment section above to see if any are required. If you claim membership, license, certification, or credentials, you must submit a copy of said document in your application package.

Are you using education as a substitute for some or all of the experience requirement? Is there a basic education requirement for this position? Check the Education section above to see what is allowed and what is required. Any claims you make in your resume or assessment questionnaire regarding education or degrees MUST be supported by submitting with your application official or unofficial transcripts or a list of courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned issued from your school. While unofficial transcripts are acceptable for initial application, an official transcript will ultimately be required if you are selected for the position. You may submit a copy your degree(s) if specific coursework does not have to be verified.

Are you a veteran claiming 5-point veterans' preference or claiming sole survivorship preference? You must submit a copy of your latest DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (any copy that shows all dates of service, as well as character of service [Honorable, General, etc.] is acceptable) OR a VA letter that shows dates of service or service connected disability AND character of service. If you have more than one DD-214 for multiple periods of active duty service, submit a copy for each period of service. If you were issued a DD-215 to amend aforementioned information on the DD-214 you must submit that too. If you are not sure of your preference eligibility, visit the Department of Labor's website: Veterans' Preference Advisor

Are you a disabled veteran or claiming 10-point veterans' preference?
If you are eligible to claim 10 point veterans preference you must submit a DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty as described above for 5-point preference.

You must also provide the applicable supporting documentation of your disability (e.g. disability letter from the VA) as described on Standard Form-15 (SF-15). http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf.

Are you an active duty service member? Active Duty Service Members are required to submit a statement of service printed on command letterhead and signed by the command. The statement of service must provide the branch of service, rate/rank, all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service (Honorable, General, etc.).

Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents contain personal information such as SSN and DOB and some documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove said personal information before you submit your application. You must provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected.

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

Click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Complete resume with relevant experience, job title, duties and accomplishments. Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support minimum qualifications. The following information should be provided in your resume, but it is acceptable to provide elsewhere in your application package: employer's name, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), hours per week, and pay plan, series and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09) for relevant federal experience. TIP: A good way to ensure you include all essential information is to use the Resume Builder in USAJOBS to create your resume.
2. Complete assessment questionnaire. For a quick preview of the assessment questionnaire click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12743527
3. Supporting documentation

Failure to submit a complete application package will result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration.

Your complete application (resume, assessment questionnaire, and all supporting documents) must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on . Applications received after will generally result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. If more than one resume is received, only the last resume received and processed will be reviewed.

NOTE: To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account: https://mydon.usajobs.gov/Account/Login select Application Status, and click on the more information link under the application status for this position. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process so please plan appropriately.

You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

Do not email or send hard copy resumes/applications to the Contact Information or Agency Information listed in this vacancy announcement. All resumes/applications received at the addresses listed in the Contact Information or Agency Information will be destroyed and will not be considered for this vacancy announcement.

It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that all information in their resume and documents are legible and accurate. HR will not modify answers/documents submitted by an applicant.

Agency contact information

Department of Navy EIC
Address
COMMANDER US FORCES JAPAN
Yokota
Japan
FPO, AP 96349
US

Next steps

When the application process is complete, your complete application (resume, assessment questionnaire, and all supporting documents) will be reviewed to determine if you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements for which you requested consideration. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and responses to the questionnaire, along with your supporting documentation to determine your level of knowledge, skill, and ability related to the job requirements.

Generally, only best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager. Sometimes well qualified andminimally qualified candidates are referred. Occasionally, candidates eligible for priority consideration are referred, and no other candidates are referred.

The hiring manager may choose to conduct interviews.

You will be notified of our rating and referral decision. If you are referred, you will be notified when a hiring decision is made.

NOTE: If you have any questions or need assistance, please email the DON Employment Information Center at DONEIC@us.navy.mil


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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