Duties
As a Program Analyst your typical work assignments may include:
- Serves as program and policy analyst and supports regional and/or country office programs. Recommends changes and improvements for efficiency and productivity.
- Expert analyst in the assessments and improvements of program effectiveness or the improvement of complex management processes and systems.
- Serves as technical expert in the resolution of problems and issues related to substantive mission-oriented programs.
- Plans, organizes, and coordinates briefings and information exchange opportunities.
- May serve as division or country office's spokesperson at public meetings, formal and informal briefings, workshops, and conferences.
- Presents findings and recommendations on complex issues or problems impacting major programs affecting the region/country.
- Determines project goals, timelines, technical requirements, and partners with personnel domestically or abroad needed to accomplish goals and objectives.
ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION:
Length of Tour: Employees are limited to a maximum of five years of service in an overseas assignment. The initial tour of duty for this assignment is 3 (three) years. After the initial tour of duty has been completed, extensions may be granted in one-year increments up to the five-year maximum. Employees who wish to remain on an overseas assignment in excess of the five-year maximum must request a tour extension or renewal before the end of their current assignment. Employees who are approved to extend their overseas assignment beyond the five-year maximum will forfeit the right to return to an office of preference. They will be placed in an appropriate position at a DEA domestic office where a vacancy exists.
At the conclusion of an overseas tour, DEA will attempt to return employees to their home location. If such a placement is not possible, employees' office of preference lists will be considered. However, employees are reminded that assignments are determined based on the needs of DEA.
Bogota, Colombia Country Office
Post (Hardship) Differential* 15%
Post (Cost of Living) Allowance* 5%
Danger Pay Allowance: 20%
Home Leave: Allowed after the initial 24 months incident to tour renewal.
Housing Allowances: Housing paid for by U.S. Government, Bogota is a furnished post.
Foreign Language: None
Rest & Recuperation: 2
Relocation Incentive: No
Educational Allowances**Yes, see below*Post (cost of living) allowance, post (hardship) differential, and danger pay allowance (if applicable to the advertised post) are subject to change.
Bangkok, Thailand Country Office
Post (Hardship) Differential* 10%
Post (Cost of Living) Allowance* 15%
Danger Pay Allowance: 10%
Home Leave: Allowed after the initial 24 months incident to tour renewal.
Housing Allowances: Housing paid for by U.S. Government, Bangkok is a furnished post.
Foreign Language: None
Rest & Recuperation: 2
Relocation Incentive: No
Educational Allowances**Yes, see below*Post (cost of living) allowance, post (hardship) differential, and danger pay allowance (if applicable to the advertised post) are subject to change.
Detailed post (cost of living) allowance information can be found
here. Detailed post (hardship) differential information can be found
here. Detailed danger pay allowance information can be found
here and
here.
Overseas Transition Preparation: Please contact DEA Family Liaison Officers Kieran Mandato (
kieran.g.mandato@dea.gov) or N'Dorah Z. Walker (
ndorah.z.walker@dea.gov) for Post Reports that detail living conditions for employees and their families at post. Click
here for a Prospective Post Priorities Worksheet that can help you consider what is important to you and your family in the foreign PCS decision-making process.
Individual and dependents are required to pass a physical examination given by the State Department (details available
here). For more information regarding the foreign PCS process, please see the
PCS Foreign Assignment Relocation Handbook and the
Foreign Orientation Handbook.
Individual and dependents are required to pass a physical examination given by the State Department (details available
here).
Training Requirements: Selectees for this position must successfully complete five mandatory foreign assignment courses on DEALS: Serving Abroad for Families and Employees (SAFE); Personnel Recovery 1 (PR1); Foreign Orientation Program (FOP); Counter Threat Awareness Training (CTAT), and Promoting International Religious Freedom (PIRF). Selectees must also successfully complete Personnel Recovery Emergency Preparedness (PREP), a two week in-person course conducted by the DEA Office of Training in Stafford, Virginia and West Virginia. Selectee's family members 18 years of age and older are also required to take CTAT, and may have additional training requirements if they intend to work at an embassy abroad. More information regarding training requirements can be found
here.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- U.S. Citizenship is required.
- Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation. Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
- Incumbent is subject to random drug testing.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.
- Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
Qualifications
For more information on eligibility requirements see: DEA Employment Eligibility
Applicants must meet the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of the 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 transcripts with your application.
Applicants applying for the GS-12 must meet one of the following requirements:
A. Have at least one full year of specialized experience that is at least equivalent to work performed at the GS-11 grade level. Specialized 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.
Qualifying experience must demonstrate the following: Troubleshooting and resolving administrative issues affecting domestic or foreign organizational entities; Developing formal briefing documents, media, and presentations to communicate findings, and recommendations, or strategies to resolve issues or problems; and, Developing program and project-based information maters that convey information, analyses, and interpretations of comprehensive topics and subject matter.
Applicants applying for the GS-13 must meet one of the following requirements:
A. Have at least one full year of specialized experience that is at least equivalent to work performed at the GS-12 grade level. Specialized 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.
Qualifying experience must demonstrate the following: Planning substantive organizational initiatives that require formulating new procedures, guidance, and informational materials that provide accountability and awareness to organizational personnel; Overseeing program evaluation and assessment sufficient to utilize data and other informational resources to derive facts, insight, and information to measure performance and accountability of programs; and, Managing organizational management and administration sufficient to advise, direct, and coordinate operational requirements, performance assessment, and reporting for organizations.
Additional information on the position qualification requirements are located in the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Qualifications Standards Handbook.
Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement.
**K-12 Education: Education of dependents through high school is provided by, or paid for by, the U.S. Government as allowable and authorized in accordance with appropriate regulations. The Department of State's (DOS) Regional Education Officers from the Office of Overseas Schools determines a school's adequacy level based upon numerous factors. All questions and concerns regarding adequacy clarification should be directed to the Regional Education Officers from the DOS Office of Overseas Schools at 202-261-8200 or OverseasSchools@state.gov.
Do you have a student in your family who benefits from special education services? Please contact DEA Family Liaison Officers, information below, to further discuss your student's needs and the post's ability to adequately serve them. Detailed education allowance regulations can be found here and FAQs can be found here. Note that dependents under the age of 23 enrolled in college are allowed one round trip to overseas locations every 12 months.
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
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire CompetencyBased Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If an applicant is currently, or has been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, applicants must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office listed in this announcement.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Division/Office listed in this announcement. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.
Relocation Incentives maybe considered and approved under conditions specified provided the agency has determined that the position is likely to be difficult to fill in the absence of an incentive and funding for such an incentive is available.
If eligible, telework and/or remote work 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.
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.
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.
You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):
- Accountability
- Attention to Detail
- Customer Service
- Decision Making
- Flexibility
- Influencing/Negotiating
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Learning
- Reading Comprehension
- Reasoning
- Self-Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.
To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12927735
The assessment questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions which provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question in 200-words or less. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and have not used a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. Applicants will only be considered for the Eligibilities for which they claim in the job questionnaire AND must provide the supporting documentation. Applicants will not be considered for Eligibilities for which they did not claim, regardless of the documentation submitted with the application.
All qualified Non-Competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.
Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) candidates must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for selection priority. Candidates are considered well qualified if their knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) exceed the minimum qualifications described in the announcement.