Foreign Affairs Officer

Department of State Headquarters•Washington, DC

About The Position

These positions are located in the Bureau of Emerging Threats (ET), Office of Threat Assessment (ET/TA). ET/TA serves as the Department’s early warning system, identifying and assessing near-term national security threats with partners across government, industry, and academia; briefing principals on courses of action; and launching task forces to drive coordinated, whole-of-government responses. The announcement includes two GS-11 positions and one GS-13 position. The Foreign Affairs Officer conducts systematic horizon scanning to identify emerging threats and opportunities at the intersection of technology and national security relevant to U.S. foreign policy. The officer develops structured methodologies and analytical tools for assessing emerging threats, translates assessments that meet the office’s threshold into mitigation strategies and policy interventions, prepares and presents materials for senior leadership approval, and builds relationships with stakeholders across government, industry, academia, and international partners. At GS-11, duties have less scope and complexity and are performed with closer supervision than at GS-13. The position requires U.S. citizenship, random drug testing, and the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance and eligibility to access Sensitive Compartmented Information. Applicants must meet the applicable education and experience qualifications and submit transcripts as specified in the announcement.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
Must obtain and maintain eligibility to access Sensitive Compartmented Information.
Subject to random drug testing.
Meet the basic education or experience requirements: a qualifying bachelor’s or graduate degree; specified coursework totaling at least 24 semester hours (including the stated alternative involving statistics or quantitative methods); a qualifying combination of education and experience; or at least four years of appropriate experience in one or more listed fields associated with international organizations, problems, or other aspects of foreign affairs.
For GS-11, meet the specialized experience requirement or qualify through the stated doctoral degree, graduate education, or combination of graduate education and experience. Qualifying experience includes researching emerging technology developments affecting national security or foreign policy, summarizing data using established analytical tools or criteria to support threat assessments, and drafting report sections or briefing materials on national security or foreign policy topics.
For GS-13, have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level, including conducting horizon scanning or strategic foresight analysis to identify technology-related threats to U.S. national security, applying structured analytic techniques or assessment criteria to evaluate national security threats, and developing policy options to mitigate national security threats.
Meet applicable time-in-grade and time-after-competitive-appointment requirements by the closing date.
Submit required college transcripts by the closing date when qualifying based on education; the announcement states that all applicants must submit transcripts as verification of the education requirement.

Responsibilities

Conduct systematic horizon scanning to identify emerging threats and opportunities at the intersection of technology and national security that are relevant to U.S. foreign policy interests.
Develop and refine structured methodologies, criteria, and analytical tools for assessing emerging threats in alignment with ET/TA strategic objectives and Department foreign policy priorities.
Translate threat assessments that meet ET/TA’s assessment threshold into mitigation strategies and policy interventions.
Prepare and present materials and analysis for approval by senior Department leadership, building support among senior leaders and across the Department.
Establish and maintain strategic relationships with stakeholders across the Department of State, the U.S. Government interagency, the private sector, academia, and international partners.
At the GS-11 level, perform the duties with less scope, complexity, responsibility, and independence, and with closer supervision than at the GS-13 level.