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Foreign Affairs Officer - Direct Hire Authority

AT U.S. Department of State
U.S. Department of State

Foreign Affairs Officer - Direct Hire Authority

Washington, DC

Summary

This position is located in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, Office of African Affairs (CSO/AF) which anticipate, prevent, and respond to conflict that undermines U.S. national interests in the African region. Position reports to the CSO Africa Office Deputy Director and supports the bureau's policy planning, engagements, and programming across Central and Southern Africa.

More information about the bureau can be found here.

Duties

  • Designs and implements conflict and stabilization programs for at risk countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that include horizon scanning, country selection, analysis, planning and M&E of program components.
  • Analyzes conflict and instability factors identified from a variety of data sources that utilize quantitative and qualitative models.
  • Represents Bureau conflict and stabilization policies, program operations, goals, and objectives in interagency meetings and discussions, and participates as a conflict and stabilization specialist for the formulation of policies and initiatives.
  • Coordinates conflict and stabilization policies and programs with Bureau offices, other Department bureaus, National Security Council, USAID, and interagency counterparts in the intelligence community.
  • Works closely with senior conflict and stabilization officials throughout the U.S. government and broader conflict prevention and response community in designing and implementing conflict prevention and stabilization programs, and initiatives.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment
  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/
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-12 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 leading complex teams to advance goals related to political instability, violent extremism, and/or security sector stabilization issues in at-risk countries in sub-Saharan Africa including: Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and/or Zimbabwe.
  • Experience conducting conflict and stabilization research, analysis, program design, and evaluation support on issues related to political instability, violent extremism, and/or security sector stabilization issues in or on the sub-Saharan Africa region including: Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and/or Zimbabwe.
  • Experience developing and implementing conflict prevention engagements for the sub-Saharan Africa region including: Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and/or Zimbabwe.
  • The ability to read, write, and conduct professional meetings in French is highly desirable, but not required.
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 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.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.
  • 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 window Learn more about federal benefits.

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    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.

This position is being filled through the Department of State's direct hire authority for Foreign Affairs positions. Under the provisions of the Direct-Hire Authority, veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply. For this announcement, all applicants will be forwarded to the selecting official for further consideration, and you may be subject to assessments during the selection process (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, structured interview, etc.). If you are selected, we will review your resume and required documents to determine if you meet the qualifications for this position, specifically the education, specialized experience, and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) necessary to perform the work of the position.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following KSAs and other characteristics that are relevant to the duties of this position and must be fully supported by information in your resume:
  • Knowledge of foreign policy related to conflict and stabilization challenges in the sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Ability to conduct assessments that determine the relevancy and/or implications of global political developments that impact foreign policy formulation in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Knowledge of conflict prevention coordination efforts and responses in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Ability to liaise throughout the foreign affairs community.
  • Ability to analyze data derived from a variety of sources.
  • Ability to read, write, and conduct professional meetings in French. (Quality Ranking Factor)
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.

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Client-provided location(s): Washington, DC, USA
Job ID: USDep-HRSC/CSO-2025-0006
Employment Type: Full Time

Perks and Benefits

  • Health and Wellness

    • Health Insurance
    • Dental Insurance
    • Vision Insurance
    • Life Insurance
    • Long-Term Disability
  • Parental Benefits

    • Birth Parent or Maternity Leave
    • Non-Birth Parent or Paternity Leave
  • Vacation and Time Off

    • Paid Vacation
    • Paid Holidays
    • Personal/Sick Days
    • Leave of Absence
  • Financial and Retirement

    • 401(K) With Company Matching
    • Pension
    • Relocation Assistance
  • Professional Development

    • Access to Online Courses
    • Tuition Reimbursement
    • Mentor Program

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