Foreign Affairs Officer - Direct Hire Authority

This position is located in the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA). SPEHA leads U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. Serves as the technical authority and subject matter expert on policy issues related to diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. Researches and analyzes information on hostage-taking and wrongful detention; reviews emerging issues and challenges from a wide variety of sources to formulate and revise foreign affairs policy. Develops policies and provides analysis, advice, and assistance on a wide range of issues related to hostage-taking and wrongful detention. Drafts and coordinates hostage and wrongful detention threat briefings, analyses, and assessments for use within SPEHA and the Department. Represents SPEHA and the Department in consultations, negotiations, and bilateral, multilateral, and council-level meetings and briefings. Applicants must meet all the required 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.) IN ADDITION to the basic requirements, this position requires one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 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 developing and/or implementing national security and foreign affairs policies related to hostage or wrongful detention strategy. Experience participating in negotiations or consultations involving foreign policy. Experience preparing analytical reports, briefing materials, and decision memoranda for use in foreign policy planning and implementation. 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. 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.