This is a TEMPORARY, INTERMITTENT position located in the Bureau of African Affairs.  The Senior Advisor provides expert policy analysis and advice to the AF Assistant Secretary on  conflict prevention, mitigation, and threat assessment issues to enhance and advance U.S. policy and national security priorities across the African continent.

Duties

Provides authoritative advice on issues of international security, national security, and congressional interest to include democratic processes and political, economic, and security issues to advance U.S. foreign policy and national security. Advises the Assistant Secretary on policy matters, as well as develop forward-looking policy frameworks to enhance U.S. national security priorities across the African continent. Analyzes, plan, conduct, and evaluate long-term opportunities for AF bilateral and multilateral regional engagement and provides executive level planning, management and directional support as a senior adviser on policy matters. Identifies gaps in policy, new problem areas, and exceedingly complex and emerging situations requiring policy attention. Facilitates engagement with 54 countries in the region, members of U.S. Congress, constituency groups, non-governmental organizations, UN and African Union officials, to sustain, increase, and further U.S. objectives across the continent of Africa.

Requirements

• 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 required qualification requirements, including education, and any selective placement factors 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. NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F. 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-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 articulating U.S. foreign policy.  Experience conducting international relations, public diplomacy, or a related discipline to analyze and evaluate factors and conditions involved in the administration of U.S. foreign policy programs. Experience overseeing U.S.-Africa foreign policy democratic processes, elections, governance issues, conflict dynamics, multilateral affairs, and human rights to make sound policy recommendations. Experience assessing political conditions in response to external factors.

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.

Contacts

• Address U.S. Department of State 1999 Dyess Ave. Charleston Reg. Ctr., E119B Charleston, South Carolina 29405 United States
• Name: Phaytress Y. Kelley
• Phone: 771-204-9462
• Email: [email protected]