Duties

As a Foreign Affairs Specialist, you will: Maintain high level knowledge of relevant international and domestic laws, policies, and regulations and DOE/NNSA and U.S. Government priorities. Inform discussions and negotiations with foreign partners, and authoritatively implement processes and procedures mandated by law, regulations, and/or policy. Develop and maintain relationships with foreign and domestic partners to advance the NNSA missions. Provide advice to senior leaders on consideration affecting U.S. negotiating positions on final outcomes. Manage relationships with foreign and domestic partners, multi-disciplinary laboratory teams, develop program or project strategy, scope, budget, and schedule, track critical milestones, manage quality and risk, maintain project documentation, evaluate work performed, and applies of critical thinking to identify, and resolve issues. Communicate project/program missions, plans, and performance to DOE/NNSA senior management and other stakeholders as applicable. Explain and advocate DOE/NNSA positions to internal, interagency, and foreign counterparts in both written and oral communications. Identify exceptional opportunities for collaborations between DOE and other nation(s). THIS POSITION IS ALSO BEING ANNOUNCED UNDER: 26-NA-MB-XA-00495-DOE-A

Requirements

Subject to Random Drug Testing Must pass a pre-employment drug test. Favorable suitability determination required. Financial Disclosure is required. Must be able to obtain/maintain a Q level Security Clearance. You must be a United States Citizen. This employer participates in the e-Verify program. Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements. This employer requires compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12) governing personal identity, which will require that you provide two forms of identification. A 1-year probationary period may be required. A 1-year service agreement is required for posts with Danger Pay allowance. A 2-year service agreement is required for all other locations. Many overseas locations require additional access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), which entails separate and additional clearance requirements. A State Department medical clearance is required for the incumbent and his/her accompanying dependents. You must be eligible for a diplomatic passport and applicable visa(s). You must possess health insurance appropriate to an overseas assignment. Transfers between the United States and overseas locations are considered a qualifying life event. Please limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, you will be disqualified. Probationary periods are required for new employees appointed to competitive service positions for the first time; or reinstated employees who return to Federal service after a break in service of 30-days or more and who have not completed a probationary period will need to complete the requirement. Trial periods are required for all excepted service employees. Trial periods served in the same position and agency with no break in service will satisfy the requirement.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower NNSA Demonstration Project pay band or GS grade level in the Federal service, i.e., NQ-03 or GS-14. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: applying foreign affairs practices, policies, and procedures; building relationships with foreign governments and counterparts (e.g., governments, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], or commercial entities) and/or with U.S. entities with foreign interests (e.g., U.S. Federal organizations that work on foreign policy, U.S. corporations working with foreign governments, etc.); implementing and developing foreign policy; and leading in negotiations with foreign counterparts. This experience must have included a focus on nuclear security policies, which may include (but not be limited to) international security, nuclear security and nonproliferation, including halting the growing accumulation of fissile materials resulting from civilian or military nuclear programs. Examples of Specialized Experience might include (but certainly not be limited to): 1. Negotiating bilateral or multilateral agreements related to energy security, nuclear security, or scientific and technical cooperation in energy-related fields U.S. communicating. Government expectations with regards to a new or existing 123 Agreement for Peaceful Cooperation. 2. Coordinating policy and technical support from different USG agencies to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or other international organization 3. Providing specialized, regular reporting to the U.S. Government on developments at an international organization and interacting with its leadership, management, and staff - as well as with representatives from other member country missions - to gather information and deliver U.S. positions on various national security-related issues. 4. Coordinating diplomatic efforts with international organization member country missions on security issues; serving as control officer for a cabinet-level official; advising the chief of mission on security-related issues; and responding to Congressional inquiries about national security issues. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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. CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section. If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of "well qualified" which is defined as having a score of 85 or better. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

In addition to meeting the specialized experience listed above, applicants must meet the Basic Requirements for the Foreign Affairs (0130) series which include: Degree: major or equivalent, or a combination of courses totaling 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 12 semester hours in one of the above disciplines and 12 semester hours in statistics/quantitative methods. OR Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. OR Experience -- four 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. EDUCATION: Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants who have completed part or all of their education outside of the U.S. must have their foreign education evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that the foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. A written evaluation of any foreign education must be provided with your application in response to this vacancy announcement or be received by the closing date of this announcement. Failure to provide this evaluation will result in you being found unqualified for the position. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education, see the Department of Education website, and for a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, visit The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.**If you are selected, official transcripts will be required.**FOREIGN EDUCATION: Applicants who have completed part or all of their education outside of the U.S. must have their foreign education evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that the foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. A written evaluation of any foreign education must be provided with your application in response to this vacancy announcement or be received by the closing date of this announcement. Failure to provide this evaluation will result in you being found unqualified for the position. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education, see the Department of Education website, and for a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, visit The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. Please Note: If your foreign education has already been accepted by an accredited U.S. educational institution as part of a degree program with that institution, you do not need to provide an evaluation of foreign education but must submit a copy of the transcripts listing the degree from the U.S. accredited institution that accepted your foreign education. Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Other Information

Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit the links at the bottom of this page or visit the FedsHireVets website. More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement. All positions require successful completion of a background investigation. All males born after December 31,1959 must abide by laws regarding Selective Service registration. To learn more about this law, visit the Selective Service web page, Who Must Register. If you are not registered and don't have an approved exemption, you will not be eligible for employment with the Federal government. A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified applicant in accordance with the Agency policy and applicable regulations. In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration. EEO Policy: Click HERE. Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Click HERE. Veterans Information: Click HERE. Telework: Click HERE. Selective Service Registration: Click HERE. Information about the NNSA Demonstration project can be found by clicking HERE.