Overview
Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/08/2024 to 02/22/2024
Salary
$147,649 - $221,900 per year
Pay scale & grade
ES 00
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Situational, per Agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 25% or less
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Senior Executive
Promotion potential
00
Job family (Series)
0130 Foreign Affairs
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
CSTM-2024-0011
Control number
775467100
Summary
This Office Director position is located in the Office of Foreign Assistance, Office of Policy (F/P) in Washington, DC. The Office of Foreign Assistance was created in 2006 to improve strategic coordination of and oversight over all foreign assistance funding, focusing on efficacy and strategy; and is responsible for the overall strategic direction of foreign assistance programs administered by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
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This job is open to
The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Senior executives
Those who meet the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs).
Clarification from the agency
All groups of qualified individuals. Noncompetitive (Current career SES, QRB certified graduates of SES candidate development programs and individuals with SES reinstatement eligibility) "You are encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application package. Your application may not get full consideration if you do not follow the instructions as outlined."
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Duties
The Office Director for Policy provides the Front Office with rapid and responsive support on front office priorities where policy, strategy, and inter- or intra-agency coordination is required, and where senior-level engagement can facilitate decision-making on “thorny issues” and processes. F/P also provides F and other Department, inter-agency, and external stakeholders data-driven and long-term policy analysis, including cutting-edge research of issues on the horizon that may impact Administration priorities. Specifically, the incumbent:
Establishes and maintains working relationships with other managers within and outside the DOS (e.g., Department principals, senior executives of other Federal agencies, OMB budget examiners, and senior congressional committee staff), including those representing international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGO), and foreign government ministries), whose respective programs and functions affect or are affected by those of F.
Implements policy changes in response to U.S. foreign assistance priorities or levels of appropriations while coordinating with other F offices to ensure effective synchronization of program analyses with budgetary actions. Promotes the development of new or enhanced automated systems to facilitate the study of program operations, leading to assessing program effectiveness or efficiency.
Works closely with other F offices to advance F's strategic priorities. Responsible for monitoring progress in attaining objectives, directing actions to eliminate obstacles, and promoting and defending interests in executive-level deliberations.
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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
U.S. Citizenship is required.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI security clearance.
Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
Requires a financial disclosure statement, OGE-278.
One year probationary period, unless excepted by regulation.
Verification of employment eligibility in the United States is required.
This position is a drug-testing designated position subject to random testing for illegal drug use. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's completion and favorable adjudication of a background security investigation. The Ethics in Government Act, PL 95-521 requires the applicant selected for this position submit a financial disclosure statement, OGE-278, prior to assuming the SES position, annually, and upon termination of employment.
Qualifications
Unless you are currently serving under a career Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the SES, or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program approved by OPM, you must submit a narrative statement covering each of the Executive Core Qualifications (last five questions). All applicants must submit a narrative statement covering each of the Mandatory Technical Qualification questions in order to receive consideration for the position. To view additional information on the proper preparation of Executive Core Qualification statements available on the Office of Personnel Management's website please click here. When responding to the Mandatory Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications, you must clearly show that you possess the experience, knowledge, skills and ability to perform the duties of this position by submitting narrative responses in which you detail your experience in each of the Technical Qualifications and the Executive Core Qualifications. Your examples should be clear and emphasize your level of responsibilities, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments with results of your actions, policy initiatives and level of contacts. You should limit your narrative to two pages per Mandatory Technical Qualification and Executive Core Qualification. Applicants who use "see resume" as a response will not receive consideration for the position.
Your experience and resume should explicitly demonstrate the following:
MTQ 1: Demonstrated experience in formulating foreign policy and providing policy leadership on a range of analytical methods, tools, and measures that are critical to optimizing the impact of U.S. Government foreign assistance resources. This includes improving the strategic effectiveness of foreign assistance programs and their performance.
MTQ 2: Demonstrated experience in leading and managing high performing teams to achieve organizational mission and goals. A strong track record working in positions of authority to shape and influence U.S. government interagency processes and outcomes, ensuring home agency and/or bureau equities are reflected.
If you do not possess the mandatory technical qualifications described above, you may be considered ineligible for these positions.
Additional information
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER - Your Social Security Number is requested under the authority of Executive Order 9397 to uniquely identify your records from those other applicants who may have the same name. As allowed by law or Presidential directive, your Social Security Number is used to seek information about you from employers, schools, banks, and others who may know you. Failure to provide your Social Security Number on your application materials will result in your application no being processed.
SELECTIVE SERVICE - If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify at the time of appointment that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under Selective Service law.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION - This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Office of Employee Relations, Disability/Reasonable Accommodations Division, at (202) 261-8180. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.
TELEWORK - If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. This position is not eligible for remote work.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.
EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION PROGRAM (E-Verify) – U.S. law requires organizations to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States - either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization. This agency utilizes E-Verify to compare information from the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) records to confirm employment eligibility. If the employee’s information does not match DHS and/or SSA records, the employee is given an opportunity to resolve the problem. If eligibility cannot be verified, employment will be terminated.
Benefits
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants will be evaluated by a Qualifications Review Panel of senior officials. The Panel will rate applicants on the basis of the quality and extent of total accomplishments, experience and education. The Panel will determine the degree to which candidates possess the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the mandatory technical requirements of the position and the Mandatory Executive Core Qualification requirements. Among the factors the evaluation panel will consider in determining the applicant's relative capacity and fitness for the position are education, training, experience and demonstrated executive level qualifications. The Panel will rate your application against each of the Mandatory Executive Core Qualifications and Mandatory Technical Qualifications to determine the best qualified candidates. Candidates determined to be best qualified candidates will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration for the position.
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
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Required Documents
All required documents listed below must be submitted to our automated system "Gateway to State" prior to the closing date of this announcement, which is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. See Step 3 under "How to Apply."
Resume
SES Executive Core Qualifications
SES Mandatory Technical Qualifications
SES Non-Competitive Documentation (if applicable)
Performance Appraisal (most recent – if applicable)
SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action (if current federal employee)
PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS BELOW PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE RATED AS “INELIGIBLE” AND WILL NOT RECEIVE FURTHER CONSIDERATION:
A completed informational questionnaire.
Applicants must complete the online questionnaire associated with this job announcement.
A resume of relevant experiences and accomplishments (not to exceed 5 pages). Please ensure your resume is uploaded with pages numbered, preferably in .pdf format. Failure to upload and number pages, including documents
exceeding page limit will be marked “ineligible.”
Your resume serves as a basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience as it relates to this job opportunity. Your resume must demonstrate executive potential such
as experiences, accomplishments, activities, recognition, and awards related to each Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) and breadth and scope of professional accomplishments. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service
programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and/or the
number of hours worked/volunteered per week. For assistance with creating a resume, please click here. Please note that if a cover letter is submitted, it counts towards the 5-page limit.
Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) statements are limited to a maximum of two pages per ECQ(not to exceed 10 pages). Please ensure your ECQs are uploaded with pages numbered, preferably in .pdf format. Failure to upload and number pages, including documents exceeding page limits will be marked “ineligible.”
All applicants must submit written narrative statements describing your accomplishments against each of the ECQs. You must address each ECQ separately and are required to respond to all ECQs. When addressing the ECQs, applicants should include one or two notable examples (within last 10 years) using the Challenge-Context-Action-Result (CCAR) model:

• Challenge: Describe a specific problem or goal.
• Context: Talk about the individuals and groups you worked with, and/or the environment in which you worked, to tackle a particular challenge (e.g., clients, co-workers, members of Congress, shrinking budget, low morale).
• Action: Discuss the specific actions you took to address a challenge.
• Result: Give specific examples of the results of your actions. These accomplishments demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of your leadership skills.

Additional information on the ECQs is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/reference-materials/guidetosesquals_2012.pdf.
Mandatory Technical Qualification (MTQ) statements are limited to a maximum of two pages per MTQ. Please ensure your MTQs are uploaded with pages numbered, preferably in .pdf format. Failure to upload and number pages, including documents exceeding page limits will be marked “ineligible.”
All applicants must submit written narrative statements describing your accomplishments against each of the MTQs. You must address each MTQ separately and are required to respond to all MTQs. When addressing the MTQs, applicants should include one or two
notable examples (within last 10 years) using the Challenge-Context-Action-Result (CCAR) model:
A performance appraisal for the most recent performance rating period. The performance appraisal will be used to validate that the candidate is in good performance standing and has not been recently placed on a performance improvement plan.
SF-50 (or equivalent) Notification of Personnel Action
If you are currently serving under a federal career or career conditional appointment, a career SES appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the career SES, or have successfully completed an SES Candidate Development Program approved by OPM,
you must submit an SF-50 that shows current series and grade level or proof of non-competitive eligibility, i.e., conversion to career SES SF-50 or SES Certificate. If you fail to do so, you will be rated as "ineligible." Do not submit cash or performance
award SF-50.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
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.
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How to Apply
Please carefully read all the instructions before you begin the application process.
To apply for this job opportunity, you must submit a resume and an on-line application through the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) application system, USAJOBS. This information will be transferred to the Department of State's Gateway to State Automated Application System.
You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement to complete the following four-step application process:
STEP 1:Select the "Apply On-line" button and follow the instructions to register or sign into USAJOBS.
STEP 2: Submit a detailed resume or any other written format you choose documenting your job-related qualifications, experience, and education (if applicable). Cover letter is optional. If you submit a cover letter, you must also submit a resume. Please see the “How You Will Be Evaluated” section for specific information that should be outlined in your resume.
STEP 3: Answer the job-specific self-assessment questions (ECQs) on-line through the Gateway to State automated application system. These questions will be used to evaluate your qualifications and experience for this job opportunity.
STEP 4: Submit narrative statements for each MTQ as indicated in the Qualifications section of this announcement. Upload the statements under the SES Mandatory Technical Qualification Narratives cover sheet. These questions will be used to evaluate your qualifications and experience for this job opportunity.
STEP 5: Submit all required documentation, applicable to you, listed in the Required Documents section of this job opportunity to the Department’s automated application system "Gateway to State" prior to the closing date of this announcement. For instructions on how to view the status of your supporting documentation, please click here.
Technical assistance with your on-line application can be obtained by contacting the Help Desk at mgshelp@monster.com OR by calling (866) 656-6830 or (703) 269-4944 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET
ALTERNATE APPLICATION PROCEDURES
NOTE: If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package by fax. Contact the Human Resources office listed on the announcement between the business hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, at least two working days prior to the closing date of this announcement. The application package for alternate application procedures must be submitted and received in the Human Resources office no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement.
NOTE: Paper applications and information sent by mail WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.