Staff Assistant

Summary The Staff Assistant position is located in the Office of the Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Legislative Affairs (H). The Bureau coordinates legislative activity for the Department of State and advises the Secretary and other Department principals on legislative strategy. The incumbent serves as a Staff Assistant and participates in controlling the information flow to and from the Office of the Assistant Secretary. Responsibilities Serves as a liaison with other Departmental organizations as well members of the interagency on matters dealing nationally important Congressional waivers, notifications and communications. Coordinates special projects and assignments that cross organizational lines and provides critical background information to senior Bureau management on classified notifications/packages. Monitors and assists in coordinating the daily activities of H principals. As required, attends staff meetings as note-taker, drafts notes and distributes to bureau and interested overseas posts. Safeguards and protects classified material, preventing any unauthorized disclosure. Safeguards and protects Privacy Act Information (PII) from unauthorized release. Safeguards and protects Information Technology (IT) systems. The incumbent of this position performs the same duties and responsibilities at the GS-11 level as the GS-12 level except assignments at the GS-11 are less complex and require more supervision than at the GS-12 grade level. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications 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. 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 applying for the GS-11 grade level must meet one of the following requirements: A. Have at least 1 full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service which provided you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience reviewing and editing documents for proper grammar and format per established policy; Experience monitoring and tracking document flow between multiple offices/parties; and Experience compiling and presenting information for use in policy formulation. OR B. Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M. from an accredited college or university. OR C. Have a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience (as described above), which is equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal Service. This experience and education together meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. Combination of Experience and Education: When an applicant has less than one year of specialized experience as described in the announcement, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education with experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full time year of graduate study). The percentage of specialized work experience and the percentage of graduate study must total at least 100%. Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you may lose consideration for this position. Applicants applying for the GS-12 grade level must meet one of the following requirements: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 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 effectively and efficiently manage information distribution and flow between multiple office/parties; Experience developing internal correspondence guidelines and/or procedures; Experience providing instructions and guidance to staff members on administrative matters. There is no substitute of education for specialized experience for the GS-12 position. Education See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements. When an applicant has less than one year of specialized experience as described in the announcement, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education with experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full time year of graduate study). The percentage of specialized work experience (for example, 6 months equals 50%) and the percentage of graduate study (for example, 9 graduate hours for a GS-07 equals 50% where 18 graduate hours constitute a full time year) must total at least 100%. 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 [email protected]. If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. 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.