Department of the Air Force

FOREIGN AFFAIRS SPECIALIST

Fairfax, Virginia Full time

FOREIGN AFFAIRS SPECIALIST

Department: Department of the Air Force

Location(s): Fairfax, Virginia

Salary Range: $142488 - $185234 Per Year

Job Summary: Click on "Learn more about this agency" button below to view Eligibilities being considered and other IMPORTANT information. The primary purpose of this position is: To review, analyze, and make recommendations based on the political-military, Security Cooperation/Security Assistance budget activities, and strategic policy integration within SAF/CDM and Department of the Air Force.

Major Duties:

  • Coordinates, develops and reviews USAF and USG policy and procedures on DoD-wide efforts to ensure appropriate handling of proposed and ongoing security cooperation, security assistance, as well as international lease agreements in support of the USAF Security Cooperation and Security Cooperation Governance structure. At the agency level, is responsible for analyzing and examining all segments of security cooperation case/line authority. Senior foreign advisor responsible for implementing and allocating segments Foreign Military Sales and Security Cooperation activities. Manages all segments of security cooperation SAF/CDM.

Qualifications: Conditions of Employment Cont. This is a Security Cooperation (SC) position due to the nature of the position's duties and responsibilities. Position requires incumbent to attain DoD Security Cooperation Certification in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2017, Title 10 U.S. C., Sect. 384. Incumbent must maintain "good standing" in an appropriate Area of Concentration (AoC) and certification level as determined by supervisor. Employee must meet DoD Security Cooperation Workforce Certification requirements applicable to the duties of the position. Selectee must meet the education and experience requirements for the designated Certification AoC and Certification Level within one year (Basic-level) or two years (Intermediate-level, Advanced-level and Expert-level) from Security Cooperation Workforce Development-Database entry date to become certified in accordance DoD SC Workforce Certification requirements as outlined in the Implementation Guidelines for the DoD SC Workforce Certification Program signed by the Director, DSCA. Incumbent of this position is required to comply with all Department of Defense and Defense Security Cooperation Agency requirements of this certification program. This certification requirement is a condition of employment for this position. Failure to obtain DoD SC certification within the required time may subject the incumbent to adverse action. Incumbent is required to maintain 20 hours of Security Cooperation professional development continuous learning every two-year period to maintain good standing in the DoD Security Cooperation Workforce Certification Program. This position has been designated by the Air Force as a Testing Designated Position (TDP) under the Air Force Civilian Drug Demand Reduction Program. Employee must pass initial and periodic short notice drug testing. Illegal drug use by employees in sensitive positions presents a clear threat to the mission of the Air Force, national security, and public safety. BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR 0130 SERIES: A Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) or a degree with a 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. NOTE: You must submit copies of your transcripts. 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 above. NOTE: You must submit copies of your transcripts. 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. Evaluation of Experience: Qualifying experience may have been 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. AND In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13(or higher) grade level or equivalent pay systems (may have been obtained in the federal service, military, or public sector). Examples of specialized experience expert knowledge of national security strategy and policy, international relations, foreign affairs, foreign assistance programs, and related fields with specific experience in leading a team involving these functions within a region and with foreign partners is desirable. Ability to identify and analyze political-military and Security Cooperation problems, weigh relevance and accuracy of information, generate and evaluate alternative solutions, and make recommendations to senior executive leaders. Expert knowledge and broad understanding of USAF foreign military sales programs and Security Cooperation challenges. Note: You must submit a copy of official transcripts. FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-13 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-14 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks. NOTE: Applicants applying as VEOA candidates who are current GS civil service employees or are prior GS civil service employees within the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Comprehensive knowledge of the USAF Security Cooperation and Security Assistance Governance structure and is able to support and execute the full duties of the DAF senior leadership in their role coordinating security cooperation and security assistance policy and program issues across the SC enterprise. Extensive knowledge of US foreign policy, legislation/directives, the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA), and other DoD, Air Force and Space Force directives/regulations governing the sale of military articles and services to foreign governments. Skill and diplomacy in dealing with senior officials in the Federal Government, industry and the international community. Ability to research and analyze information/situations to provide decision support and recommendations in support of senior Air Force officials' decision-making. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, to develop and coordinate, then justify, defend, present, advocating and advising on security cooperation and security assistance processes, actions, and decisions. Ability to perform work requiring a professional knowledge of the formulation and implementation of foreign policy of the United States in the conduct of the relations, primarily of a political or politico military nature, of the United States with other governments. PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

How to Apply: The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 12/19/2025 To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12846392 To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the application questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Application button at the end of the process. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Your Resume. If you submit more than one resume, only the most recent will be reviewed. The "most recent" is considered the resume with the latest timestamp. Resumes may not exceed two pages. The two-page resume ensures the most relevant experience is reviewed and considered, which is a common practice in both the public and private sectors. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information on how to complete or update your resume may be located here. For qualification determination your resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Current Federal Civilian Employees may list any relevant performance related rating (given within the last three years) and/or incentive awards in your resume. Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy. Your name, first and last, MUST be included on your resume. 2. A complete Application Questionnaire 3. Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section). Ensure all submitted documents contain your full name. 4. Help recruiters find you. Make your resume and profile searchable, which means recruiters may contact you about possible jobs. Additional information may be located here. PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. You can access your USAJOBS account to do so by clicking here. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Human Resources WILL NOT modify or change any answers submitted by an applicant.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-19