Senior Foreign Affairs Specialist (Position based in Moscow, Russia)

Senior Foreign Affairs Specialist

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Office of International Affairs (API-1), Africa, Europe and Middle East Office (AEU-001)

Overview

Open & closing dates

 07/23/2018 to 08/01/2018

Salary

$110,960 to $171,931 per year

The salary listed above includes the 18.81% locality rate for International.

Summary

The incumbent is the agency focal point on U.S. civil aviation policies, practices and procedures in his/her area of responsibility. He/she must coordinate and manage aviation-related activities within their geographical portfolio with other U.S. Government agencies and industry and with foreign civil aviation authorities and international aviation organizations.

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Responsibilities

The incumbent is the agency focal point on U.S. civil aviation policies, practices and procedures in his/her area of responsibility. He/she must coordinate and manage aviation-related activities within their geographical portfolio with other U.S. Government agencies and industry and with foreign civil aviation authorities and international aviation organizations. The incumbent proactively implements the FAA’s international strategy by:

Developing initiatives that advance U.S. standards, policies, and procedures to achieve a more safe, efficient, sustainable, global air transportation system and competitive marketplace;

Formulating strategies to help achieve a common system of air traffic control and air navigation for both civil and military aircraft.

Identifying and executing bilateral arrangements that codify U.S. and foreign commitments to harmonize standards, and/or adopt U.S. practices through targeted technical assistance and cooperative arrangements;

Collaborating with FAA Lines of Business (LOB) to advance the international component of FAA programmatic initiatives as the international standard and to ensure interoperability; and

Working with International Civil Aviation Organization regional bodies and entities, other designated regional bodies, as well as identified critical states and partners, to formulate FAA initiatives of appropriate scope and scale to U.S. interests that efficiently leverage the FAA presence and efficacy in the world.

As a core function, the incumbent supports the FAA’s international mission by:

Building critical communications networks and relationships with foreign governments, air navigation service providers, and aviation industry representatives;

Collecting, analyzing and distributing critical information and intelligence in his/her area of responsibility and using this information to assist FAA decision makers in effectively developing and implementing the FAA international strategic plan.

Contributing to the FAA’s strategic planning by formulating FAA initiatives of appropriate scope and scale to U.S. interests that efficiently leverage the FAA presence and efficacy in the world.

The incumbent also supervises the hiring, workload and expectations of the local foreign service employee in the FAA office. As a senior representative posted overseas, the incumbent is expected to interact daily with the U.S. Embassy and to participate in a number of Embassy functions, including membership in various committees. Other duties may include attending Embassy meetings, participating in briefings for members of the American business community, or fulfilling additional activities as directed by the Embassy leadership.

Travel Required

50% or less - The job may require up to 50% travel.

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

NA

Job family (Series)

0130 Foreign Affairs

Requirements

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

US Citizenship is required.

Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.

Must submit an SF50 (See Required Documents)

Designated or Random Drug Testing required.

This position has a positive education requirement. Transcript(s) required.

This is an international assignment.

Extensive travel is required.

Employee must obtain a Medical Clearance from Department of State to post.

Qualifications

BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To qualify for this position, applicants must demonstrate in their application possession of one of the following (A) DEGREE - Successful completion of a major or equivalent, or a combination of courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in international law, international relations, political sciences, 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 (B) Experience - Four years of appropriate experience in one or more of the fields listed in working in a legislative body and/or representing aviation interests before legislative and regulatory institutions; OR (C) COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE - Successful completion of 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.

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENT, ALL APPLICANTS MUST ALSO DEMONSTRATE POSSESSION OF SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE.

All applicants must demonstrate one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (FG/GS-14) or pay band level (FV-J band) in the Federal government. Which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of that position.

Specialized Experience is defined as:

Managing and coordinating aviation related activities with U.S. Government agencies, foreign civil aviation authorities and international organizations;

Providing advice and guidance to high level officials on U.S. civil aviation policies, practices and procedures; AND/OR

Working collaboratively with international aviation partners(i.e., U.S. aviation industry representatives, embassies, foreign governments, international civil aviation authorities) to promote safety and efficiency in global air transportation systems.

In addition, this experience must have included either (a) responsibility for the direction and coordination of research, analysis, or other professional work in one or more of the following fields: international law and international relations, political science, economics, history, sociology, geography, social or cultural anthropology, law, statistics, or in the humanities; or (b) specialized professional work of a high level of difficulty and responsibility in one or more of these fields. This high level experience must have been in such specialized activities as: (1) formulation of instructions and policy guidance for United States representatives in international organizations; (2) transport and communication involving knowledge of economic, political, and technical aspects of international aviation; (3) cultural affairs involving formulation and operation of policy on large-scale international cultural exchange programs; or (4) other specialized international affairs such as analyzing public opinion and attitudes, evaluating specific conditions or, trends in a foreign country.

QUALIFYING WORK EXPERIENCE: 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. Applicants MUST address each knowledge, skill and ability (KSA) in their application/resume. Information provided in these responses will be heavily relied upon. Failure to do so may result in being disqualified.

You should include relevant examples of the specialized experience in your work history. Errors or omissions may impact your rating or may result in you not being considered.

Answer all questions to the best of your ability. DO NOT ASSUME THAT BECAUSE YOU HOLD, OR HAVE HELD THIS POSITION, YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE FOUND ELIGIBLE. You may be asked to provide evidence or documentation that you have this type of experience later in the selection process. Your responses are subject to verification through job interviews, or any other information obtained during the application process. Any exaggeration of your experience or any attempt to conceal information can result in disqualification.

Demonstrate possession of any of the above criteria AND who do not provide the required documentation will receive no further consideration for this position.*

Applicants may be asked to verify information on your application for employment with the FAA.

**All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this vacancy announcement.**

Education

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcripts(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcement to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. You may upload these documents with your application in USAJOBS or fax it to fax number provided in the announcement (please include announcement number on each page).

Failure to do so will result in loss of consideration.

Schools must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation may be verified at the following website: www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.

Foreign education must be evaluated by a private professional organization specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials or an accredited U.S. educational institution in terms of equivalence to a degree acquired at an American college or university. A copy of the evaluation results must be included, otherwise your foreign education will not be considered.

Preview Job Questionnaire

Make sure your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications and answers to the job questionnaire.

Additional information

We may use this vacancy to fill other similar vacant positions.

Position may be subject to a background investigation.

A one-year probationary period may be required.

The person selected for this position may be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of entry on duty. FAA policy limits certain outside employment and financial investments in aviation-related companies.

This position is covered by the Department of Transportation's Drug and Alcohol Testing Program. Any applicant tentatively selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment or pre-appointment drug screening. Persons occupying a "testing designated position (TDP)" will be subject to random drug and/or alcohol testing.

1) As a part of the Federal-Wide Hiring Reform Initiative (streamlining the hiring process), the FAA is committed to eliminating the use of the Knowledge, Skills and Ability (KSA) narratives from the initial application in the hiring process for all announcements. Therefore, as an applicant for this announcement, you are NOT required to provide a narrative response in the text box listed below each KSA.

In lieu of providing a KSA narrative response, in your work history, please include information that provides specific examples of how you meet the response level or answer you chose for each KSA. Your work history examples should be specific and clearly reflect the highest level of ability. Your KSA answers will be evaluated further to validate whether the level that you selected is appropriate based on the work history and experience you provided. Your answers may be adjusted by a Human Resource Specialist as appropriate.

2) This position is covered by the FAA Core Compensation plan. Additional information about core compensation is available on the following website: http://jobs.faa.gov/FAACoreCompensation.htm.

3) This Level 3 (Critical-Sensitive) position requires favorable adjudication of a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) background investigation prior to appointment, unless a waiver is obtained.

4) This position is covered by the Department of Transportation's Drug and Alcohol Testing Program. Persons occupying a "testing designated position (TDP)" will be subject to random drug and/or alcohol testing.

5) This is an international assignment with an initial tour of duty of 24 months and may be extended. This temporary assignment may be terminated at any time at the discretion of management. Please reference FAA Human Resource Policy Manual (HRPM) EMP 1.16 "Return Rights for International Assignments" for additional information at .https://employees.faa.gov/org/staffoffices/ahr/program_policies/policy_guidance/hr_policies/hrpm/emp_sup/emp-1-16/

6) Some, all or none of the referred candidates may be interviewed. As part of the interview process, candidates will be requested to participated in a 30-minute writing sample exercise in English.

This is not a bargaining unit position.

Links to Important Information: Locality Pay , COLA

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How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IMPORTANT: Applicants may be rated on the extent and quality of experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position(s). All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated. Ensure that your application package/resume supports your responses.

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Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance

Top Secret

Drug test required

Yes

Required Documents

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Required Documents

ALL applicants MUST submit the following:

(1) resume with complete work history; and

(2) a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action).

(3) copy of college transcript(s)

All FAA employees MUST submit a recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, that MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED BELOW. Failure to do so will result in no further consideration for this vacancy.

If you are currently or were previously classified in the 0130 series, you do not need to submit a transcript but you are required to submit the SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, to verify the series.

For guidance on how to create a Federal resume, visit http://www.archives.gov/careers/jobs/forms/resume-guide.pdf.

Failure to submit all required documents by the closing date will result in a finding of ineligible. We are not responsible for incomplete, illegible, or missing documents.

Please DO NOT email your application documents. We cannot accept documents received via the email system. Documents sent via email will NOT receive consideration.

This position has a positive education requirement. You must upload a copy of your college or university transcripts and/or foreign education accredited evaluation by closing date of this vacancy in order to receive consideration on or before the CLOSING DATE of this vacancy announcement.

This position has a positive education requirement; college transcripts are required for ALL candidates newly appointed to the FAA in the 130 series.

College transcripts must be submitted from current FAA employees applying for internal vacancies if they have never held a position in the, 130 series with the FAA.

College transcripts are not required from current FAA employees who are currently occupying a 130 series.

If selected, official transcripts are required prior to employment.

If you are an FAA employee, you MUST provide a copy of your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) containing information in Blocks 15, 17, 18, 19, 22, and 24 so it can be used to verify your position title, series, grade, tenure, and organization of record by the closing date of the announcement. You may fax your SF-50 or upload it into the on-line application. If faxing the SF-50, please ensure you include the vacancy announcement number on the faxed copy.

If you are an FAA employee, you can access and print your SF-50 from the eOPF system https://eopf.opm.gov/dot/.

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.

Benefits

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Benefits

A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How to Apply

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How to Apply

You must apply online to receive consideration. Your application must have a status of "Received" by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the Close Date for it to be accepted. If you are applying for positions associated with FAA registers, your application must have a status of "Received" each time a referral list is created in order to receive consideration for positions associated with register.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE AND/OR EDUCATION, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION.

We strongly encourage applicants to utilize the USAJOBS resume builder in the creation of resumes.

Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information:

Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job)

Duties (be specific in describing your duties)

Employer's name and address

Supervisor name and phone number

Start and end dates including month, day and year (e.g. June 18 2007 to April 05 2008)

Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)

Salary

Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide ALL of this information may result in a finding of ineligible.

You may upload completed documents to your USAJOBS Account. This will provide you the opportunity to utilize the uploaded information again when applying for future vacancies. Please see this guide, Document Upload Guide, for more information on uploading and re-using the documents in your applications.

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Agency contact information

 Courtney Heartwell

Phone

(202) 267-0119

Email

courtney.heartwell@faa.gov

Address

Federal Aviation Administration

HQ Human Resource Services Division, AHF-110

800 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC

US