Foreign Affairs

The 0130 series, Foreign Affairs, covers civil-service positions whose work is the analysis and coordination of U.S. relations with other countries: following developments in a region or on an issue, advising on policy, coordinating with foreign counterparts and representing the agency in international forums. The State Department is the largest employer, where Foreign Affairs Officers are civil-service staff distinct from the Foreign Service, but the series also appears at the Federal Aviation Administration, whose international work covers aviation agreements and standards, and in Defense organizations such as the Joint Staff and Air Education and Training Command.

Recent listings have included foreign affairs officers and lead and supervisory foreign affairs officers, foreign affairs specialists and a supervisory foreign affairs specialist, a foreign affairs officer hired under direct hire authority, and a deputy assistant secretary position.

Applying tip: these are civil-service jobs, so you apply through USAJOBS rather than the Foreign Service examination, and the announcement’s specialized-experience paragraph is the screen. Most positions require a security clearance, and the announcement states which level. Our federal resume guide explains how to show regional and policy experience in the format reviewers expect.