Summary
The Special Assistant works in the Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT), Front Office (FO). The Coordinator for CT is the principal counterterrorism official within senior management of the Department and reports directly to the Secretary of State. The incumbent reports to the CT leadership (Principal Deputy Coordinator and the Coordinator) and acts as the "Chief of Staff" for the Coordinator and the bureau's Front Office activities and operations. For more details about the bureau, please visit CT.
Duties
Manages Counterterrorism (CT) Front Office operations, liaises with principals, and improves task management to enhance and maintain the quality and timeliness of CT output products.
Manages information flow to CT principals and reviews decision memos for options and analysis.
Briefs CT principals, coordinates policy decisions across interagency, and reviews decision memos for options.
Prioritizes and assigns CT taskings from senior principals with the Executive Branch departments and tracks responses to closure.
Communicates team's work requirements, sets short-term priorities, helps schedule work, monitors and reports on team's work status, and identifies ways to improve quality and output.
Education
Education requirements do not apply to this vacancy announcement.
How you will be evaluated
The evaluation process consists of the ApplyGov Competency Based Assessments and a crediting plan for which applicants will be assigned a score between 70 and 100. A resume review will be conducted for minimum qualification requirements, as described in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, of the top qualified candidates based on combined total score. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further. Responses to questions that are not fully supported by your resume may result in a rating adjustment. You will be assessed on the following job-related competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Non-Supervisory: Oral Communication, Writing, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Technology Orientation, Customer Service, Attention to Detail and Self-Management. Set aside at least 2 hours to take the external assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. There are timed sections that must be completed within the allotted timeframe. Your score from the external assessment (i.e., Non-supervisory) will remain on file for 180 days, allowing you to apply for multiple DOS-announced positions without needing to retake the assessments. Top applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. The assessment is used to measure the degree in which your background matches the competencies and KSAs required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies: Knowledge of counterterrorism issues and challenges. Skill in performing qualitative and quantitative analysis. Ability to interact with a diverse group of individuals at all levels. Ability to apply need-to-know discretion with classified information and senior-level discussions. Ability to serve as a team leader. Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. Qualified non-competitive candidates must be deemed best qualified based on the applicant assessment in order to be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We do not make assumptions regarding your experience. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application may result in your removal from consideration. You may preview questions for this vacancy.