Foreign Affairs Specialist

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Job Title

Job Description

Work Location: Harry S. Truman Building, Washington, DC

Cape Fox is seeking a highly qualified professional to join our team in support of a government customer. This position is contingent upon award.

Core Duties:

• Support the work of the Political Unit
• Consolidate input from the unit into final documentation for submission to the SCA Front Office; provides final substantive review and editing to ensure quality control in line with Bureau formats and standards
• Strategic: Support the Units role in taking a big-picture, strategic view of U.S.-India relations. Help to provide analysis of U.S. and Indian policies and programs. Collect in-depth research into historical, cultural, political, economic, security, and other factors of U.S. policies and programs relating to India. Leverage new and existing research in drafting and presenting recommendations for mid- and long-range U.S. policy towards India
• Bilateral Affairs: Monitor current and prospective administrative challenges in U.S.-India relations, especially those related to human rights, religious freedom, anti-trafficking, and child and forced labor issues. Develop recommendations for ameliorating existing irritants and proactively preventing future disagreements
• Congressional Reports: Lead action specialist on providing inputs and edits to relevant lateral and interagency colleagues on the Country Report on Human Rights Practices, the International Religious Freedom Report, the Trafficking-in-Persons Report, and the International Child Labor and Forced Labor report. Work with Unit Chief and leadership to provide recommendations on negotiations on draft text, as required
• Outreach: Support the Office and Bureau’s public engagement efforts with diverse groups impacting U.S.-Indian relations, including Indian American communities in the United States, Indian diaspora groups worldwide, and the business, NGO, and academic communities. Support and supplement existing outreach efforts by PPD to diaspora groups. Develop recommendations for enhancing the scope and effectiveness of these and other outreach strategies. Organize and support outreach efforts by the Bureau, from those of SCA/IB officers up to and including those of the Assistant Secretary
• Speechwriting: Draft remarks on India issues delivered by the Secretary of State, Deputy Secretary of State, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asia. Manage the Bureau and Department-wide clearance process for speeches as required
• Congressional Affairs: Assist the Unit Chief in managing the Senate confirmation process for new Ambassadors to India upon request. Work with NEA/SCA-EX in organizing the swearing-in ceremony, Department and interagency consultation schedules, and transition to Post for new Ambassadors to India upon request
• Interagency Coordination: Monitor and route routine information and action requests from other Federal agencies, in consultation with the Unit Chief. Provide general and initial responses to such requests. Support SCA/IB officers in more complex requests, including by researching and drafting substantive responses or organizing interagency meetings
• VIP Visit Support: Provide office-wide logistical and process support for high-level visits by Indian government officials, as requested by Desk leadership. Serve as point of contact for and coordinates with S/ES, S/CPR, DS, M, and other relevant offices. Provide liaison among such offices and SCA/FO, NEA-SCA/EX, and SCA/IB
• General Drafting Duties: Draft briefing materials and serves as note-taker as assigned. Make available as necessary background or informational material to which SCA/IB officers, or the SCA/FO may require, ensuring that all conform to style and format guidelines established by the Department's Executive Secretariat
• As requested, or on his/her own initiative, make careful and exhaustive searches for information difficult to obtain, compiles data, and makes preliminary analyses
• Responsible for carrying out special assignments for the Director, Deputy Directors, and Unit Chief, which require a high degree of tact and diplomacy and comprehensive knowledge of their views, as well as of Bureau policies and programs
• Enhance the operations and foreign policy development and implementation of the SCA/IB Office through such executive support functions as: drafting, editing, and production of trip and briefing books; development of PowerPoint and other presentations; and general administrative functions as assigned
• Provide swing or surge support to other desk officers and as needed, but particularly during staffing gaps or periods of increased workloads including VIP visits, crises, conferences, and high-level events in the United States or India
• Serve as note taker and draft memoranda of conversations as required

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Salary Grade

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree or 4 years of similar experience
• Specific expert knowledge of Department of State policies and processes, especially as they pertain to South Asia, specifically India.
• Working knowledge of personal computers and general administrative practices
• Demonstrate extensive experience and ability in working with classified and unclassified computer data bases. Operation and knowledge of Excel, Microsoft windows, and related computer-based programs
• Ability to work under pressure and tight or short deadlines
• Must have an Active Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) Security Clearance

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Category

Other

Location

Washington, DC (DOS - HST Bldg.) - Washington, DC 20520 US (Primary)