The U.S. State Department’s recruitment campaign continues as it prepares to assume control of civil military operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Under its temporary direct-hire system – commonly referred to as 3161 after the U.S. legislation that led to its creation – the State Department is looking to recruit more U.S. citizens for one-year specialized field assignments “to work with people in Afghanistan in the development of governance capacity-building efforts,” JoAnne Arzt, director of the agency’s Afghanistan Support Office, told a crowd of some 500 pre-selected mid- and senior-level professionals at the 2nd Annual Devex International Development Career Fair in Washington in March.
“The president gave the State Department an additional authority, which is a temporary direct civil service authority to hire skilled individuals for the numbers and skill sets that we in the State Department don’t necessarily have,” the former foreign service officer said.
Economists and “political military types” with expertise in public diplomacy and rule of law are in particularly high demand.
Interested applicants should have international and development experience, be sensitive to other cultures, and should be “a little bit expeditionary” since they will be “working side by side with the military and in austere conditions.”
Job openings currently listed on the agency’s career site and USAjobs.org include two senior and junior provincial reconstruction team advisor positions and several English language officer positions.
Applications are online-based, include a series of questions, and require a resume and documentation of veteran status where applicable.
“Answer the questions and don’t talk about your resume, because we have your resume. Make sure that you don’t use the word ‘I’ all the time,” Arzt advised. “We want to know a little bit more about you through the questions.”
Complete applications are reviewed by the Office of Personnel Management, the State Department, and the respective field office, with successful applicants undergoing a three- to seven-month medical and security clearance process.
Prior to temporary deployment to Afghanistan, accepted candidates partake in a month-long training program in Washington, which includes spending a week at Camp Atterberry in Indiana and gaining exposure to living and working on a PRT.
Direct-hire employees enjoy all the benefits of being a civil service employee, with the possibility of renewing appointments on a yearly basis for up to five years.
