The US Department of State offers jobs in four main fields: foreign service officers, civil service officers, foreign service specialists, and diplomatic security. Each field has specific career tracks and opportunities, with different areas of focus such as diplomacy, societal transformation, and security. Applicants can choose from a range of fields and specializations based on their skills and interests.
There is a wide range of different jobs in the Department of State at the United States (US) Department of State, although they can be divided into four main fields. They are foreign service officers, civil service officer, foreign service specialist and diplomatic security. Within these four fields, there are also a number of specific career tracks and opportunities that can be chosen by someone interested in a position at the Department of State.
In general, the State Department deals with issues of diplomacy and societal transformation, both outside and within the US. Foreign service officers are involved in State Department positions that are generally outside the US and can choose from one of five different career paths. Once a track is chosen, it usually dictates the direction of the person’s career. These banners are: the consular banner, which is charged with border security and protecting Americans abroad; the Economic Trail, which works to support American businesses around the world; the management track, responsible for managing US embassies in other countries; the political trail, which works to analyze political activity around the world; and the public diplomacy trail, tasked with working to explain and demonstrate positive American values to the rest of the world.
Public service officers choose from State Department jobs that are often tied to building and changing societies from within, sometimes even across the US. These jobs may involve monitoring human rights situations in other areas, helping American couples adopt children from other countries, and other such tasks. Public service officers generally choose from one of seven fields of interest to pursue and specialize in. These seven fields are: business management, engineering, foreign affairs and international policy, human resources, national and international security, office support professionals, and senior executive services. The choice of which field to pursue will further dictate the types of State Department positions a public service official may choose.
Foreign service specialists work at the Department of State to bring specialized skills and abilities to hundreds of different locations around the world. While actual opportunities in this field may vary depending on where a specialist is stationed, there are seven general categories for a specialist to work in. They are programs in administration, construction engineering, information technology, international and English-language information, medicine and health, office administration and security. While there are a number of different State Department jobs available in these categories, specialists generally focus on what their talents or skills best suit them.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, as the name suggests, is primarily focused on ensuring the security of US embassies and diplomatic officials around the world. These security officers typically choose from one of five specializations. They are: special agents, who protect ambassadors in other nations and foreign dignitaries in the US; security engineering officers, who oversee technical security operations overseas; technical security specialists, who maintain technical security systems at US operations sites in other countries; diplomatic couriers, tasked with safely transporting sensitive or classified information outside the US; and public service officials, who work with public service officials to ensure safety. The official Department of State website should be consulted for more information on specific State Department jobs and job opportunities.
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