Federal Position Descriptions
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Deputy Secretary

Deputy Secretary, Department of State
Responsibility
Management Scope

The Deputy Secretary assists the Secretary in the administration of the Department of State and has traditionally been entrusted with significant management responsibilities. In fiscal 2015, the department had $26,498 million in outlays, and in fiscal 2014 it had 10,068 total employment.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serves as the principal deputy in the Department of State and alter ego to the Secretary, serving as Acting Secretary in the Secretary’s absence
• Serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary and assists in the formulation and conduct of all U.S. foreign policy, playing a senior role in international affairs and diplomatic relations
• Facilitates the execution of the Secretary’s authority and responsibility for the overall direction, coordination and supervision of interdepartmental activities of the U.S. government overseas
• Attends meetings of the National Security Council (NSC) and guides the department’s participation in the NSC system.
• Assists the Secretary in representing the United States at international meetings, serving as a liaison with the Washington diplomatic corps and visiting senior foreign officials
• Assists the Secretary in performing other representational assignments and testifying before congressional committees
• Works closely with senior officials from other national security and foreign affairs departments and agencies, and provides final recommendations to the Secretary on senior personnel appointments

Strategic Goals and Priorities
[Depends on the policy priorities of the administration.]
Requirements

• Strong substantive expertise in international affairs
• Proven ability and experience leading and managing a large and complex enterprise
• Previous experience with federal government enterprise operations
• Understanding of core services, programs and initiatives delivered by the agency’s key departments
• Experience dealing with high-profile stakeholders
• Experience leading through unexpected crisis situations (preferred)

Competencies

• Public relations and speaking abilities
• Strong negotiating skills
• High level of energy for extensive foreign travel and interactions
• Ability to establish positive relationships with coworkers and external stakeholders
• Ability to forge strong congressional relationships (preferred)

Past Appointments
  • Tony Blinken (2015 to 2017) – Deputy National Security; Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Democratic Staff Director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; served in the State Department; senior positions on the National Security Council Staff
  • William J. Burns (2011 to 2014) – Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs; Ambassador to Russia; Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; Ambassador to Jordan
  • Jim Steinberg (2009 to 2011) – Dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin; Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. and the Institution’s Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy Studies; State Department Director of Policy Planning; Deputy National Security Advisor
  • John Negroponte (2007 to 2009) – United States Director of National Intelligence; Ambassador to Iraq; United States Ambassador to the United Nations; Ambassador to the Philippines, Mexico and Honduras; Deputy National Security Director
  • Robert Zoellick (2005 to 2006) – U.S. Trade Representative; head of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Executive Vice President of Fannie Mae; professor of U.S. foreign policy at the Naval Academy; White House Deputy Chief of Staff; Undersecretary of State for Economic and Agriculture Affairs; Counselor of the State Department
AGENCY

Department of State

Mission: The Department of State is the lead institution for the conduct of American diplomacy and the secretary is the president's principal foreign policy advisor.

COMPENSATION

Level II $179,700 (5 U.S.C. § 5313)1

REPORTS TO

Secretary of the Department of State

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Footnote
  1. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-31, May 5, 2017), contains a provision that continues the freeze on the payable pay rates for certain senior political officials at 2013 levels during calendar year 2017.
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