Federal Position Descriptions
Print

Director of Policy Planning

Director of Policy Planning, Department of State
Responsibility
Management Scope

The policy planning staff has less than a dozen individuals, but team members have a range of backgrounds, from career government officials with expertise on foreign policy, arms control, intelligence and military matters, to outside specialists such as think tank experts, university academics, business consultants and economists.

Primary Responsibilities

• Directs an internal think tank for the Department of State that studies regional and functional issues, identifies policy gaps and formulates recommendations to address these gaps, while working with the academic and nongovernmental communities.
• Provides policy alternatives to the secretary of state.
• Works with the department’s functional and regional bureaus and interagency partners to coordinate and integrate U.S. government policy.
• Manages the department’s Dissent Channel to share constructive criticism with the secretary and present differing views on foreign policy questions.
• Helps the secretary articulate policy and, with the assistance of the secretary’s speechwriters, prepares speeches, public remarks, congressional testimony and other published material.

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

• Excellent communication, writing, interpersonal, networking and research skills.
• Keen interest in public policy
• In-depth knowledge of current affairs and global events

Competencies

• Capacity to lead and inspire a team.
• Ability to think strategically.
• Readiness to take on multiple, distinct projects on short notice while also managing various long-term projects.

Past Appointments
  • Salman Ahmed (2021 to Present) – Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Strategic Planning, National Security Council; Chief of Staff, United States Mission to the United Nations
  • Peter Berkowitz (2019 to 2021) – Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Contributor, RealClearPolitics; Dean of Students, The Public Interest Fellowship
  • Kiron Skinner (2018 to 2019) – Taube Professor of International Relations and Politics, Carnegie Mellon University Institute for Politics and Strategy; W. Glenn Campbell Research Fellow, Hoover Institution
AGENCY

Department of State

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

COMPENSATION

Level IV $158,5001

REPORTS TO

Secretary of State

Appointee Tracker

Check out our Political Appointee Tracker

Go to the tracker
Footnote
  1. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260, December 27 ,2020), contains a provision that continues the freeze on the payable pay rates for certain senior political officials through January 1, 2022. The compensation information is based on guidance from the Office of Personnel Management and can be accessed here. If you are selected for this position, please consult the agency’ HR representative for further guidance on compensation.
More federal position descriptions