The Foreign Service Journal, March 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2016 21 SPEAKING OUT More Hemingway, Less Kafka, Please BY MATTHEW KEENE L ast November, the blogger known as “Diplopundit” published a story about the assignment of a well-connected FS-1 as princi- pal officer in a European Bureau post, a Senior Foreign Service position. Since the candidate was below grade for the position, this was a “stretch assignment,” which requires the divi- sion in the Bureau of Human Resources responsible for the career development and assignment of officers who are FS-1 or higher (HR/CDA/SL) to cede the position to the division responsible for mid-level officers (HR/CDA/ML) after canvassing its clients to gauge interest in the position by currently unassigned officers. That no qualified Senior FSO bid on a position as prominent as this one frankly strains credulity. The episode under- scores a serious perception problem when it comes to Foreign Service assign- ments. For all the State Department’s carefully crafted standard operating procedures, as well as the Foreign Affairs Manual and Foreign Affairs Handbook guidance—to say nothing of the atten- tion paid to precedent and the needs of the Service—when push comes to shove, getting the best jobs depends far more Most of the frustration leveled at HR over assignments reflects the fact that so few members of the Foreign Service know who in HR is responsible for doing what. Matthew Keene joined the Foreign Service in 1999 as a consular-coned officer, and is currently in Arabic-language training in preparation for a tour as deputy politi- cal counselor in Baghdad. His previous overseas assignments include Sofia, Dubai, Jerusalem and, most recently, Cairo, where he was deputy consul general. He has also worked in the Office of Career Development and Assignments in the Bureau of Human Resources as a special assistant and an assignments officer, and as deputy director of the Office of Maghreb Affairs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. on who you know than what. Indeed, if you are fortunate enough to breathe the rarefied air in the front office of a highly regarded assistant secretary or another sixth- or seventh-floor deni- zen, there is almost no position to which you cannot aspire. FS Assignments 101 I had two stints in the Bureau of Human Resources in recent years: first as a special assistant in HR/CDA (the front office) and then as an assignments officer in HR/CDA/AD (the Assignments Division). I find that most of the frustra- tion leveled at HR over assignments reflects the fact that so few members of the Foreign Service know who in HR is responsible for doing what. So here is a quick guide to the process. If you’re a mid-level officer, your career development officer (CDO) provides guidance on your career and through the bidding process. Once you’ve secured a handshake on a position, your CDO hands you off to an assignments officer (AO) in HR/CDA/AD. This indi- vidual works with your losing and gaining posts and bureaus to resolve any timing issues, arranges any needed training and brings your assignment to panel. Once you are paneled and your Assignment Notification (TM-1) goes out, your assign- ments technician deals with the logistics: orders, allowances and so on. The biggest takeaway frommy time in HR/CDA (under different Directors General) is this: Despite all the grum- bling I routinely hear about unrespon- sive CDOs and AOs and all the kvetching about the perceived inflexibility of the system and HR’s dogged adherence to regulation—which often makes it seem unreasonable—the vast majority of HR employees at State are hard-working, well-meaning and determined to keep the system transparent, fair and equi- table. They work to meet the needs of the Service, and their individual clients, as fully as possible. Now, you may snicker at my naiveté. But the tenacity with which many CDOs and AOs argue at panel on behalf of their clients and their bureaus was a pleasant