3 FAH-1 H-2420
FOREIGN SERVICE Career Development and ASSIGNMENTS
(CT:POH-284; 09-04-2024)
(Office of Origin: GTM/CDA)
3 FAH-1 H-2421 subchapter Definitions
(CT:POH-284; 09-04-2024)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
Assignment: A tour of duty of six months or longer to a Foreign Service (FS) position.
Department: The Department of State.
Detail: The temporary loan of an employee's services to an international organization during which time the employee retains status as a Department employee.
Detail assignment: An assignment to a position outside the Department during which the employee retains status as a Department employee.
Directed assignment: An assignment made by the Director General (DG) under authority delegated from the Under Secretary for Management;
Director General (DG): The DG of the Foreign Service and Director of Global Talent (DGTM) or the GTM deputy assistant secretary (DAS) to whom he or she has delegated decision-making authority.
GTM/CDA: The Office of Career Development and Assignments in the Bureau of Global Talent Management.
Standard operating procedure (SOP): Auxiliary and supplementary material that further details procedures and processes that apply to the FS assignment process. Such material does not constitute “policies and regulations” as defined in 3 FAM 1112.1.
Tandem: A married employee who is a career or career candidate member of the Department's FS or Senior FS and whose spouse is a career or career candidate member of FS or Senior FS, or an employee of one of the Foreign Affairs agencies (Department of State, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, U.S. Agency for Global Media, and U.S. Agency for International Development), or any other agency authorized to use the Foreign Service Personnel System under 22 U.S.C. 3922.
Transfer: A secondment to an international organization during which the employee is separated from the Service and is not a Department employee for the duration of the secondment.
3 FAH-1 H-2422 Authority
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. The procedures outlined in this section are based on provisions of law cited in 3 FAM 2421 and the delegations of authority referenced in 3 FAM 2422. The DG has delegated responsibility for the management and administration of the Career Development Program (CDP) and Professional Development Program (PDP) to the directors of the Office of Career Development and Assignments (GTM/CDA) and the Office of Performance Evaluation (GTM/PE) jointly, and for the open assignments system to the Director of GTM/CDA. GTM/CDA’s assignment panels (3 FAH-1 H-2425.3) exercise their functions on behalf of the DG who retains the right to amend or reject the panels’ decisions.
b. The DG may also, at any time, direct the assignment of an employee on the basis of Service need, whether or not the employee has bid on the position.
3 FAH-1 H-2423 Principles
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. The Department’s Professional Development Program (PDP) and Career Development Program (CDP) for the FS derives from statutory authority in 22 U.S.C. 4023, and from regulations that are included in 3 FAM 2420.
b. The assignment of members of the FS is based on provisions of law contained in 3 FAM 2421 and the provisions in 3 FAM 2420.
c. An assignment, for the purposes of this subchapter, will be to any FS position for six months or longer. For assignments to overseas positions, employees must fulfill the following minimum continuous service requirements in order for the assignment to be considered as a completed one for the purposes of this subchapter: 10 months at a post with a one-year standard tour of duty (TOD), 20 months at a post with a two-year standard TOD, and 30 months at post with a three-year standard TOD. For standard TODs of other durations overseas, the minimum continuous service requirement will be at least 83% of the period of assignment.
3 FAH-1 H-2423.1 Worldwide Availability
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. 22 U.S.C. 3901(a)(4) is the legal basis for this section.
b. Members of the Foreign Service may be assigned to any position, on a worldwide basis, in accord with the policy outlined in 3 FAM 2424.
c. The decision of an assignment panel (3 FAH-1 H-2425.3-1), or of the DG on review or appeal (3 FAH-1 H-2425.3-2), is binding. Employees who refuse to accept such a decision are subject to disciplinary action, including separation from the Service per 3 FAM 4300.
3 FAH-1 H-2423.2 Continuous Service in the United States (SOP A-04)
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
Members of the Foreign Service may not serve more than eight consecutive years in domestic assignments unless the Director of GTM/CDA has approved an extension because of special circumstances ("8 Year Rule"). The authority to approve such extensions of the eight-year limit on Continuous Domestic Service (CDS) has been delegated to the Director General by the Under Secretary for Management in Delegation of Authority 372 of April 4, 2014, and further delegated by the Director General to the Director of GTM/CDA in Delegation of Authority 372-1 of April 7, 2014. The following conditions and flexibilities apply:
a. INCOMPLETE TOURS ABROAD: To re-start CDS, employees must complete at least one tour of duty abroad. However, time spent in an incomplete tour abroad will not be added to an employee's CDS. Exceptions to the tour-of-duty completion requirement that are based on Service need may be granted by the Director of the Office of Career Development and Assignments (GTM/CDA) in extraordinary and compelling circumstances, such as those associated with the reduction or suspension of post operations.
b. LEAVE WITHOUT PAY: Periods of GTM-approved LWOP, including LWOP taken to accompany a tandem spouse to an overseas assignment, will not be counted in the calculation of time passed since the last return from an overseas assignment.
c. FAMILY CONSIDERATIONS CRITERION: Family considerations, such as family health, eldercare, dependent educational necessities, or a spouse's professional requirements, may be taken into account when considering extensions of continuous domestic service beyond eight years.
d. DURATION OF CDS EXTENSION: Approval to exceed eight years of CDS will usually be granted for one year. In compelling circumstances, approval to exceed eight years of CDS may be granted for two years.
e. INDEFINITE DOMESTIC TOURS OF DUTY: Employees assigned to indefinite domestic tours must receive approval from the Director of GTM/CDA if their CDS will exceed eight years.
f. SHORTENED/LENGTHENED TOURS OF DUTY: When the Department shortens the standard tour of duty (TOD) for a post during an employee's assignment to the post, the amount of time required for an employee's tour to be considered as completed will be based on the shorter tour. However, if the Department lengthens a standard TOD during an employee's assignment to a post, the amount of time required for an employee's tour to be considered as completed will be based on the standard TOD at time of paneling. For example, if the Department changes the standard TOD at a post from two years to three years, employees at the post who were originally paneled when the standard TOD was two years must complete 20 months of the two-year TOD to "reset" their eight-year clock.
3 FAH-1 H-2424 Foreign Service (FS) Career Development Program
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. The Career Development Program (CDP) and subsequent Professional Development Program (PDP) are designed to prepare employees for senior levels in their specific career track. CDPs and PDPs serve as guides for employees on development and acquisition of professional, leadership, language and technical skills, the range of assignments and experiences, and fulfillment of Service needs that enhance prospects for promotion.
b. The program is based on four principles. An employee's career should reflect observance of these principles over time:
(1) Operational effectiveness, including a breadth of experience in several regions and functions;
(2) Leadership and management effectiveness;
(3) Sustained professional language and/or technical proficiency; and
(4) Responsiveness to Service needs.
c. The guidance in the CDPs and PDPs is related to eligibility and standards for promotion, as described in 3 FAM-2326.2.
3 FAH-1 H-2425 The Open Assignments System
3 FAH-1 H-2425.1 Purpose
(CT:POH-131; 05-01-2008)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. The open assignments system is designed to obtain the most effective match of employees to available FS positions in a transparent and equitable manner, while maximizing employee and bureau choice.
b. The system is primarily intended to fulfill Service need, including assuring that all available positions are filled and all employees are assigned to a position, while taking into account other statutory and regulatory requirements, including mandatory career development and training.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.2 The Role of the Office of Career Development and Assignments (GTM/CDA)
3 FAH-1 H-2425.2-1 Structure and Organization of GTM/CDA (SOP A-01)
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. The director and deputy director of GTM/CDA are responsible for the overall management of career development and assignments, ensuring the efficient operation of the office and administering the open assignments system.
b. The director and deputy director ensure that information, guidance and instruction on career development and assignments are made available to Foreign Service employees.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.2-2 Operation of GTM/CDA
(CT:POH-259; 08-25-2022)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. GTM/CDA operates and maintains an electronic system for submitting and recording employee assignment preferences (bids). Employees use the electronic system to participate in open assignments. In extraordinary circumstances, GTM/CDA may authorize submission of bids in an alternate written form.
b. GTM/CDA maintains, and makes available to all employees, standard operating procedures (SOPs) that describe the open assignments process. SOPs are updated when necessary, in response to Service need or in the interest of greater efficiency, clarity, or equity. Any material changes that affect the operation of the Open Assignments System will be reflected in the series of annual messages (see 3 FAH-1 H-2425.4) available to all employees prior to and during each assignment cycle.
c. GTM/CDA provides formal notification of assignment decisions to employees, offices, and posts. GTM/CDA also reviews and clears employee requests for transfer travel authorizations.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.3 Assignment Panels and Assignment Panel Appeals (SOP A-02)
3 FAH-1 H-2425.3-1 Assignment Panels
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. Assignment panels, subject to review by and appeals to the DG (3 FAH-1 H-2425.3-2), review and approve assignments of employees to FS positions.
b. There are specific selection processes for the following types of assignments:
(1) Directed assignments including those of entry-level career candidate members of the FS (3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-6) and for certain limited noncareer appointments (3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-13);
(2) Assignments based on the DG’s decision to reverse a panel decision (3 FAH-1 H-2422); and
(3) Chiefs of mission (COMs), designated chiefs of mission, ambassadors, deputy assistant secretaries of State, deputy chiefs of mission and principal officers (3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-2 and 3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-3).
c. For the assignments listed in Paragraph b, the panels review the assignments for administrative purposes but may not amend them.
d. The DG may decide at any point, and in the interest of efficiency or equity, to change the structure, membership, or operation of the assignment panels.
e. The DG has authorized the operation of two panels, which may also be combined. The Mid-Level Panel assigns FS-02, FS-03, tenured FS-04 generalists as well as mid-level specialists who are at grade or are being proposed for stretch assignments within the FS/FP-02 to FS/FP-03 range. The Interdivisional (ID) Panel makes all assignments other than those specifically reserved to the Mid-Level Panel, including, but not limited to, all assignments to long-term training, detail assignments, details and transfers.
f. The director and deputy director of GTM/CDA will determine the chair of assignment panel.
g. Only GTM/CDA employees may serve as members of a panel. Panels are constituted, however, so that both employee interests and those of the bureaus are fairly represented.
h. Panel members are not authorized to discuss, outside GTM, the specifics of how a decision was reached or how individual members voted. This is to protect the ability of the panel to be forthright and frank in its discussion of proposed assignments and to preserve its ability to reach the best decisions possible.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.3-2 Assignment Panel Appeals
(CT:POH-131; 05-01-2008)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. Employees may appeal a panel decision to which they are a party within 10 business days, in writing, to the DG. Appeals should explain the reasons and circumstances for the appeal.
b. Bureaus of the Department may appeal a panel decision to which they are a party within 10 business days, in writing, to the DG. Appeals should explain the reasons and circumstances for the appeal.
c. Decisions of the DG on appeals will be final and binding on employees and bureaus. There is no appeal beyond the DG. Failure to accept the decision of the DG is subject to disciplinary action as outlined in 3 FAM 4300.
d. Directed assignments may not be appealed.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.4 Open Assignments Notifications
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. GTM/CDA will publish annually the rules and instructions for bidding on assignments. The rules and instructions are subject to review by and negotiation with the American Foreign Service Association.
b. GTM/CDA will inform employees and bureaus of related procedures regarding the operation of the open assignment system. GTM/CDA will ensure that this information is made available both domestically and overseas. Employees and bureaus are responsible for familiarizing themselves with all provisions relevant to their assignment situations and for observing all applicable rules and guidelines.
c. GTM/CDA will not normally change fundamental procedures, once the assignment cycle has begun, although GTM/CDA reserves the right to do so if Service need so requires. In that event, GTM/CDA will notify employees and bureaus as soon as feasible and will permit employees reasonable time to make changes in their bids that may be required under the revised procedures.
d. All available positions, including out-year positions with expected training, will appear in the electronic bidding system. The available positions are provided by the Department’s bureaus under guidelines issued by GTM/CDA. In addition, GTM/CDA will advertise other positions (such as assignments and details outside the Department, 3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-9) available to employees in the assignment cycle.
e. A position may be assigned only after it has been advertised for at least two weeks in the electronic bidding system.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.5 Terms and Conditions of Bidding
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
Certain issues and concerns will be relevant to the bidding and assignment process. These may include, but are not limited to the following:
(1) The procedure that the panels will follow in determining assignments. These include, among others, when employees may be directed into an assignment (SOP B-04);
(2) The schedule that the panels will follow in making assignments to assure maximum consideration of employees whose grade and experience match the position's grade and requirements. For example, assignments to positions at different grades may occur at different times during the assignment season (SOP B-02);
(3) The length of time, or tour of duty (TOD, SOP A-03), of an assignment to a position, domestically or overseas. Standard TODs are determined by factors including, but not limited to, hardship differential, Service need differential, danger pay, and the responsibilities of certain positions. Service at designated overseas posts may include rest and recuperation travel (R&R, 3 FAM 3720);
(4) The procedures associated with positions at offices and/or posts that have insufficient bidders for vacancies, such as historically difficult-to-staff posts (SOP B-19) or hard-to-fill positions (SOP B-18);
(5) Special factors that may include, but are not limited to, the length of time that an employee may serve continuously in the United States (SOP A-04);
(6) Special allowances available to those who are assigned to certain difficult-to-staff positions (SOP B-22);
(7) Conditions and deadlines for requesting an extension or curtailment (SOP A-06);
(8) Considerations that pertain to all assignments to or involving training (SOP A-07);
(9) Which positions are language-designated, the requirements for bidding on these, and how or when bureaus may apply for language waivers (SOP A-08);
(10) When bridge assignments may be appropriate, what options are available to the employee in terms of assignment versus temporary duty (TDY), and the financial implications for each (SOP A-07);
(11) Leave without pay and the associated financial and benefit considerations (SOPs A-12 and A-12A);
(12) When a bureau may request creation of a short-tour position and how an employee may fill it (SOP A-14);
(13) How and when a bureau may request a volunteer cable, the conditions under which an employee may respond to such a cable, and how such positions are filled (SOP A-15); and
(14) How the Department will fill urgent vacancies and who is eligible to bid on such positions (SOP A-22).
3 FAH-1 H-2425.6 Employee's Role in the Open Assignment Process
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. Members of the Foreign Service are expected to participate actively in the open assignment process. This includes reading the guidance that GTM/CDA publishes and communicating with the bureaus and posts where they wish to be assigned.
b. It is the employee's responsibility to submit bids, in accord with the annual rules and guidelines by the deadline specified. Employees do not secure an assignment through their own effort may be directed to an assignment by the DG (SOP B-04).
3 FAH-1 H-2425.7 Role of the Bureaus in the Open Assignment Process
(CT:POH-237; 08-11-2020)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
Bureaus in the Department play an important role in the assignment process. Bureaus make their staffing needs and assignment preferences (except in the case of entry-level career candidates) known through those members of GTM/CDA who represent their interests in the assignment process.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8 Special Assignment Considerations
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-1 Security and Medical Clearances
(CT:POH-173; 09-16-2015)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. 12 FAM 230 addresses security clearances in the context of assignments. 16 FAM 200 addresses medical clearances.
b. Security clearances: In addition, assignment to certain designated criteria countries requires an additional clearance (SOP B-11).
c. Medical clearances (SOP B-12): A medical clearance for an assignment overseas is valid for two years, or for the length of the assignment, whichever is longer.
d. Employees with a Class 1 (worldwide available) or Class 2 (limited availability) medical clearance are eligible for assignment overseas.
e. Special assignment procedures (post approvals) apply if an employee or EFM(s) (as defined for the purposes of this section at 16 FAM 100) have Class a 2 medical clearance (see 16 FAM 200). They are designed to ensure that GTM/CDA can make an assignment in the interests of the Service while taking into account the medical situation.
f. Special assignment procedures also apply for employees with an EFM child or EFM children whom MED/ECS has identified as having special educational needs.
g. Employees are responsible for complying with the above procedures.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-2 Chief of Mission Appointments and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Assignments (SOP C-10)
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. The Deputy Secretary chairs a committee, known as the D Committee, which reviews candidates to serve as chiefs of mission (COM), designated COMs, ambassadors, and deputy assistant secretaries (DASs) of the Department.
b. The Deputy Secretary selects members of senior Department management to serve on the D Committee. The members of the D Committee are announced by ALDAC in advance of each assignment cycle.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-2(A) Chiefs of Mission (COMs)
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. In most cases, the regional bureaus will make recommendations to the DG of candidates to be considered by the D Committee for appointment as chief of mission (at bilateral and multilateral posts). The D Committee reviews candidates that GTM subsequently proposes for such positions. The proposal is made after interdepartmental consultations under established guidelines and following a preliminary security and suitability review. The committee then selects one candidate and forwards that name to the Secretary for his or her consideration. Candidates approved by the Secretary are forwarded to the President.
b. In general, most career FS appointees in these positions serve for 3 years. There is, however, no term per se to a COM appointment as appointees serve at the pleasure of the President. COMs are appointed by the President and require the advice and consent of the Senate.
· Presidential appointment: yes
· Require advice and consent of the Senate: yes
· May elect presidential pay: yes (career FS only)
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-2(B) Designated Chiefs of Mission (COMs)
(CT:POH-131; 05-01-2008)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
22 U.S.C. 3942 provides the President authority to “assign a career member of the Service as chargé d’affaires or otherwise as the head of a mission (or as the head of a United States office abroad which is designated by the Secretary of State as diplomatic in nature) for such period as the public interest may require.” The President’s authority under this section was delegated to the Secretary of State by E.O. 12293 of February 23, 1981. The Secretary has further delegated this authority to the Under Secretary for Management under delegation of authority No. 148-1 dated September 9, 1981.
Presidential appointment: no
May elect presidential pay: yes
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-2(C) Personal Rank of Ambassador
(CT:POH-131; 05-01-2008)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
22 U.S.C. 3942(a)(2)(B)(i) authorizes the President to confer the personal rank of ambassador for a period not to exceed six months. The purpose of this authority is to accord appropriate status to senior U.S. representatives conducting high-level functions either domestically or overseas.
Presidential appointment: no
May elect presidential pay: no
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-2(D) Deputy Assistant Secretaries of State (DASs)
(CT:POH-131; 05-01-2008)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
The D Committee also considers candidates that the Assistant Secretaries of the Department propose to serve for DAS vacancies. The committee forwards the name of the candidate it approves for each vacancy to the Secretary for his or her approval.
May elect presidential pay: no
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-3 Deputy Chiefs of Mission (DCMs) and Principal Officers (POs) Assignments (SOP C-02)
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. The DG chairs a committee, known as the DCM Committee, that reviews and proposes candidates to serve as DCMs and POs at positions overseas.
b. The DG selects members of Department management to serve on the DCM Committee. The members of the DCM Committee are announced by ALDAC in advance of each assignment cycle. The committee reviews, in consultation with GTM and the relevant bureaus, the eligible bidders on DCM and PO positions. The committee then decides on a list of candidates to fill the position.
c. The committee sends the list of DCM candidates to the COM; the COM may select from among the candidates to fill the position. If there is no COM at post, or in some cases if the COM is to depart post before the DCM arrives, the committee sends the list of candidates to the Assistant Secretary of the relevant bureau. The Assistant Secretary, in these cases, selects the DCM.
d. The DCM Committee itself selects candidates to serve as POs.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-4 Office Management Specialist (OMS) Assignments for Senior Management and COMs (SOP C-07)
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. Department principals (Under Secretaries and above), Assistant Secretaries and equivalents, deputy assistant secretaries (DASs), and officials referred to in 3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-2(A) (hereafter, and for the purposes of this section only, ambassadors) may select an OMS regardless of whether they are currently available for assignment except as indicated below.
b. The assignment panel will take the necessary action to curtail, as needed, the OMS from his or her current tour and transfer him or her expeditiously (with due regard to allowed leave, and related repayment waivers) to the position in question.
c. At a post with two ambassador-level OMS positions, the ambassador may select an OMS for the more junior position only from the list of current bidders.
d. The TOD for an ambassador’s OMS generally will be indefinite, and the OMS will be expected to serve until the ambassador's TOD finishes. However, at posts with only one Foreign Service OMS position, the TOD for the ambassador's OMS will be the standard TOD for the post.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-5 Specialists (SOP B-09)
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. Specialists are subject to all of the rules and procedures of the open assignments system except where noted in SOP B-09.
b. Specialists will normally be assigned to positions in their areas of specialization. Specialists may, however, be assigned to positions outside their designated skill code under certain conditions (see SOP B-09).
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-6 Entry-Level Career Candidates (SOP C-08) [Entry-Level Generalists and Specialists Except Where Noted]
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. The assignment of entry-level FS employees entails different bidding requirements, open assignment notifications, assignment seasons, and TOD.
b. An employee's first two assignments will generally be to overseas posts except as Service need dictates. GTM/CDA directs, on behalf of the DG, the first, and in most cases, the second assignments. Employees may not appeal these assignments.
c. GTM/CDA considers a range of factors in deciding on your assignment in addition to Service need. These may include:
(1) An employee's requirements for tenure and career development;
(2) Family, medical and special educational issues as noted in 3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-1;
(3) Timing issues relating to departure dates of current position incumbents and any training required for an assignment;
(4) An employee's previous assignment(s), including any hardship and/or danger differentials for those assignment(s).
d. The TOD for the first two assignments will normally not exceed two years. In the event that an employee is approaching the end of their limited noncareer appointment (3 FAM 2240), GTM/CDA will adjust the TOD to take this fact into account.
e. For entry-level generalists only: Eligibility for language training will be limited until such time as the employee may be tenured. GTM/CDA will endeavor, however, to afford appropriate opportunity in assignments to meet the requirement that untenured generalists reach a given proficiency in a foreign language before being eligible to be tenured (see 3 FAM 2245.7).
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-7 Tandems and Nepotism
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-7(A) Tandem Assignments (SOP A-11A)
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. Subject to the nondiscrimination provisions of 5 U.S.C. 2301(b)(2) and 22 U.S.C. 3905(b), which prohibit, among other things, discrimination on the basis of marital status, GTM/CDA will make a reasonable effort to assign tandem spouses to the same post in positions appropriate to their class levels and qualifications.
b. In order to be treated as a tandem for assignment purposes, the couple must follow all of the guidelines GTM/CDA identifies in this regard.
c. There is no guarantee that both tandem spouses will be assigned to the same post. In the event that such assignment does not prove practicable or possible, or could only be accomplished by means of disallowed discrimination, GTM/CDA will consult with each member of the tandem on available options. Such options may include separate assignments or leave without pay (LWOP).
d. The TODs of members of a tandem couple will normally comply with established policies except to the extent that GTM/CDA may decide otherwise under established guidelines.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-7(B) Nepotism (SOP A-11B)
(CT:POH-208; 07-06-2018)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
See Department regulations at 3 FAM 8320.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-8 Training (SOP A-07)
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. Employees may be assigned to training in conjunction with an assignment, as explained in SOP-7.
b. Employees are required to take certain training as part of career development, in order to be assigned to positions with supervisory responsibilities, and otherwise as law or regulation may prescribe. Employees will be advised, in advance, of when they are required to take such training.
c. The Foreign Service Institute (FSI; 13 FAM 102.2-1) generally administers and provides all training which occurs under the Department’s jurisdiction.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-9 Positions Outside the Department (SOP A-10)
(CT:POH-131; 05-01-2008)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
GTM/CDA advertises opportunities to serve in positions outside the Department as part of the open assignments system. GTM/CDA maintains a website that includes descriptions of these opportunities and application instructions.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-9(A) Detail Assignments
(CT:POH-131; 05-01-2008)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. The legal bases for detail assignments to positions outside the FS are 22 U.S.C. 3983 and 22 U.S.C. 2685.
b. Detail assignments broaden an employee's skills and experience. They also contribute to overall interagency cooperation and provide expertise and support to organizations involved with foreign affairs activities.
c. Detail assignments may include, but are not limited to the following:
· Office of a member of Congress or congressional office
· Other agencies of the Federal Government
· State and municipal governments
· Academic institutions
· U.S. armed forces war colleges
· International organizations
· Nongovernmental organizations
d. Detail assignments may not exceed four years of continuous service unless the Under Secretary for Management approves an extension under special circumstances.
e. Employees detailed or assigned to the office of a member of Congress or to an office of the Senate or House of Representatives will have the status of an employee of Congress for the purpose of payment of travel and other expenses.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-9(B) Details to International Organizations
(CT:POH-131; 05-01-2008)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
Employees may be detailed to an international organization for a period not to exceed five years. The Secretary may extend such a detail up to an additional three years if he or she determines this would be in the national interest. Employees on such details remain employees of the Department.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-9(C) Transfers (Secondments) to International Organizations
(CT:POH-131; 05-01-2008)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. The legal basis for this section is 5 U.S.C. 3581 - 3584.
b. An international organization, for the purposes of this section, is a public international organization, or international-organization preparatory commission in which the U.S. Government participates.
c. GTM/CDA will only consider a transfer if it is requested by an international organization and if the employee agrees with the proposal. Transfers fall outside the provisions of the Open Assignment Process.
d. Employees who transfer to an international organization are separated from the Service for the length of time they are employed by the receiving international organization. Such employees retain their rights and benefits as a career member of the Service, during the period of separation and may be eligible for re-employment consistent with the statutory provisions cited herein.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-10 Assignments to Civil Service Positions
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. The Director General (DG) may (22 U.S.C. 3983(a)(1)) assign a member of the Foreign Service to a Civil Service (CS) position in the Department. The DG will generally act in response to a request by a bureau; employees may not initiate such a request. Such assignments require the temporary conversion of the CS position to a FS position, subject to HR procedures in this area, for the duration of the assignment.
b. Such assignments fall outside the parameters of the open assignments process.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-11 Over-complement (SOP B-06)
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. Employees may be assigned to over-complement status in a bureau for specified reasons of a temporary nature, rather than to a position in the Department. Over-complement status should be limited to the minimum time necessary for the employee to be available for reassignment or separation.
b. Employees returning from overseas will generally be assigned to over-complement in the bureau that has jurisdiction over the post from which the employee has returned.
c. Employees may be assigned to GTM over-complement only with the approval of the DG or the director of GTM/CDA.
3 FAH-1 H-2425.8-12 Assignment of Limited Noncareer Appointees
(CT:POH-269; 08-18-2023)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
a. The DG may make limited noncareer appointments (LNAs) to the FS by virtue of the authority granted under 22 U.S.C. 3943 and in conformity with 22 U.S.C. 3949. Appointees are members of the FS by virtue of 22 U.S.C. 3903.
b. The regulations controlling such appointments appear in 3 FAM 2290. LNAs created under 3 FAM 2290 are excluded from the application of the assignment procedures contained in this subchapter.
c. The DG, or an assignment panel, will assign individuals on LNAs to FS positions, except in the case of family member appointments (FMAs; 3 FAM 8210). Assignment procedures for certain types of LNAs are further addressed as follows: Career CS employees of the Department (SOP B-18 and B-21), retired members of the FS (SOP B-21), and employees of other Federal agencies (SOP A-10). In the last instance, such appointments would also be based on a formal written agreement between the Department and the other relevant agency.
3 FAH-1 H-2426 THROUGH H-2429 UNASSIGNED