Federal

Attache (Mexico)

Bureau of International Labor Affairs Β· Department of Labor
πŸ“ Washington, District of Columbia GS-14/15 $169,279 - $197,200/yr
Posted: May 21, 2026 Deadline: Jun 4, 2026 (Closes in 14 days)

About This Position

This position is located in DOL's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), serving in the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, Mexico. The Attaché in Tijuana advises the U.S. Consul General in Tijuana and the USG interagency on labor and employment issues, with a focus on implementation of the labor commitments in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. This is a term appointment not to exceed 3 years, with an option to extend for an additional year.

This position is outside the bargaining unit.

Qualifications

This position has a language proficiency requirement. The incumbent MUST be able to speak, read, and write in all styles and forms of the language pertinent to the duties of the position, Spanish.

This position is authorized foreign entitlements in accordance with the Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR).This section is contingent upon host country approval. When employee is assigned to Mexico, the employee will not receive Washington DC locality pay, salary will be adjusted to reflect basic pay. The Foreign Service Act and the President's Letter of Instruction to Chiefs of Mission give the COM full authority over and responsibility for the direction, coordination and supervision of all USG executive branch employees in his/her country, regardless of employment categories or locations, except those under the command of U.S. as in military commanders, or the staff of international organizations, or serving as Voice of America correspondents on assignment.

Furthermore, all executive branch agencies with employees under COM authority must keep the COM full informed of their activities and ensure that all such employees comply fully with all applicable COM directives. The base pay scale for the assignment in Mexico is as follow: $126,384.00 to $164,301.00 Per Year. The selected candidate will be relocated to Mexico at government expense and will be eligible for all benefits normally provided to US government employees at the US Embassy and Consulates in Mexico, including Post (Hardship) Differential.

More information on Post Differential in Mexico may be found at: State Department Website The selected applicant will be assigned to serve in the U.S. Consulate located in Tijuana, Mexico at time of appointment or sometime after appointment. The assignment in Tijuana is temporary for three years and may be extended for an additional year.

You must meet the Basic Requirements and the Specialized Experience to qualify for the Attaché - Tijuana, as described below. Basic Requirements: Degree: major or equivalent, or a combination of courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in international law and international relations, political science, economics, history, sociology, geography, social or cultural anthropology, law, statistics, or in the humanities; or 12 semester hours in one of the above disciplines and 12 semester hours in statistics/quantitative methods.

OR

Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours, in one or more of the social sciences, or in the humanities, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

OR

Experience: four years of appropriate experience in one or more of the fields listed above in work associated with international organizations, problems, or other aspects of foreign affairs

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position, you must also meet the specialized experience listed below: Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. To qualify for the GS-14, specialized experience is defined as having at least FOUR (4) of the following equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-13 in the Federal Service or private sector.: Assist in implementing U.S. government international labor and trade mandates and priorities, such as assessing countries' labor laws and enforcement for their effectiveness in complying with international labor standards.

Assisting in the development, negotiation, or implementation of U.S labor and employment policy in an international context. Assisting in developing and implementing plans for the monitoring and enforcement of labor or international commitments. Developing relationships with host country stakeholders in government and private sector/civil society to advance U.S. policy objectives.

Researching Mexico's geopolitical and industrial relations. To qualify for the GS-15, specialized experience is defined as having at least FOUR (4) of the following equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-14 in the Federal Service or private sector.: Implementing U.S. government international labor and trade mandates and priorities, such as assessing countries' labor laws and enforcement for their effectiveness in complying with international labor standards. Engaging in the development, negotiation, or implementation of U.S labor and employment policy in an international context.

Developing and implementing plans for the monitoring and enforcement of labor or international commitments. Developing relationships with host country stakeholders in government and private sector/civil society to advance U.S. policy objectives. Researching Mexico's geopolitical and industrial relations.

Major Duties

Major duties: The position implements and/or facilitates the implementation of USG labor and employment mandates, policies, programs, and initiatives, including those related to the US Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), and advocates for, develops, and implements strategies to advance USG labor and employment priorities in Mexico. The position serves as an expert on labor and employment issues and developments in Mexico for officials of DOL and other USG agencies. Monitors labor and employment mandates, policies, programs, and initiatives, including direct technical assistance and technical assistance programming, the ILO, other international organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with interests in Mexico.

Provides technical assistance to the Mexican government to facilitate legal reforms consistent with international labor standards and effective enforcement of labor laws and regulations. The position provides labor and employment expertise to the U.S. Mission, DOL, and other USG agencies to facilitate the development and implementation of targeted USG-funded grants and contracts addressing labor and employment challenges in Mexico, consistent with international labor standards and effective enforcement of labor laws and regulations.

The position supports and closely coordinates and collaborates with the Human Rights Officer on the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and Trafficking in Persons report. Builds professional relationships with a wide range of USG and international contacts at varying levels of authority and earns the trust of Mexican counterparts to provide effective guidance and authoritative recommendations to these stakeholders. Provides onsite representation and expert and authoritative advice on all aspects of policies and programs that relate to the complete range of DOL's international mission concerning labor and employment policies and programs.

Represents the Secretary of Labor's priorities to the Consulate. Conducts oral and written briefings and drafts analytical and spot cables, including in coordination with other USG officials. Responds to inquiries from USG agencies on labor and employment issues and developments especially as they relate to DOL mandates and mission priorities.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position.

Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your evaluation will be based on how well you meet the qualifications outlined in this vacancy announcement, as demonstrated through your resume and supporting documentation.

Click Application of Veterans Preference for more information.

You may preview application questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12962298 If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses. Category A - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity. Category B - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies required by this position.

Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualification requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.

Click here for Evaluation details. USA Hire You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, volunteer, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled.

Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.). INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligible(s) who fall under Category B will be considered well-qualified.

Be sure to review the eligibility questions to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

Additional Information

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION Non-Supervisory Financial Disclosure: This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). Therefore, if selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest(s) and your prospective position with DOL. This information will be required annually.

For more information, click Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.

Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy. The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates.

Click for more information on Pay, Leave, and Workforce Flexibilities. The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions. All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to screening for illegal drug use prior to the appointment. All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis.

If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision.

You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

How to Apply

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section.

Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration. Important - Save your information before the 30-minute system timeout! For help, go to the USAJOBS Help Center. STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete.

NOTE: In alignment with the Presidential Memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, applicants may only submit a resume limited to two (2) pages. Only the résumé uploaded under the 'Resume" document type in USAJOBS will be reviewed. If the resume submitted exceeds two (2) pages, the application will be deemed ineligible for further consideration.

STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS). Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement.

Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page.

You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button. STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL).

On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions.

The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy. STEP 4 - On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct. In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed.

If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button. STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm Eastern Time of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, then Update Application.

If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline.

Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.

Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments.

You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about 2 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.

Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor, How to Apply website.

Required Documents

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Resumes: Required and applicants must provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume.

We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions and confirm that your resume supports your question responses. Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point (TP) preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.

Your DD 214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point (CP/CPS, XP) preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214 and the proof of entitlement of this preference, which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. In addition, a Standard Form (SF-15) should be included, but is not required. (For active-duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Tentative Preference for Active Duty).

For more information, go to Feds Hire Vets - Veterans Preference. Displaced Employee Placement Documents: Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex.

BA/BS, MA, JD, PhD, etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit.

You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document with a maximum size limit of 5 MB.

NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date. Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted. Do not upload password-protected documents.

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one year probationary during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Attache (Mexico) position at Bureau of International Labor Affairs?
The salary range for this position is $169,279 - $197,200/yr. This is a GS-14/15 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Attache (Mexico) job located?
This position is located in Washington, District of Columbia. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Jun 4, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
Yes, a Top Secret clearance is required.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.