International Trade Specialist

Summary

This position is part of the US Trade and Development Agency. The incumbent assists the Regional Director in promoting economic development in the assigned region by identifying, recommending, and managing project preparation and partnership building activities.

Duties

Evaluate the potential of infrastructure development projects in emerging markets to facilitate U.S. exports and job creation. Make preliminary determinations of the project's ability to meet USTDA funding criteria, including ability to obtain implementation financing and support U.S. exports and jobs. Support USG foreign policy priorities by promoting host country economic growth. Represent the Agency in a variety of forums to provide information about, explain, advocate, and defend USTDA program activities. Develop and maintain business relationships with embassy officials, government officials, and private sector representatives in the U.S. and assigned countries. Perform due diligence on prospective USTDA contractors and grantees. Track ongoing and completed projects to assess commercial and developmental impact in order to assist the Evaluations Office with monitoring project developments. Draft briefing materials, memoranda, talking points, speeches, and other written materials that support USTDA's leadership, the regional teams, and other stakeholders relevant to USTDA's project activities. Provide formal and informal oral presentations to business groups, USTDA leadership, foreign audiences, and other stakeholders relevant to USTDA's project activities.

Requirements

US Citizenship is required. Suitable for Federal employment, determined by background investigation. Direct Deposit of pay is required. Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt. Status candidates must meet time-in-grade (see Qualifications). Background and security investigation for Secret or Top Secret Clearance.

Qualifications and evaluation

Once the application process is complete, your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), and any applicable assessment required for this position. Cheating on the online assessment may result in your removal from consideration. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. You will be evaluated for this job based on: The experience listed in your resume and how well you meet the experience listed in the qualification section of announcement and the competencies listed. Subject Matter Expert - Structured Resume Review Eligible and qualified candidates who meet the pre-established cut score on the assessment questionnaire will have their resumes reviewed by a subject-matter-expert to evaluate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and competences as they directly relate to the duties of this position. If your final score places you in the group of best qualified candidates, and you meet all eligibility and qualification requirements, you may be referred to the hiring official for further consideration. You will be assessed on the following technical and soft skill competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail, Business Planning & Resource Management, Oral Communication, Planning and Evaluating, and Written Communication Note: Duplicative competencies indicate that the competency is being assessed in both the Assessment Questionnaire and additional assessment. Due Weight Consideration is a review process used to provide consideration to performance appraisals and awards submitted with each application on a used merit promotion certificate and factoring the results into the merit promotion selection process. Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level. It is your responsibility to obtain and upload your performance appraisal/evaluation and/or list of awards prior to the closing of the vacancy announcement.

Education

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If qualifying based on EDUCATION you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Note: PDF Portfolio documents will not be processed or accepted as they appear as a one-page document. Only education from institutions which are accredited or preaccredited/candidate for accreditation may be used to meet education requirements. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration or when the announcement reaches 175 applicants. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account. You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application. Read the Eligibility questions carefully. The questions address if you are eligible to apply to this JOA. Your responses will affect your consideration for the position. You may qualify for more than one eligibility, so please choose carefully. You will only be considered under the options you have selected. If you respond that you do not meet any of the eligibility questions, you will not be considered for this position. You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. You may preview the Assessment Questionnaire at: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13019396 If you have questions about this job, please contact the HR Office representative listed in the "Agency Contact Info" section of this vacancy announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Mountain Time, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, you may request an alternate application method from the Agency Contact listed in the vacancy. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon EST on the closing date of the announcement.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Your Resume listing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment mm/yy and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted, only the most current resume will be reviewed for qualifications. Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. 2. SF-50 or DD-214 Current/Former Career/Career-Conditional Eligible: Your most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent) showing that you are/were in the competitive service, as well as the highest grade (or promotion potential) held, on a permanent basis 3. Other supporting documents: College transcript(s), if qualifying based on education SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty from Veterans for consideration under Veteran hiring authorities Non-competitive appointment authority documentation, if applicable Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program Documentation: If you are applying under CTAP or ICTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility under 5 CFR 330.602(a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable Cover letter, optional Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc. Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices. Note: A PDF Portfolio contains multiple files assembled into an integrated PDF unit. The files in a PDF Portfolio can be in a wide range of file types created in different applications. To ensure the document is not a PDF Portfolio document, open the document and if there are multiple different documents with a variety of extensions, it is a PDF Portfolio document and will not be processed. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted prior to the closing date of the announcement.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Programs: CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For information on CTAP and ICTAP visit here. Appointment Authorities: For more information on appointment authority eligibility requirements: Persons with Disabilities-Schedule A Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans Special Hiring Authority for Certain Military Spouses Other Special Appointment Authorities OPM Interchange Agreement and Other Miscellaneous Authorities Telework Suitability: This position allows for situational telework according to established agency policy. Stipulations of Employment: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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 the 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 may be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. This position is subject to random drug testing while you occupy the position. Applicants must be eligible to obtain and keep a security clearance. Appointment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. This position requires approximately 1-5 nights of travel per month. Work Schedule: This position allows for a flexible work schedule. Miscellaneous: TDA uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify. This position is being advertised concurrently with vacancy announcement # TDA-26-DE-13019397MR using Delegated Examining procedures. If interested, refer to that announcement to determine if you meet the program requirements and can apply to that announcement. This vacancy announcement may be used to fill similar positions within 90 days. If selection is made below the full performance level, promotion up to the full performance level may be made without further competition. However, promotion(s) will depend on the performance of the incumbent and are not guaranteed. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.