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Analyst in Agricultural Policy

Legislative Branch
Library of Congress
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Agriculture and Food Supply Section in the Resources, Science and Industry Division (RSI) of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) is seeking an Analyst in Agricultural Policy. The analyst will conduct analyses that inform congressional deliberations on agricultural trade policy. The ideal candidate will have knowledge of the economics, history, trends, and current status of agricultural policy with an emphasis on agricultural trade, trade agreements, and export promotion and credit programs, as well as international frameworks governing agricultural trade and associated legislative, economic, and regulatory issues and interrelationships with other key agricultural policy areas.

This position requires the ability to utilize analytical methods and techniques to analyze policy issues for the U.S. Congress. Applicants should be comfortable with quantitative approaches in research and familiar with agricultural policy issues with an emphasis on agricultural trade, trade agreements, and export promotion and credit programs. Strong writing and presentation skills, including the ability to synthesize complex analyses into easy-to-understand language for a non-technical audience, are required.

Analyst duties include preparing objective, non-partisan analytical studies and descriptive background reports on issues of national significance; providing personal consultation and assistance to congressional committees, Members, and staff on public policy issues throughout the legislative process; and participating in or leading team research projects and seminars. The employee is also expected to develop over time the skills necessary to provide public policy and legislative analysis and consultation to congressional committees, Members, and staff at increasingly sophisticated levels. CRS works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS has been a valued and respected resource on Capitol Hill for more than a century. CRS is well known for analysis that is authoritative, confidential, objective, and nonpartisan. Its highest priority is to ensure that Congress has immediate access to the nation's best thinking on public policy issues of interest to its Members and Committees.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/03/2017 to 08/31/2017
Salary
$66,510 to - $86,460 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington DC, DC
1 vacancy
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Announcement number
VAR000173
Control number
476079800

This job is open to

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Duties

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Prepares a variety of descriptive and background reports, memoranda, and written materials on subjects or public policy issues within the employee's area of professional knowledge.

Prepares a variety of analytical reports, memoranda, and written materials on public policy issues within the employee's area of professional knowledge to support congressional decision making.

Participates in planning, organizing, and coordinating group research efforts.

Through personal consultation, assists committees, Members, and staff with consideration of legislative issues by providing information and analysis, and applying professional subject-area knowledge.

Participates in CRS seminars, workshops, and/or outreach programs for committees, Members, and staff.

Locates and provides information requested by Members and committees of Congress or their staff.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

No additional requirements to those listed above.

Qualifications

Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision.

Knowledge of agricultural trade policy.**

Ability to analyze public policy issues.**

Ability to write in a public policy context.**

Ability to convey analysis and information orally through briefings, consultations and other presentations.

Ability to work collaboratively with others.

Ability to exercise objectivity in all phases of analysis and consultation.

Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.

Additional information

The Congressional Research Service, within the Library of Congress, is part of the Legislative Branch of the federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.

The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustment for the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous federal service will generally be paid the minimum step of the grade.

This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position.

The tour of duty for this position is full-time.

The position description number for this position is 4746.

The incumbent of this position is eligible elect to work a flexitime or compflex work schedule.

RELOCATION EXPENSES ARE NOT AUTHORIZED FOR THE PERSON(S) SELECTED UNDER THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT.

The Library reserves the right to fill a lesser or greater number of vacancies indicated during the life of this vacancy announcement.

Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation.

Applicants who are referred for interview will be required to submit a completed OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment.

Initial appointments, permanent or indefinite, to the Library of Congress require completion of a one-year probationary period.

This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify this agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The certificate of disability may be issued by a State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of an applicant's college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The date of certification must be within one year of the vacancy closing date and must be submitted with your application. For more information view the directive on the Library's Selective Placement Program and/or contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Programs at 202-707-6024 (voice or TTY) or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

Are you a veteran? Please indicate the type of Veterans' Preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim. Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214. Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. For more information regarding eligibility requirements, please see the Library's Merit Selection Plan, Section X.D. IF REQUIRED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION IS NOT ATTACHED, VETERANS' PREFERENCE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The Library of Congress evaluates applicants through an applicant questionnaire and a structured interview. Applicants may also be screened for some jobs through licensing, certification, and/or education requirements, a narrative/application review, and/or a preliminary telephone interview. The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are marked with a double asterisk (**) in the vacancy announcement and the applicant questionnaire are considered the most critical for a position. To be considered for final selection, applicants must demonstrate fully acceptable experience in these designated KSAs in the narrative/application review, preliminary telephone and/or full structured interview. The various assessment tools listed above are designed to verify or explore applicants' experience, knowledge, and training directly related to the job in order to identify the best qualified applicants for selection.
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