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Summary

You are encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application package. Your application may not receive full consideration if you do not follow the instructions as outlined.  

This position is in the State Annex 44 (SA-44) building at 301 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC., in the Bureau for Europe & Eurasia, Technical Support Office, Democracy and Governance Division (E&E/TSO/DG) at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
02/14/2020 to 02/21/2020
Salary
$121,316 to - $157,709 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
Washington, DC
FEW vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% or less - May require significant travel.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-time appointment in the Competitive Service. This position is in the bargaining unit.
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14 - This position has reached its full performance level.
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
AID-20-0045A-CRC
Control number
559912000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens - No prior Federal experience required.

Duties

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As a Democracy Specialist, your duties will include the following:

  • Designing and managing media development programs and projects with a special emphasis on Europe and Eurasia regional programming.
  • Serving as a senior expert for Europe and Eurasia region on media literacy and development.
  • Providing senior leadership with information on the media and disinformation programs and issues.
  • Identifying socio-cultural and institutional issues affecting the media development and democracy area.
  • Directing grantee organizations in the application of Bureau priorities and strategies to regional media development.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • United States Citizenship is required.
  • Relevant experience (see Qualifications below).
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
  • Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer is required.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959, must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • You will be required to serve a one-year probationary period.

You are encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application package.  Your application may not receive full consideration if you do not follow the instructions as outlined. 

SCREEN OUT QUESTION: You will be required to answer this question in the eligibility section of this announcement: 

Have you designed, managed and monitored regional program/project development activities specifically in the democracy and governance functional area in the Europe and Eurasia region?

Qualifications

GS-14: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; we consider part-time work on a prorated basis. Examples of qualifying specialized experience at the next lower level for this position includes: (a) serving as a technical expert in media freedom and democratic development; (b) developing regional program/project development activities in the democracy sector, specifically media literacy, media development, countering disinformation and social media; and (c) demonstrated experience working in support of USG or a multilateral organizations democracy development policies; (d) directing grantee organizations in the application of an Agency’s priorities and strategies to regional media development, and democratic problems.

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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, relevant to the duties of the position to be filled, including volunteer experience.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates will be referred to the selecting official if they are found well qualified. Well-qualified means an eligible employee who possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities which clearly exceed the minimum requirements of the position. A well-qualified employee must meet the qualification and eligibility requirements of the position, including any medical qualifications, suitability, and minimum education and experience requirements, meet all selective factors (where applicable); meet quality ranking factors and are assigned to the Silver Category or higher Category; be physically qualified with reasonable accommodation to perform the essential duties of the position; meet any special qualifying U.S. OPM-approved conditions; AND be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry without additional training.

A well-qualified candidate will not necessarily meet the definition of highly or best qualified when evaluated against other candidates who apply for a particular position. In the absence of selective and quality ranking factors, selecting officials will document the job-related reason(s) for qualification determinations.

Education

This position does not have a defined education requirement. Therefore, ​no transcripts are required.

Additional information

USAID is an independent Federal Government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. With headquarters in the District of Columbia, we operate in more than 100 countries around the world, playing an active and critical role in the promotion of U.S. foreign policy interests. When crisis strikes; when rights are repressed; when hunger, disease and poverty rob people of opportunity; USAID acts on behalf of the American people to help expand the reach of prosperity and dignity to the world’s most vulnerable people. USAID employees and contractors must commit to maintaining a workplace free of sexual misconduct, including harassment, exploitation, and abuse and adhere to USAID's Counter-Trafficking in Persons Code of Conduct. For information on the effort to counter all forms of human trafficking, including the procurement of commercial sex acts and the use of forced labor, visit http://www.state.gov/g/tip. For more information about USAID, visit http://www.usaid.gov.

This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
 
These are Testing Designated Positions (TDP’s) under the Agency’s approved Drug-Free Work Place Program.  All applicants selected for this position will be subject to random drug testing once they begin working for the Agency.

Moving and relocation expenses are not authorized.

Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies:

https://hru.gov/Studio_Recruitment/tools/Mythbuster_on_Federal_Hiring_Policies.pdf

EEO Policy: EEO Policy Statement.

Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement.

Veterans' Information:  Veterans Information.

Telework: https://www.telework.gov/.

Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/.

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual.  Information about an individual’s employment experience will be used only to determine the person’s qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities.  Although an individual’s conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including behavior during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, a financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your application package to ensure you meet the job and eligibility requirements, including the education and/or experience required for this position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/ No, Multiple Choice questions) and place you in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are “Gold,” “Silver,” and “Bronze.” However, your resume and/or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the “Gold” category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. How you will be evaluated for preference eligibility: Within each category, those entitled to veterans’ preference will be listed at the top of the pre-defined category for which they are placed. Preference eligibles with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest quality category (Gold) depending on the position and grade level of the job. (You must provide proof of disability rating with a letter from the Veteran's Administration showing disability percentage rating).

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies:

  • Democracy and Governance
  • International Development Policy
  • Written Communication
  • Oral Communication
  • Program/Project Management

To preview questions please click here.

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