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International Relations Specialist

Department of Labor
Bureau of International Labor Affairs
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Labor, Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT).  ILAB leads DOL's efforts to ensure that workers around the world are treated fairly and are able to share in the benefits of the global economy.  

- Additional selections may be made from this announcement.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
04/24/2020 to 05/08/2020
Salary
$72,030 to - $112,240 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Location
3 vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel is up to 7% per year.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13 - There is no obligation to provide future promotions if you are selected. Promotions are dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, meet all the performance requirements, and supervisor’s recommendation to the next grade.
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
DE-20-PHIL-ILAB-0046
Control number
566515800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to U.S. Citizens and ICTAP/CTAP in local commuting area. Also advertised as job #MS-20-PHIL-ILAB- for status applicants; ICTAP/CTAP eligibles in the local commuting area; Veterans' Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) eligible, VRA (GS-11 ONLY), 30% Disabled Veterans, Military Spouses and Qualified Land Management Eligibles; persons w/disabilities; and Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista.. To be considered for each, apply to BOTH jobs.

Duties

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ILAB's mission is to improve global working conditions, raise living standards, protect workers' ability to exercise their rights, and address the workplace exploitation of children and other vulnerable populations.

Major duties for this position include but are not limited to the following: 

  • Conducting substantive research on international child labor and forced labor issues.
  • Writing reports on international policy issues for public consumption.
  • Researching and summarizing laws.
  • Preparing relevant reports, papers, talking points, briefing books, memos, letters, proposals and background papers, including Congressionally-mandated reports for senior officials and others as directed.
  • Appling knowledge of international standards related to exploitive child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking to specific country contexts.  International standards include C138; C182; C029; C105; social, political and economic factors contributing to child labor and forced labor; UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; trafficking in persons, in general; Executive Order 13126 – Prohibition of Acquisition of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor; Trade and Development Act of 2000; and Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
  • Negotiating U.S. government policy positions.
  • Formulating policy or program recommendations by collaborating with colleagues, other agencies, foreign counterparts, and others to ensure policies or programs respond to DOL and US priorities and interests.
  • Representing ILAB on international, interagency, and intra-agency working groups, committees, international meetings and conferences in the capacity of DOL or ILAB spokesperson to present and clarify DOL/U.S. policy.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.
  • Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
  • Must be able to obtain/maintain a Secret security clearance.
  • Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.
  • Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.

Selective Placement Factor- Ability to read either Russian, French, and/or Spanish, including standard newspaper items addressed to the general reader, routine correspondence, reports, and technical materials related to the duties of the position

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Qualifications

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Basic Qualification Requirements:  Applicants must meet one of the following 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.

AND

Specialized Experience:  In addition to meeting the basic requirements listed above, applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. 

To qualify for the GS-11 grade level- Applicants must possess 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience conducting research and writing reports for public consumption on international policy issues;

OR

3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a 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

A combination of education and experience.

To qualify for the GS-12 grade level- Applicants must possess 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience conducting research and writing reports for public consumption on international policy issues; preparing talking points, memos, letters, and background materials for senior officials on international policy issues; and negotiating international policy issues with senior officials.

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 course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees’ differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

Refer to these links for more information:

GENERAL INFORMATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

How you will be evaluated

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

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.

Categories

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 qualifications requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

Research, Analysis, and Written Communication- Effectively applies knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods to conduct systematic and objective inquiry and analysis. Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.   

Policy Development- Formulates effective strategies to engage with assigned countries based on DOL and US priorities and interests and examines policy issues with a long-term perspective. Determines objectives and sets priorities; anticipates potential threats or opportunities.

Interagency Coordination- Effectively coordinates between elements of the Department, US Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and regional and international organizations for the purpose of accomplishing an objective.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your work experience and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview). The examining Human Resources Office (HRO) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the vacancy questions. If not, the HRO may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume. Your evaluation may also include a review by a Human Resources Specialist or panel and may include other assessments (ex. interview, panel review, written test, writing sample, etc.)

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLES 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 eligibles who are placed into Category B or higher will be considered "well-qualified".

Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.


To preview questions please click here.

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