This position is on the Programming Team within the Office of Overseas Programming and Training Support (OPATS). The incumbent for this position is the lead subject matter expert, technical advisor, advocate, and representative of the Peace Corps' worldwide Community Economic Development ("CED") sector programming. The CED Specialist primarily serves as a resource for Peace Corps staff who are responsible for designing, implementing, and reviewing the multi-year CED projects.
Summary
This position is on the Programming Team within the Office of Overseas Programming and Training Support (OPATS). The incumbent for this position is the lead subject matter expert, technical advisor, advocate, and representative of the Peace Corps' worldwide Community Economic Development ("CED") sector programming. The CED Specialist primarily serves as a resource for Peace Corps staff who are responsible for designing, implementing, and reviewing the multi-year CED projects.
Current or Former Federal employees, regardless of tenure
Internal agency employees; including agency temporary employees, and eligible agency Experts.
The Program Specialist (Community Economic Development) performs the following major duties:
Technical Advisory and Assistance:
Provide on-demand personalized technical assistance to post staff who are responsible for designing, implementing, and reviewing the multi-year CED projects for which U.S. American Peace Corps Volunteers are recruited to serve.
Assist post staff in determining CED-related country development priorities based on in-country circumstances and Peace Corps' CED sector programming guidance.
Guide post staff through periodic, comprehensive, and participatory CED project design, review, and evaluation processes
Review and provide feedback on post-developed strategies, logical project frameworks, training sessions, learning strategies, monitoring & evaluation tools, and other resources that support their in-country CED projects.
Programming, Training, and Evaluation Systems:
Determine the direction and scope of standardized agency approaches to CED project design, implementation, and evaluation.
Author sector-specific guidance and reference documents for post staff to use in designing, implementing, and reviewing their CED projects.
Collaborate with the OPATS Training team, Monitoring & Evaluation team, Language team, Intercultural Competence Diversity Equity and Inclusion team, and Production team to ensure their work products are inclusive of and in alignment with CED sector programming guidance and practices.
Post Staff Capacity Development:
Facilitate a virtual global community of practice for post staff responsible for designing, implementing, and reviewing CED projects.
Foster peer-to-peer technical exchange related to CED programming, training, and evaluation.
Support the onboarding and professional development of post staff responsible for designing, implementing, and reviewing CED projects.
Resource Development, Curation, and Management:
Utilize experiential and adult learning theories to design CED knowledge resources in a variety of formats, including eLearning modules; idea books; session plans; slide decks; training manuals; and workbooks.
Create, obtain, revise, and organize a collection of resources that post staff can use to support Peace Corps Volunteer learning and performance of CED-related technical competencies.
Representation and Reporting:
Internally and externally promote an understanding of Peace Corps' CED sector and the work and impact of CED Volunteers in the field.
Serve as an authoritative source of CED-related consultation for other colleagues and offices within Peace Corps headquarters.
Represent Peace Corps' CED programming while participating in a variety of intra-agency and inter-agency fora (e.g., conferences, networking events, interagency working groups)
Compile, analyze, and synthesize agency data related to CED projects, and provide resulting feedback and consultation to internal stakeholders.
Applicants must successfully complete a background security investigation with favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet this requirement will be grounds for employment termination.
All Federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
A one year trial period is required.
This is a bargaining unit position.
This position requires a Public Trust background investigation.
Peace Corps Information
This is a Federal civilian job in the Excepted Service. Peace Corps employees are paid on the Foreign Personnel (FP) pay scale.
Initial appointment of employment cannot exceed five years.
All new employees are required to certify and submit a state of understanding acknowledging adherence to the Peace Corps condition of employment prior to day 1 of employment with the Peace Corps.
Additional hiring needs may be filled through this vacancy.
The Peace Corps is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.
The Peace Corps is a drug-free workplace and promotes a drug-free environment.
The Peace Corps is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive culture. Our goal is to attract and develop the best and brightest from all lifestyles and backgrounds. The Peace Corps strives to create a culture of inclusion where individuals feel respected and are treated fairly in all aspects of differences. Our commitment is to make a difference in the lives of people around the world.
The Peace Corps provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the hiring process, please notify the Office of Human Resources by calling 202-692-1200 or the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity on 202-692-2139. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation are made on a case-by-case basis.
Qualifications
Specialized Experience:
You must meet the specialized experience at the grade level(s) in which you choose to be considered by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 06/06/2023 (the closing date of the announcement). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. To ensure full credit for your experience, please indicate dates of employment by month, day, and year and the number of hours worked per week in your resume.
This vacancy is being announced at one grade level:
FP-3
Qualifying experience for the FP-3 level includes one year of specialized experience at least equivalent to the FP-4 or GS-12 level which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience includes: Experience establishing strategies for effectively integrating complementary development priorities into community economic development projects; Experience reviewing and providing feedback on developed strategies, logical project frameworks, training sessions, learning strategies, monitoring & evaluation tools, and other resources; Experience designing and/or providing Community Economic Development related professional developmental resources and activities for staff, including eLearning courses, in-person workshops, webinars, and self-directed learning resources.
All qualification requirements must be met by 06/06/2023 (the closing date of this announcement). Qualification claims will be subject to verification.
Please note: Peace Corps employees are employed using the Foreign Personnel (FP) pay scale. The FP pay plan does not follow the same structure as the GS pay plan. In the FP pay plan, as the grade-level numbers decrease the level/pay for the position increases (e.g., the FP-09 is the lowest entry-level pay and the FP-01 is the highest senior-level pay).
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
Intelligence Background Information
Peace Corps Manual Section 611 is applicable to this position. This section prohibits the employment of certain persons previously engaged in intelligence activities or connected with intelligence agencies within the past 10 years. If you have ever worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), you are not eligible for employment at the Peace Corps in any capacity, and you should not apply for employment.
Acceptance of employment with Peace Corps precludes employment by certain intelligence organizations for a specific period of time, determined by the employing agency, after Peace Corps employment ceases.
Applicants who are found to be otherwise qualified will be required to submit upon request in the future a completed Intelligence Background Questionnaire, or narrative signed statement, indicating whether the applicant has been involved in or has had any connection with intelligence activities or related work and, if so, the nature and dates of his or her involvement. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the applicant being rated ineligible for further consideration. If you have any other type of possible intelligence connection, your application will not be further considered until you submit this form. Except when the CIA or the National Security Agency (NSA) is involved (see below), if your connection with an Intelligence Agency involves an immediate family member who works or has worked in intelligence, the immediate family member should complete the form, not the applicant. Usually relying on memory is sufficient to answer most if not all of the questions.
If you have an immediate family member who works or has worked for the CIA, you should not give them this form to complete. Please contact your relative in person-not by phone, email, social networking, or any other means that is not in person- and ask him or her to contact the Office of General Counsel at the CIA.
If you or an immediate family member have been employed by or associated with the NSA, you or your family member must contact the NSA Prepublication Review Office at 443-634-4095.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will be evaluated based on your resume, attached supporting documentation, and your responses to the self-assessment questionnaire. Your materials will be evaluated to validate your possession of any required knowledge, skills, abilities, and/or competencies. The following competencies will be evaluated in the self-assessment questionnaire:
Education and Training
External Awareness
Manages and Organizes Information
Technical Competence
Please note that a complete application is required for consideration, including any documentation that is being used for qualifications. A Human Resources Specialist will review your resume and supporting documentation, which must support the answers you provided. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for disqualification.
National service refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through national service programs such as the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, as well as other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, community, student).
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package, including:
a detailed resume,
a completed electronic self-assessment questionnaire,
an SF-50 (for current and former Federal employees, including internal employees), and
the submission of any other required documents.
All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 06/06/2023 (the closing date of this announcement).
Resume: Include relevant work experience including job title, duties and accomplishments, employer name and address, supervisor name and phone number, start and end dates, hours per week and salary. If you are a current Federal employee or former Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series, and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09).
Veterans Documents: Veterans' preference in appointment does not apply to this vacancy.
Federal Employees: If you are a current or former Federal employee (including internal employees), you must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 (and/or the SF-50 which verifies your reinstatement eligibility). Please note that this appointment does not convey career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service. However, Federal employees who have earned career tenure will not lose it as a result of this appointment.
Qualifications Based on Education or a Combination of Education and Experience: If you are qualifying based on education or a combination of education and experience, you must submit a copy of your transcript(s) or an appropriate course listing with a diploma. Education must be accredited by an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be used towards qualifications. Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by recognized institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at this website.
Note: All applicants (including internal) are required to submit the applicable documents listed above as verification of eligibility. If you fail to provide the information requested, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you may lose consideration for these positions.
Click 'Apply Online' to create an account or log into your existing USAJOBS account.
Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents.
Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application.
Applications must be received by the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
Check your application status by logging into your USAJOBS account. Return to an incomplete application by clicking Apply Online in the vacancy announcement and re-selecting your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account.
Overseas Programming and Training Support
1275 First St. NE
Washington, DC 20002
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and by going to the "My Account" tab and clicking on "Application Status". For a more detailed update of your application status, you may go to "more information" under the individual vacancy.
USAJOBS has added an alert setting to their system to provide status updates for applicants. You can elect to activate the status updates from your USAJOBS profile at any point during the application process.
If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to the Selecting Official for further consideration.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package, including:
a detailed resume,
a completed electronic self-assessment questionnaire,
an SF-50 (for current and former Federal employees, including internal employees), and
the submission of any other required documents.
All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 06/06/2023 (the closing date of this announcement).
Resume: Include relevant work experience including job title, duties and accomplishments, employer name and address, supervisor name and phone number, start and end dates, hours per week and salary. If you are a current Federal employee or former Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series, and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09).
Veterans Documents: Veterans' preference in appointment does not apply to this vacancy.
Federal Employees: If you are a current or former Federal employee (including internal employees), you must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 (and/or the SF-50 which verifies your reinstatement eligibility). Please note that this appointment does not convey career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service. However, Federal employees who have earned career tenure will not lose it as a result of this appointment.
Qualifications Based on Education or a Combination of Education and Experience: If you are qualifying based on education or a combination of education and experience, you must submit a copy of your transcript(s) or an appropriate course listing with a diploma. Education must be accredited by an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be used towards qualifications. Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by recognized institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at this website.
Note: All applicants (including internal) are required to submit the applicable documents listed above as verification of eligibility. If you fail to provide the information requested, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you may lose consideration for these positions.
Click 'Apply Online' to create an account or log into your existing USAJOBS account.
Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents.
Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application.
Applications must be received by the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
Check your application status by logging into your USAJOBS account. Return to an incomplete application by clicking Apply Online in the vacancy announcement and re-selecting your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account.
Overseas Programming and Training Support
1275 First St. NE
Washington, DC 20002
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and by going to the "My Account" tab and clicking on "Application Status". For a more detailed update of your application status, you may go to "more information" under the individual vacancy.
USAJOBS has added an alert setting to their system to provide status updates for applicants. You can elect to activate the status updates from your USAJOBS profile at any point during the application process.
If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to the Selecting Official for further consideration.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.