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International Affairs Specialist

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on his or her expertise as a International Affairs Specialist. Make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.

Location - Lakewood, Colorado; Deputy Commissioner - Operations; Native American and International Affairs Office.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
10/26/2020 to 04/06/2021
Salary
$58,006 to - $109,358 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 12
Location
Lakewood, CO
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
BR-WO-2020-197
Control number
582750500

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Duties

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The primary duties of this position are:
Implements Reclamation's reimbursable international activities including technical assistance and training to federal, foreign governmental agencies, and international organizations and non-reimbursable cooperative technology exchange activities.

Conducts negotiations with representatives from other federal agencies, foreign governmental entities, international organizations, and other agencies to define the scope of specific Reclamation activities for reimbursable technical assistance and training programs, and non-reimbursable cooperative technology exchange.

Implements Reclamation's non-reimbursable visitor programs (no more than one day) for foreign personnel visiting Reclamation facilities to learn more about Reclamation.

Represents Reclamation at conferences and meetings with foreign water officials visiting the United States, conducts briefings in the Commissioner's Office or the Department. Serves as a liaison between the Commissioner's Office and other Reclamation offices and other agencies or outside organizations. The incumbent collects and analyzes background information concerning international water issues or other topics and prepares reports or briefing papers.

Reviews and interprets relevant legislation, Executive Orders, State foreign-policy material, and Department of the Interior (Department)/Reclamation policies and guidance to develop, articulate, and promulgate policy, directives, and guidance pertaining to the International Affairs Program.

Serves as a backup to the Foreign Travel Specialist.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

To be eligible, an applicant must meet the following:

  • U.S. Citizen or National
  • Suitability for Federal employment determined by background investigation
  • Submit a resume and supporting documentation - See How to Apply
  • Meet specialized experience requirements - See Qualifications
  • Submit transcripts, if required, to verify education requirements
  • For veterans consideration, submit documents under Required Documents
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements, time-in grade restrictions, by the closing date of the announcement 11/16/2020.

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). Applicants eligible under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) are not required to meet time-in-grade restrictions in order to be considered.

Applicants may be required to serve an initial probationary period.

Qualifications

To qualify at the GS-12 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 in Federal service. Specialized experience at this level is defined as: Examples of specialized experience include: Implementing foreign visitor and foreign technical training programs related to water resources programs, working with domestic and foreign governments, organizations and entities; and specific experience with the execution of water resources and related programs in foreign countries.

To qualify at the GS-11 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 in Federal service. Specialized experience at this level is defined as: Examples of specialized experience include: Assisting with the implementation of foreign visitor and foreign technical training programs related to water resources programs, working with domestic and foreign governments, organizations and entities; and general experience with the execution of water resources and related programs in foreign countries.

To qualify at the GS-09 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 in Federal service. Specialized experience at this level is defined as: Examples of specialized experience include: experience with international organizations involved in water resources development and management; political, economic and technical factors of the International Affairs program for use in evaluating proposals from foreign countries; different cultural practices; and applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to identify and resolve issues and problems of a unique nature.

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. Applicants will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

If selected, the selectee will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications. An official transcript must be sent directly from the University's Registrar's office and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer.

Education

GS-09: master's or equivalent graduate degree, 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, LL.B. or J.D., if related.

GS-11: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., if related

Additional information

At the present time, we have one vacancy; however, this announcement may be used to fill additional, equivalent positions at this duty location.

Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

Selective Service: Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov

How you will be evaluated

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

Human Resources (HR) will review resumes and submitted documents, if applicable, to ensure applicants meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided in the assessment questionnaire. The assessment questionnaire will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Applicants determined best qualified will be referred to the selecting official.

Applicants will be further evaluated on the following Competencies through his/her resume and responses to the online questions.

Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.

External Awareness: Identifies and keeps up-to-date on key agency policies/priorities and economic, political, and social trends which affect the organization; understands where the organization is headed and how to make a contribution.

Writing: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a brief, clear, and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience.

Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Customer Service: Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.

Applicant's answers to questions will be verified against information provided in their online resume. Be sure that the resume clearly supports the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. Applicants must make a fair and accurate assessment of their qualifications. If a determination is made that an applicant has rated themselves higher than is apparent in his/her description of experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training OR that his/her resume/application is incomplete, the applicant may be rated ineligible or his/her score may be lowered.

Preview assessment questions here:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10922685

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