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Foreign Agricultural Affairs Officer (Trainee)

Department of Agriculture
Foreign Agricultural Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is a small but dynamic foreign affairs agency with approximately 140 Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) in 93 offices in 171 countries around the world. Overseas, FSOs are responsible for supporting FAS efforts in agricultural trade promotion; trade policy; trade capacity building and food security. FSOs can expect to spend about a quarter of their career serving in USDA/FAS headquarters in Washington, D.C., in positions throughout the agency.



Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/02/2022 to 05/20/2022
Salary
$61,947 to - $116,788 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 12
Location
20 vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
75% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - These are term appointments not to exceed 18 months-although trainee appointments may be extended up to a total of four years
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
DEU-11440803-22-FAS
Control number
651889000

Duties

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  • FSO Trainees undertake training while assigned in Washington, DC and participate and complete all aspects of their training program and perform work as directed by their supervisor. The training period may be up to 4 years (average is 2.5 years).
  • The duties described are at the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity. The duties may include, but are not limited to the following:
  • Administer market development and credit guarantee programs; develop and implement agricultural trade missions and trade shows; and maintain effective working relationships with domestic agricultural industry groups.
  • Coordinate and prepare global agricultural commodity analysis strategy containing timely and reliable market information and data on production, consumption, trade, stocks, and prices.
  • Analyze market conditions, government policies, and commercial practices for policymakers to support USDA export programs, trade policies, and market access issues; formulate long-term trade strategies to address trade policy.
  • Prepare correspondence, briefing books, market profiles, and other background information related to agricultural trade.
  • Identify, monitor, and contribute to removal or reduction of agricultural tariff and non-tariff trade, technical, sanitary, and phytosanitary barriers; support market access initiatives through policy analysis.
  • Participate in monitoring and formulating strategies for administering USDA trade capacity building and food assistance programs; work to implement development activities to enhance trade and food security goals

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/
  • Successful completion of one-year trial period is required.
  • Testing Designated Position: Selectee must submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and random testing thereafter. Final appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results for illegal drug use.
  • Selectees will be required to obtain a world-wide medical pre-employment clearance issued by the State Department.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
  • Selectees will be required to sign a Worldwide Availability Agreement and a Service Agreement.
  • Foreign Service Officers are obligated to serve abroad and expected to serve abroad for substantial portions of their careers.
  • Foreign Service Officers are expected to serve anywhere in the world (worldwide), even in cases where family members cannot go to post due to political instability and/or other concerns.
  • Current Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) career employees will have re-employment rights back to FAS if not converted into the Foreign Service.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

FOR THE GS-09 LEVEL: In order to qualify for this position at the GS-09 level applicants must possess one of the following:
1. One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service OR
2. Have qualifying education OR
3. Have a combination of specialized experience and qualifying education.
Specialized Experience: Applicants qualifying for the GS-09 level based on experience must provide evidence of the following type of specialized experience in their resume. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating:
- Experience assisting with professional work in one of the following five areas:

  • Analyzing economic and trade policies; or
  • Analyzing marketing and consumer trends; or
  • Conducting statistical analysis; or
  • Writing in economic subjects; or
  • Financial market analysis
OR
Education: In order to qualify for the GS-09 level based on education applicants must have successfully completed at master's degree (or equivalent) or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, in a field of study directly related to the duties of this position, such as: economics, agricultural or applied economics, statistics, or other directly related fields of study from an accredited university. Applicants qualifying for the GS-09 level based on education must submit copies of their college transcripts. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.
OR
Combination of Specialized Experience and Qualifying Education: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the GS-09 grade level. Applicants qualifying for the GS-09 level based on a combination of experience and education must show evidence of their experience in their resume and they must submit copies of their college transcripts. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.

FOR THE GS-11 LEVEL: In order to qualify for this position at the GS-11 level applicants must possess one of the following:
1. One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 level in the Federal service OR
2. Have qualifying education OR
3. Have a combination of specialized experience and qualifying education.

Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-11 level based on specialized experience applicants must possess one year or more of specialized experience that was equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-09) in the Federal service that has provided them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed in order to successfully perform the duties of the position at the GS-11 level. Specialized experience may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors, be paid or unpaid, and is typically gained in the same field as the position being filled or another very closely related field.
Applicants qualifying for the GS-11 level based on experience must provide evidence of the following type of specialized experience in their resume. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating:
- Experience assisting with or performing professional work in, two of the following five areas:
  • Analyzing economic and trade policies; or
  • Analyzing marketing and consumer trends; or
  • Conducting statistical analysis; or
  • Writing in economic subjects; or
  • Financial market analysis
OR
Education: In order to qualify for the GS-11 level based on education applicants must have successfully completed at least three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree such as: economics, agricultural or applied economics, statistics, or other directly related fields of study from an accredited university. Applicants qualifying for the GS-11 level based on education must submit copies of their college transcripts. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.
OR
Combination of Specialized Experience and Qualifying Education: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the GS-11 grade level. Only graduate education beyond the second full-time year may be combined with experience. Applicants qualifying for the GS-11 level based on a combination of experience and education must show evidence of their experience in their resume and they must submit copies of their college transcripts. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.

FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL - In order to qualify for this position at the GS-12 level applicants must possess one year or more of specialized experience that was equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal service that has provided them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the position at the GS-12 level. Specialized experience may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors, be paid or unpaid, and is typically gained in the same field as the position being filled or another very closely related field.
Applicants must provide evidence of the following type of specialized experience in their resume in order to qualify for this position at the GS-12 level. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating:
- Experience performing professional work in one of the following three areas:
  • Analyzing economic and trade policies; or
  • Analyzing marketing and consumer trends; or
  • Performing market analysis
AND
Experience performing professional work in conducting economic analysis and writing on economic subjects.
NOTE: There is no substitution of education allowed at the GS-12 level.



Education

TRANSCRIPTS are required if:

  • You are qualifying for the position based on education.
  • You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in colleges or universities outside of the United States may be used to meet qualification requirements. To be eligible, applicants must provide acceptable
documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received at an accredited
educational institution in the United States. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.

EDUCATION ACCREDITATION: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be creditable toward meeting the minimum qualification requirements. To verify your college/university accreditation, please visit:
http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/



Additional information

  • This is a multi-level assessment process. The highest ranking/best qualified applicants will be given a Written Exercise. Those candidates who pass the Written Exercise will be invited to participate in a one-day virtual Applicant Assessment Forum. The applications of "Best Qualified" applicants who pass the Written Exercise and the Assessment Forum will be referred for selection consideration. Those applicants who are referred for selection consideration but not selected during the first hiring round will be maintained in an applicant inventory for a period of 24 months and will be referred for future selection consideration as needed during that time period.
  • Those Foreign Service Officers who demonstrate the needed competencies will be commissioned into the Foreign Service and can look forward to professional careers with increasing rank and responsibility, averaging 25 years.
  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
  • First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range of which they are selected
  • Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
  • This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.
  • This is a term appointment not to exceed 18 months. (Appointment may be extended up to 4 years without re-announcing). For more details click: Term Appointments
  • Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:

    • Written and Oral Communication Skills
    • Analytical Skills
    • Leadership Skills
    • Interpersonal Skills
    • Client Service Skills
    • Cultural Adaptability/Diversity and Inclusion
Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be scheduled for the online written exercise. referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume demonstrates the required education and/or experience is met as described in the qualifications section of the job announcement. Your resume must clearly address the experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position.

To preview the application questionnaire, please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11440803

Assessment Process

This is a multi-level assessment process. The highest ranking/best qualified a will be invited to complete a Written Exercise.Applicants should review the information below in its entirety and are responsible for monitoring their email for additional hurdle information and responding by the deadline listed in the notification.

Written Exercise: A panel of subject matter experts will review and evaluate your written exercise. Applicants who pass the Written Exercise will then be invited to participate in a one day online Applicant Assessment Forum in order to receive further consideration. Applicants should review the information below in its entirety and are responsible for monitoring their email for additional hurdle information and responding by the deadline listed in the notification.

Assessment Forum: The Assessment Forum will include written, group and oral exams. The successful applicant will demonstrate the following dimensions that reflect the skills, abilities and personal qualities deemed essential to the work of the Foreign Service: written and oral communication skills, analytical skills, interpersonal skills, leadership skills, and client service skills.

The Assessment Forum is tentatively scheduled to take place virtually August/September 2022.

Applicants must pass each portion of the assessment process. If you do not pass the written exercise and all of the exams in the Assessment Forum, you will not be considered for these positions. Those that pass all of the exams in the Assessment Forum will be referred to the selecting officials on a certificate of eligibles for further consideration.

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