Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

International Trade Specialist

Trade and Development Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is with the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. The incumbent works with the Regional Director and Country Managers in one of USTDA's four geographic offices to promote economic development in the assigned region by identifying, recommending, and managing project preparation and partnership building activities.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/08/2023 to 03/28/2023
Salary
$78,592 to - $145,617 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 13
Location
5 vacancies in the following location:
Arlington
Remote job
No
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
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
TDA-23-11853555MR
Control number
711535600

Duties

Help
  • Evaluate infrastructure development projects in emerging markets to facilitate U.S. exports, job creation, and assess the project's ability to meet USTDA funding criteria, obtain implementation financing, and support U.S. exports and jobs.
  • Represent the Agency in a variety of forums to provide information about, explain, advocate, and defend USTDA program activities.
  • Develop and maintain business relationships with embassy officials, government officials, and private sector representatives in the U.S. and assigned countries and support USG foreign policy priorities by promoting host country economic growth.
  • Track ongoing and completed projects to assess commercial and developmental impact to assist the Evaluations Office with monitoring project developments and perform due diligence on prospective USTDA contractors and grantees.
  • Provide formal and informal oral presentations, draft briefing materials, memoranda, talking points, speeches, and written materials to support USTDA's leadership, regional teams, and other stakeholders relevant to USTDA's project activities.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • US Citizenship is required.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, determined by background investigation.
  • Direct Deposit of pay is required.
  • Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt.
  • Status candidates must meet time-in-grade (see Qualifications).

Qualifications

Applicants must meet the BASIC QUALIFICATION requirement for this position described below.

Undergraduate and/or Graduate Education:
Major study -- marketing, business administration, political science, public administration, history, business or commercial law, economics, finance, international trade, or international relations.

OR

Experience: Experience that demonstrates knowledge of:

  • Marketing that included economic, psychological, and sociological influences bearing upon consumption patterns;
  • Business practices pertaining to wholesale, retail, manufacturers' distribution, distribution costs, finance and tax structure, and similar areas of activity or concern; and
  • International economic and political factors influencing balance of payments, monetary exchange and tariffs, and their bearing on the distribution of commodities.
In addition to meeting the basic qualification, at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following qualifications:
A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level. Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position includes but is not limited to: Experience providing substantive research with respect to international infrastructure projects using economic indicators and market trends in key sectors, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and environment; Experience providing services and research related to project development, such as grant agreements, scopes of work for contracts, studies, feasibility studies, or other contract or grant activities; Experience with foreign assistance programs that support infrastructure development in emerging markets; Providing services and research related to project development in related areas of expertise; Experience providing research on international trade, technical and economic trends; Experience providing foreign assistance, trade policy, commercial development, finance, banking, or other activities that contribute to the development of infrastructure initiatives or other similar initiatives requiring capital investment; Development and maintenance of business relationships with U.S. and foreign private sector representatives and government officials in the development of infrastructure projects; Professional-level industry-specific research related to infrastructure and large-scale development projects;
OR
B. A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M., if related;
OR

C. A Combination of education and experience as listed above.

At the GS-12 level, you must meet the following qualification:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level. Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position includes but is not limited to: Experience providing substantive research with respect to international infrastructure projects using economic indicators and market trends in key sectors, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and environment; Experience providing foreign assistance, trade policy, commercial development, finance, banking, or other activities that contribute to the development of infrastructure initiatives or other similar initiatives requiring capital investment; Development and maintenance of business relationships with U.S. and foreign private sector representatives and government officials in the development of infrastructure projects; Professional-level industry-specific research related to infrastructure and large-scale development projects.

At the GS-13 level, you must meet the following qualification:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level. Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position includes but is not limited to: Experience providing substantive research with respect to international infrastructure projects using complex economic indicators and market trends in key sectors, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and environment; Significant experience providing foreign assistance, trade policy, commercial development, finance, banking, or other activities that contribute to the development of infrastructure initiatives or other similar initiatives requiring sizable capital investment; Development and maintenance of business relationships with U.S. and foreign private sector representatives and government officials in the development of major infrastructure projects; Experience providing professional-level industry-specific research related to infrastructure and large-scale development projects.

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).

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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

If qualifying based on EDUCATION you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

Only education from institutions which are accredited or pre-accredited/candidate for accreditation may be used to meet education requirements.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for RA for Online Assessments here.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Please refer to Required Documents section for additional details. For information on CTAP and ICTAP visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

Appointment Authorities: For more information on appointment authority eligibility requirements:


Telework Suitability:
The duties of this position are suitable for occasional telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval and if they meet the eligibility criterion in the 2010 Telework Act.

Stipulations of Employment:

Selection may require completion of a 1-year probationary period.

If selected, you will be required to file a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450).

Applicants must be eligible to obtain and keep a security clearance. Appointment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.

Work Schedule:

This position allows for a flexible work schedule.

Miscellaneous:

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

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill similar positions within 90 days.

If selection is made below the full performance level, promotion up to the full performance level may be made without further competition. However, promotion(s) will depend on the performance of the incumbent and are not guaranteed.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment(s) required for this position (if applicable). You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

Note: Duplicative competencies indicate that the competency is being assessed in both the Assessment Questionnaire and USA Hire Competency Based Assessment.

  • Attention to Detail
  • Attention to Detail
  • Business Planning & Resource Management
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Oral Communication
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Written Communication

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online USA Hire Competency Based Assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.