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International Relations Officer

Department of Labor
Bureau of International Labor Affairs
Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

As an International Relations Specialist for ILAB, you will monitor compliance with and enforce labor provisions in U.S. free trade agreements with partner countries around the world and serve as project/program manager for assigned areas addressing the mission of ILAB.

This position is inside the bargaining unit.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/21/2023 to 12/15/2023
Salary
$132,368 to - $172,075 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
FEW vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
DE-23-PHL-ILAB-12212042-AOS
Control number
761652600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to all citizens of the U.S.

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Duties

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  • Support OTLA's efforts to monitor labor provisions in existing trade agreements; to engage with trade partner countries to assess compliance with, and secure adherence to, those labor provisions; and to strengthen partner governments' and other stakeholders' commitments to advance workers' rights within supply chains.
  • Coordinates policy positions and work products across ILAB offices, other DOL agencies, and outside stakeholders to advance ILAB missions regarding research, technical assistance, and policy engagement.
  • Provides technical guidance on methods, concepts, tools, usage, etc. to internal, external, and international audiences on mission-based activities.
  • Represents ILAB in international, interagency, and intra-agency working groups, committees, international meetings, conferences, etc. in the capacity of DOL or ILAB spokesperson to present and clarify DOL/U.S. policy related to the mission.
  • Serves as a liaison for the agency while coordinating with other U. S. Federal and State government officials and with representatives of international agencies to develop strategies and work plans to implement.
  • Develops and prepares in-depth analyses of assigned issues, initiatives, or programs at multiple levels to provide inputs for reports and other research, as well as for the development of policies and programs.
  • Formulates and writes detailed analyses of countries' deficiencies or compliance with international labor standards and labor provisions of U.S. trade and economic agreements and preference programs.
  • Produces and executes effective strategies and/or action plans to address labor, trade or development issues at the country, regional or sectoral levels, including for inter-agency or multilateral policy processes.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • Must be at least 16 years old.
  • Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
  • Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
  • Subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.
  • Incumbent must be able to speak, write, and read in all styles and forms of one of the following languages: Spanish, Arabic, or Korean.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

This position has a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify Specialized Experience/Education Substitution Statement(s):

  1. 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
  1. 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
  1. 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
In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position, you must also meet the specialized experience listed below.

For GS-14: Applicant must have 52 weeks of experience equivalent to at least a GS-13 in the Federal Service or private sector.
  • 1) Promoting or monitoring compliance with international labor/human rights, to include any of the following: labor/human rights related to freedom of association, the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining, forced labor, and employment discrimination; AND
  • 2) Building and maintaining relationships with domestic and international stakeholders/organizations; AND
  • 3) Formulating policy recommendations related to labor rights, industrial relations/equitable economic growth.
This position has a language proficiency requirement. The incumbent MUST be able to speak, read, and write in all styles and forms of the language pertinent to the duties of the position in either Spanish, Arabic, or Korean.

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

Additional information

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

This position is inside the bargaining unit. If the duty location is within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the Local 12, AFGE bargaining unit.

GS-14

Career Level Promotion: 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 the supervisor's recommendation to the next grade.

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. As such, the Department is committed to fostering a workplace and workforce that promote equal employment opportunity, reflects the diversity of the people we seek to serve, and models a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and accessibility where every employee feels heard, supported, and empowered.

The mission of the Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA) is to work to ensure that U.S. trade agreements are fair for American workers and workers around the world. We use all available tools - including negotiating strong labor provisions in our trade agreements and preference programs, monitoring for compliance, enforcing trade agreement and preference program commitments, and sharing technical expertise - to make sure that U.S. trade partners fulfill their promises and play by the rules, and that American workers can compete on a level playing field.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

Telework Positions: Eligibility is determined by management based on position duties during the recruitment process. Employee participation in telework on a routine or situational basis is determined by management primarily based on business needs. Employees participating in telework are subject to the terms and conditions of the Department of Labor's Telework Program.

Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

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.

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 qualification 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:

  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Partnering
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


Click here for Evaluation details.

You may preview questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12212042

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, volunteer, and other lived experience, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.). The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your vacancy question responses. If not, the OHR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume.

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) 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 eligible(s) who are placed into Category B or higher will be considered well-qualified. Be sure to review the eligibility questions to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

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

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