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International Trade Specialist

Trade and Development Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is part of the US Trade and Development Agency. The incumbent assists the Regional Director in promoting economic development in the assigned region by identifying, recommending, and managing project preparation and partnership building activities.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/16/2024 to 05/07/2024
Salary
$68,405 to - $153,354 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 13
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Arlington, VA
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-MP-24-12385230MR
Control number
786879900

Duties

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Evaluate the potential of infrastructure development projects in emerging markets to facilitate U.S. exports and job creation.

Make preliminary determinations of the project's ability to meet USTDA funding criteria, including ability to obtain implementation financing and support U.S. exports and jobs.

Support USG foreign policy priorities by promoting host country economic growth.

Represent the Agency in a variety of forums to provide information about, explain, advocate, and defend USTDA program activities. o Develop and maintain business relationships with embassy officials, government officials, and private sector representatives in the U.S. and assigned countries.

Perform due diligence on prospective USTDA contractors and grantees.

Track ongoing and completed projects to assess commercial and developmental impact in order to assist the Evaluations Office with monitoring project developments.

Draft briefing materials, memoranda, talking points, speeches, and other written materials that support USTDA's leadership, the regional teams, and other stakeholders relevant to USTDA's project activities.

Provide formal and informal oral presentations to business groups, USTDA leadership, foreign audiences, and other stakeholders relevant to USTDA's project activities.

Requirements

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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).
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing
  • Background and security investigation for Secret and Top Secret Clearance.

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-09 level, you must meet one of the following qualifications:
One year of specialized experience that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the GS-07 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience that is in or directly related to the line of work of this position and has equipped you with the knowledge and competencies to successfully perform the duties of this position. More specifically, this requirement involves: Experience providing research with respect to international infrastructure projects using economic indicators and market trends in key sectors, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and environment; experience with foreign assistance programs that support infrastructure development in emerging markets; 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 developing and maintaining project tracking systems for the purpose of recommending changes in strategies that can lead to more efficient operations.

OR

A master's degree or equivalent degree or two full years of progressively higher- level education leading to such a degree, or an LL. B or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

OR

A combination of experience and education as described above, where the total percentage is equal to 100%.

In addition to meeting the basic qualification, at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following qualifications:
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

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

A Combination of education and experience as listed above.

In addition to meeting the basic qualification, at the GS-12 level, you must meet the following qualifications:

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.

In addition to meeting the basic qualifications, at the GS-13 level, you must meet the following qualifications:

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.

Applicants must carefully review the information in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section for important information and instructions pertaining to the multi-hurdle assessment process for this position.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

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 preaccredited/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

Career Transition Assistance Programs: CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. 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. 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.

This position is subject to a negative drug test prior to entrance on duty, and random drug testing while you occupy the position.

If selected, you will be required to file, prior to entrance on duty, 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 recurring telework with in-office days required.

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 position is being advertised concurrently with vacancy announcement #TDA-DE-24-12385229MR using Delegated Examining (DE) procedures. If interested, refer to that announcement to determine if you meet DE requirements and can apply to that announcement. NOTE: You must apply separately to each announcement in order to be considered under both.

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.

Once the application process is complete, your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the Assessment Questionnaire and any additional assessment required for this position. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

You will be evaluated for this job based on:

  • The experience listed in your resume and how well you meet the experience listed in the qualification section of announcement and the competencies listed.
  • On-line job Assessment Questionnaire
    • Competency based scaled self-report responses
  • Written assessment-Used to collect information about an applicants' training, education, experience, and past achievements related to critical job competencies. Applicants who meet a pre-determined score based on their responses to the traditional occupational questionnaire (self-assessment) will be required to respond to a written assessment.
    • Instructions related to the written assessment will be sent to applicants within 7 days of the vacancy closing date to the email address associated with the applicants' USA Jobs profile. Applicants must monitor their email and return their responses to the written prompts within a specified time frame after receiving notification. This time frame will be no earlier than 72 hours.
You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Business Planning & Resource Management
  • Oral Communication
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Written Communication

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