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Development Assistance Specialist

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Washington, D.C
Closing date
Aug 28, 2019
Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL), Office of Development Cooperation (PPL/DC) in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center , 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC. PPL shapes USAID's development policy and programming guidance to ensure the Agency's work is grounded in evidence and reflects the most advanced thinking in International Development.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a Development Assistance Specialist, your duties will include:
  • Developing and implementing strategic engagement approaches with key bilateral partners, including both traditional donors and emerging economies, to advance core USAID and U.S. Government development and foreign policy priorities.
  • Overseeing PPL/DC internal and external communications and outreach on priority issues related to bilateral and multilateral engagement and effective development cooperation. Coordinating PPL/DC engagement with the network of foreign embassy development counselors in Washington, think tanks and civil society representatives.
  • Working extensively within the Agency and interagency in the development of bilateral engagement strategies and other relevant materials including those necessary to support the USAID Administrator and other senior USAID leadership.
  • Supporting USAID bureaus, offices, and missions in the pursuit of their bilateral and multilateral engagement objectives and developing a strategy for organizing, updating, and socializing a suite of PPL/DC engagement tools and services within the Agency, including regional bureaus and missions.
  • Representing the equities of PPL/DC and striving to ensure that strategies and policies include bilateral and multilateral engagement and effective development cooperation.
  • Overseeing the obligation and implementation of PPL/DC grants and contracts to relevant partners, and participating in discussions on budget formulation and execution and providing input on the required budget and financial management reporting exercise.


Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14 - The full performance level of this position is GS-14.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • United States Citizenship is required.
  • Relevant experience (see Qualifications below).
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959,must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer is required.
  • You will be required to serve a one-year Probationary Period


Note: Your answers to the assessment questionnaire must be supported in your resume.

You must meet the Time-in-Grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. To meet these requirements, you must have served at least 52 weeks at the next lower grade level (or equivalent) of the position advertised in this vacancy announcement.

Qualifications

GS-14; You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. Examples of qualifying specialized experience at the next lower level for this position includes experience: (a) engaging with key bilateral partners, including traditional donors and emerging economies; (b) identifying ways to resolve policy and program issues related to bilateral and multilateral engagement; and (c) developing policy positions on development issues to ensure USAID and U.S. Government equities are prioritized and advanced.

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. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, relevant to the duties of the position to be filled, including volunteer experience.

CTAP candidates will be referred to the selecting official if they are found well qualified. Well-qualified means an eligible employee who possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities which clearly exceed the minimum requirements of the position. A well-qualified employee must meet the qualification and eligibility requirements of the position, including any medical qualifications, suitability, and minimum education and experience requirements, meet all selective factors (where applicable); meet quality ranking factors and are assigned a score of 85 or higher; be physically qualified with reasonable accommodation to perform the essential duties of the position; meet any special qualifying U.S. OPM-approved conditions; AND be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry without additional training.

A well-qualified candidate will not necessarily meet the definition of highly or best qualified when evaluated against other candidates who apply for a particular position. In the absence of selective and quality ranking factors, selecting officials will document the job-related reason(s) for qualification determinations.

Education

This position does not have a positive education requirement. Therefore, no transcripts are required.

Additional information

This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

These are Testing Designated Positions (TDP's) under the Agency's approved Drug Free Work Place Program. All applicants selected for this position will be subject to random drug testing once they begin working for the Agency.

Moving and relocation expenses are not authorized.

Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies:

https://hru.gov/Studio_Recruitment/tools/Mythbuster_on_Federal_Hiring_Policies.pdf .

EEO Policy: EEO Policy Statement .

Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement .

Veterans' Information: Veterans Information .

Telework: https://www.telework.gov/ .

Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/ .

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience will be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.

USAID is an independent Federal Government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., USAID fosters transformational development around the world. Our work supports economic growth and trade; agriculture and the environment; education and training; democracy and governance; global health; global partnerships; and humanitarian assistance. We operate in the following regions of the world: Afghanistan and Pakistan, Africa, Asia, Europe and Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East. USAID employees in the Civil Service and Foreign Service, as well as individuals employed through Personal Service Contracts, must adhere to our Counter Trafficking in Persons Code of Conduct. For information on the effort to counter all forms of human trafficking, including the procurement of commercial sex acts and the use of forced labor, visit http://www.state.gov/g/tip. For more information about USAID, visit http://www.usaid.gov.

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 for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

We will review your application package to ensure you meet the job and eligibility requirements, including the education and/or experience required for this position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/ No, Multiple Choice questions) to determine if your answers to the assessment questionnaire are supported in your resume. If your answers to the online assessment questionnaire are not supported in the resume it will affect your eligibility for further consideration. You may be found "not qualified" if you do not possess the minimum competencies required for the position. If your application is incomplete, we will rate you as ineligible. Candidates that are rated as Highly Qualified will be referred to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies:
  • Partnering
  • Technical Competence
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Written and Oral Communication
  • Team Building
  • Planning and Evaluating

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

  • Resume showing relevant experience.
  • CTAP ; ICTAP Eligibles: Must submit a copy of the appropriate documentation such as a reduction-in-force (RIF) separation notice, a SF-50 reflecting your RIF separation, or a notice of proposed removal for declining a direct reassign or transfer of function to another commuting area.
  • If this position requires proof of higher education, you must include a copy of your transcript (unofficial or official) or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp for more information. Please be advised that an official transcript will be required if you are selected for the position.
  • Most recent copy of your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action); your document must reflect grade, step, tenure code "1" (Career) or "2" (Career-Conditional), and type of position occupied.
  • Veterans' documentation, if requesting consideration under any Veterans' hiring eligibilities ( veterans' preference and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act ). If seeking eligibility based on any other special hiring authority (e.g. disabled veteran, Schedule A, special hiring programs ).
  • Peace Corps letter


If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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