Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Labor, Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT). ILAB leads DOL's efforts to ensure that workers around the world are treated fairly and are able to share in the benefits of the global economy.

- This position is inside the bargaining unit.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

ILAB's mission is to improve global working conditions, raise living standards, protect workers' ability to exercise their rights, and address the workplace exploitation of children and other vulnerable populations.

Major duties for this position include but are not limited to the following:

• Conduct substantive research on international child labor and forced labor issues.
• Write reports on international policy issues for public consumption.
• Researches and summarizes laws.
• Prepares relevant reports, papers, talking points, briefing books, memos, letters, proposals and background papers including Congressionally-mandated reports for senior officials and others as directed.
• Applies knowledge of international standards related to exploitive child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking to specific country contexts. International standards include C138; C182; C029; C105; social, political and economic factors contributing to child labor and forced labor; UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; trafficking in persons, in general; Executive Order 13126 - Prohibition of Acquisition of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor; Trade and Development Act of 2000; and Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
• Negotiates U.S. government policy positions.
• Formulates policy or program recommendations by collaborating with colleagues, other agencies, foreign counterparts, and others to ensure policies or programs respond to DOL and US priorities and interests.
• Represents ILAB on international, interagency, and intra-agency working groups, committees, international meetings and conferences in the capacity of DOL or ILAB spokesperson to present and clarify DOL/U.S. policy.

Travel Required

25% or less - Travel up to 20% is required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13 - There is no obligation to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Promotions are dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the need for an employee promoted to the higher level, and supervisory approval.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
• Requires a probationary period if requirement has not been met.
• U.S. Citizenship.and Must be at least 16 years of age.
• Must be able to obtain/maintain a Secret security clearance.
• Subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.

Applicants must meet time-in-grade, time-after-competitive-appointment and qualifications requirements within 30 calendar days after the closing date of the vacancy to be eligible for consideration for selection.

Federal Employees Please Note: Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met and reflects your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. competitive/excepted). In some cases you may need to submit more than one SF-50.

Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Qualifications

Basic Qualification Requirements: Applicants must meet one of the following basic requirements.

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

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 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

OR

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. This experience must have included either (a) responsibility for the direction and coordination of research, analysis, or other professional work in one or more of the fields listed in A above, or (b) specialized professional work involving a high level of difficulty and responsibility in one or more of these fields.

Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements listed above, applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.

To qualify at the GS-09 level, you must possess: Two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in one of the disciplines listed above OR One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as experience conducting research and writing reports for public consumption on international policy issues.

OR

Equivalent combination of education and experience.

Selective Placement Factor:In addition to the basic requirements and specialized experience, applicants must be able to read French, Spanish, Arabic and/or Russian, including standard newspaper items addressed to the general reader, routine correspondence, reports, and technical materials related to the duties of the position.

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

Additional information

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees' differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

Federal Employees Please Note: Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met and reflects your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. competitive/excepted). In some cases you may need to submit more than one SF-50.

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

Additional vacancies may be filled using this announcement, if authorized.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Click here for Evaluation details. For Displaced Employees ONLY: if you meet the eligibility requirements for special priority selection under ICTAP / CTAP , you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. ICTAP/CTAP eligibles will be considered "well-qualified" if they attain at least a rating score of 85 in a numerical rating scheme. Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility Questions #24 and 27 to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP/CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

Research, Analysis, and Written Communication - Effectively applies knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods to conduct systematic and objective inquiry and analysis. Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

Policy Development - Formulates effective strategies to engage with assigned countries based on DOL and US priorities and interests and examines policy issues with a long-term perspective. Determines objectives and sets priorities; anticipates potential threats or opportunities.

Interagency Coordination - Effectively coordinates between elements of the Department, US Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and regional and international organizations for the purpose of accomplishing an objective.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your work experience and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview). Your evaluation may also include a review by an HR Specialist or panel and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc). The examining Human Resources Office (HRO) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your vacancy question responses. If not, the HRO may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. Also, do not upload password protected documents. Follow the instructions: click How To Submit Supplemental Documentation Document.

The following documents are required from all applicants (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY):

ARE YOU A CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEE? If applying as a status candidate with current or former Federal Service, please provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" which shows your appointment eligibility for the position for which you are applying. Your SF-50 must identify the highest grade you held on a permanent basis, Pay Plan/Pay Schedule, Series, and Grade/Pay Band, and career status. Multiple SF-50 may be submitted to demonstrate your highest previous rate and eligibility.

*WARNING: An award SF-50 (ex. cash or time off award) may not indicate grade, step and competitive status. For current DOL employees, an award SF-50 DOES NOT indicate grade and step.

- Most recent performance appraisal/evaluation signed and dated within 18 months is requested by the agency, but will not disqualify candidates if not submitted. If not submitted during the application process, one may/will be requested at the time of the interview if the opportunity is extended. Applies to current and former Federal employees.

- Land Management Eligibles: a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent) proving your eligibility for appointment under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act. This service must have been performed in the competitive service, under a time limited appointment in a Land Management Agency, as defined by P.L. 114-328. For more information, click here .

- Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - submit if using education as a basis for qualifying for this position. If so, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, PHD, etc). If specific course work is required to qualify, you must supply transcripts from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit.

You may upload your transcript(s) as one document (3 MB size limit). If over 3 MB, please submit via fax feature.

OFFICIAL Transcripts MUST BE RECEIVED prior to selection and report date. Reference the "Education Section" for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

The following documents are required if applicable:

- Displaced Employee Placement Documents - Only required if requesting priority consideration under ICTAP / CTAP Eligibility.

- DD-214 - verifying military service, eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) and showing character of discharge (ex. Member Copy 4 and 2 are acceptable vs. Copy 1 which is not acceptable to adjudicate veteran's preference)

- Special/Non-Competitive Appointing Authority Documents - Applicants who are eligible for consideration, and wish to be considered, under one of the following non-competitive hiring authorities must submit appropriate documentation (click on the links below to see the documentation requirements):

Persons with Severe Disabilities (SCHEDULE A)

Former Peace Corps Volunteers OR Current of Former Peace Corps Employees.

Military Spouses (MISP)

- Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship , and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

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.