Duties

Summary

This position is located in the in the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA). 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.

Language Requirement - Ability to speak and read Spanish In all styles and forms of the language pertinent to the duties of the position .

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

- Additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement.

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

• Develops and maintains an understanding of the impact of international trade, economic policy, development finance, International development, and/or livelihoods policies on U.S. workers, U.S. Government (USG) policy priorities, and DOL/ILAB policy interests.
• Develops and maintains an understanding of international labor standards set by the International Labor Organization (ILO) with respect to forced labor, freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, employment discrimination, and child labor and other international workers' rights (e.g., acceptable conditions of work) and how to assess compliance with those standards and rights.
• Develops and maintains an understanding of the labor provisions of trade, investment, and development finance agreements and programs and ILAB's role and responsibilities in administering those provisions.
• Develops and maintains an understanding of the underlying policy and political interests that drive ILAB engagement and positions regarding these agreements and programs.
• Develops and maintains an understanding of various labor, employment, and livelihoods initiatives, programs, and interventions (e.g., labor inspections, labor-management relations, social Insurance schemes, labor administration, job skills training, train-the-trainer pedagogies) designed to advance workers' rights, working conditions, and livelihoods.
• Participates in the negotiation of policies and agreements and other efforts to effect the adoption of DOL/ILAB/OTLA policy positions.
• Executes technical assistance, engagement, and/or remediation strategies and plans designed to advance workers' rights, working conditions, and/or livelihoods for workers.
• Prepares a variety of written and oral communication products, including but not limited to reports, papers, talking points, oral and written presentations, briefing books, oral briefings, memos, letters, proposals, background papers, speeches, and Congressionally-mandated reports for the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Deputy Undersecretary, and others as directed.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - 10 percent of the time.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13 - 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 supervisor's recommendation to the next grade.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
• Subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

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 in A 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.

In addition to the basic requirements of this position, applicants must also possess 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.

For the GS-11:

To qualify for the GS-11 grade level, applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at the next lower grade level, GS-09. Specialized experience is experience conducting research on worker rights; conducting monitoring and/or analysis of company or country's policies or practices for compliance with international labor standards; and formulating policy recommendations;

OR

3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (related to the position to be filled.)

For the GS-12:

To qualify for the GS-12 grade level, applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at the next lower grade level, GS-11. Specialized experience is experience conducting research on worker rights; conducting monitoring and/or analysis of company or country's policies or practices for compliance with international labor standards; and negotiating and formulating policy recommendations.

For the GS-13:

To qualify for the GS-13 grade level, applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience at the next lower grade level, GS-12. Specialized experience is experience conducting research on worker rights; conducting monitoring and/or analysis of company or country's policies or practices for compliance with international labor standards and drafting reports or other documentation discussing findings; and negotiating and formulating policy recommendations.

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.

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

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 to reflect that you are applying as a ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

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

Compliance- Effectively assesses, evaluates, and monitors programs, policies, ad practices for compliance with relevant international standards and/or domestic statutes, such as national laws, regulations, and guidance.

Legal Analysis- Effectively applies knowledge of appropriate legal principles and processes to conduct systematic and objective inquiry and analysis, including by designing appropriate research agenda, collecting relevant data, conducting in-depth analyses, and reporting results in a manner appropriate for the intended audience.

Strategic Thinking - Formulates effective strategies consistent with the business and competitive strategy of the organization in a global economy. Examines policy issues and strategic planning with a long-term perspective. Determines objectives and sets priorities; anticipates potential threats or opportunities.

Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience, with the ability to synthesize complex set of ideas, facts, and messages into clear, coherent and concise arguments.

Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Influencing/Negotiating - Persuades others to accept recommendations, cooperate, or change their behavior; works with others towards an agreement; negotiates to find mutually acceptable solutions.

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 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.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process

Required Documents

- 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 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.

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.

- Resume are required to provide a resume by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of your choosing. Cover letters are optional. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list month, year, and the number of work hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to the vacancy questionnaire.

- 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 .

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): 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.