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Foundation Representative (Bilingual))

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Washington, D.C
Closing date
Apr 15, 2021
Duties

Summary

Support innovative solutions to development challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean! This position works within the Inter-American Foundation's (IAF) Office of Programs. The incumbent will function as the Foundation's programmatic contact for a funding portfolio in assigned regions/countries.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

  • Manages and provides guidance for the administration of a grant portfolio of grassroot community organizations. Functions as the Foundation's contact point for grant making in assigned regions/countries.
  • Liaises with other federal agencies, host governments, and international and national development institutions.
  • Assists, analyzes, and provides program guidance on development and implementation opportunities in the field requiring knowledge of community development issues in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  • Identifies potential grantee partners, pre-screens projects, visits potential grantees, analyzes grant proposals for consistency with Foundation priorities and guidelines, and presents proposals for discussion at project reviews.
  • Participates as a team member in the review of other projects. Coordinates the grant agreement process and consults with other Foundation offices, such as the Office of General Counsel, as necessary.
  • Manages active grants and partnerships, recommends amendments, and approves disbursements. Coordinates local contractors monitoring grants.
  • Prepares grant and country budgets and provides required information regarding assigned countries or grants. Works with external partners as necessary to conduct project activities.
  • Works with management and other Foundation Representatives to develop programs and strategies to carry out the performance goals in the Foundation's Strategic Plan. Drafts position papers on country contexts and development topics.
  • Summarizes and clarifies pragmatic, project-oriented, and general lessons learned from Foundation-supported project activities.
  • Maintains regional expertise and updated information regarding events affecting social and economic development in assigned countries and programs.
  • Translates strategic goals into program objectives (i.e., grant making and capacity building strategies, strategies for developing multi-partner efforts in priority thematic areas such as sustainable agriculture or social inclusion).


Travel Required

25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

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.


Qualifications

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

This position contains selective placement factors (SPF) that is part of the minimum requirement of the position. If you do not meet the SPF, you are ineligible for further consideration. The SPF for this position are:

1) Fluency in both English and Spanish, both orally and in writing,
2) Demonstrated experience living outside the continental US and working in the development arena, AND
3) Understanding of the social, political, economic, and cultural trends in Latin America or the Caribbean that impact development opportunities.

This must be documented in your resume.


Basic Requirements:

Applicants must meet one of the following basic requirements to be eligible for the Foundation Representative occupation:


Degree: behavioral or social science, or related discipline appropriate to the position.
OR

Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.
OR

Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field

In addition to the meeting the selective placement factors and basic requirements above, applicants must meet the specialized experience for each grade level.

Applicants for the GS-11 grade level must possess one year of specialized experience to at least the GS-09 level.

Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities 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, work that demonstrated the professional concepts and practices of social sciences AND experience with international or grassroots development, grant funding, or program administration.

This experience must be clearly reflected in your resume.

Applicants for the GS-12 grade level must possess one year of specialized experience to at least the GS-11 level.

Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities 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, work that demonstrated the professional concepts and practices of social sciences, as applied to international or grassroots development, grant funding, program administration, or social sciences with emphasis on international development assistance.

This experience must be clearly reflected in your resume.

Applicants for the GS-13 grade level must possess one year of specialized experience to at least the GS-12 level.

Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities 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, work that demonstrated the professional concepts and practices of social science as applied to international or grassroots development work; and must have included analyzing, monitoring, and coordinating such programs or grants and making program recommendations. It must also have demonstrated experience working with broad international development projects or the interrelationships of the various grant and aid processes.

This experience must be clearly reflected in your resume.

A written test is not required, however, if selected for an interview, portions of the interview will be conducted in Spanish, including a writing exercise.

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

Combination of education and/or experience may substitute for the specialized experience requirement:

GS-11: Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree leading to such a degree in Social or Behavioral Science or other directly related field of study.

Education alone will not qualify for the GS-12 or GS-13.

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

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.

Work Schedule:
This position allows for a flexible work schedule.

Miscellaneous:
IAF 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 # IAF-MP-21-11074090JS using Merit Promotion procedures. If interested, refer to that announcement to determine if you meet merit promotion 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.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

For Category Rating: Once the application process is complete, qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. The categories for this announcement are defined as: Best-Qualified and Qualified. Your resume and supporting documentation will then be used to determine if you are qualified for this job. 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. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

  • Community Development
  • Grant & Portfolio Management
  • Oral Communication
  • Program Planning and Resource Development and Management
  • Written Communication


The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three," but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligible within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your Resume listing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment mm/yy and duties performed.
2. Other supporting documents:
  • College transcript(s), if qualifying based on education or if this position has a basic education requirement
  • Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service, SF-15 Form and related documentation, VA letter, etc.)
  • Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program Documentation: If you are applying under CTAP or ICTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility under 5 CFR 330.602(a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible
  • Cover Letter, highly recommend
If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If applicable, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. Failure to provide this documentation may result in a non preference determination. For more information on veterans' preference (see https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-employment-initiative/vet-guide/ ).
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted prior to the closing date of the announcement.

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/

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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