Duties

Summary

You are encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application package. Your application may not receive full consideration if you do not follow the instructions as outlined.

This announcement is an open continuous announcement which may be used to fill multiple positions within USAID. The primary duty station for this position is located at USAID Annex, 500 D Street, SW, Washington, DC in the Bureau for Global Health, Office of HIV/AIDS (GH/OHA.)

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

This is an Open Continuous Announcement to establish a standing register of qualified candidates to refer as vacancies occur. The first cut-off date for receipt/referral of applications will be 30 days after the opening of this announcement; after this date additional referral lists will be created as vacancies are available. Applicants will be reviewed periodically to ensure applicants are eligible and qualified for the particular position. Final application disposition will be completed once the announcement reaches the end of the open period stated in the announcement. ****

The incumbent will serve as a Health Science Specialist within GH/OHA in a designated branch within one of the following divisions: Prevention, Care and Treatment (PCT), Priority Populations, Integration and Rights (PPIR), Research (RES), Strategic Coordination and Communication (SCC), Supply Chain for Health (SCH), Systems and Program Sustainability (SPS), or Strategic Information, Evaluation, and Informatics (SIEI) Divisions.

As a Health Science Specialist, your duties will include:

• Lead analyses and development of concepts for new and/or revised USAID and PEPFAR policies, and programmatic guidance related to HIV/AIDS and broader health goals
• Serves as a technical expert on Agency-wide activities and related projects or studies that have significant impact on USAID and PEPFAR HIV program goals.
• Serves as a technical backstop for PEPFAR countries and provides consultations to USAID field Missions and PEPFAR teams on the development, implementation, and monitoring of activities to advance and sustain the HIV response.
• Synthesizes and disseminates up-to-date key research findings, cutting edge methodologies, and best practices for HIV/AIDS to advance USAID and PEPFAR programs and development of briefers and recommendations for OHA and Agency leadership for strategies and investments.
• Manage and evaluates major centrally managed grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts in the area of health science, and prepares concept papers and background analyses for new activities and procurements.
• Additional duties as assigned based on the division which you may be selected for.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional travel 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.

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

Qualifications

This position includes a positive education requirement- you must provide unofficial transcripts to receive consideration for this position. NOTE: Experience must be documented in your resume.

Specialized Experience:

GS 14 : In addition to the positive education requirement YOU MUST have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 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 include: Has demonstrable expertise in developing, managing, and/or implementing policies, strategies, plans, and/or treatment in low-to-middle income countries for a) HIV and/or HIV-TB co-infection treatment programs or; b) gender and gender-based violence and HIV programs or; c) research and development of biomedical products used for HIV prevention or; d) strategic design, implementation and evaluation of large-scale HIV/AIDS health programs or; e) interagency collaboration on global supply chain issues/programs or; f) designing and implementing health financing strategies to advance promotion of sustainable approaches to health programming.

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.

ICTAP 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 to the Silver Category or higher Category; 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

The position requires a Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in a major or study for an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the scope of work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U. S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

Additional information

This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

USAID is an independent Federal Government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. With headquarters in the District of Columbia, we operate in more than 100 countries around the world, playing an active and critical role in the promotion of U.S. foreign policy interests. When crisis strikes; when rights are repressed; when hunger, disease and poverty rob people of opportunity; USAID acts on behalf of the American people to help expand the reach of prosperity and dignity to the world's most vulnerable people. USAID employees and contractors must commit to maintaining a workplace free of sexual misconduct, including harassment, exploitation, and abuse and adhere to USAID's 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.

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 conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including behavior during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, a financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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) and place you in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are "Gold," "Silver," and "Bronze." However, your resume and/or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the "Gold" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. How you will be evaluated for preference eligibility: Within each category, those entitled to veterans' preference will be listed at the top of the pre-defined category for which they are placed. Preference eligibles with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest quality category (Gold) depending on the position and grade level of the job. (You must provide proof of disability rating with a letter from the Veteran's Administration showing disability percentage rating).

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies:

• Technical Competence
• Program/Project Management
• Collaboration and Partnership
• Written & Oral Communication

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
No

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

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

• Resume showing relevant experience.
• 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 ).
• 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. You MUST also submit documentation to reflect your current (or last) performance rating of record of at least "fully successful" (Level III) or equivalent, along with your application/resume package.
• If this position requires proof of higher education, you must submit a copy of your transcript(unofficial transcript) 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.

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.