International Trade Specialist

Full Job Description

This position is part of the US Trade and Development Agency.

The incumbent assists the Regional Director in promoting economic development in the assigned region by identifying, recommending, and managing project preparation and partnership building activities.

Applicants must meet the BASIC QUALIFICATION requirement for this position described below.

Undergraduate and/or Graduate Education: Major study -- marketing, business administration, political science, public administration, history, business or commercial law, economics, finance, international trade, or international relations.

OR Experience: Experience that demonstrates knowledge of: Marketing that included economic, psychological, and sociological influences bearing upon consumption patterns; Business practices pertaining to wholesale, retail, manufacturers' distribution, distribution costs, finance and tax structure, and similar areas of activity or concern; and International economic and political factors influencing balance of payments, monetary exchange and tariffs, and their bearing on the distribution of commodities.

In addition to meeting the basic qualification, at the GS-09 level, you must meet one of the following qualifications: One year of specialized experience that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the GS-07 level in the Federal service.

Specialized experience is defined as experience that is in or directly related to the line of work of this position and has equipped you with the knowledge and competencies to successfully perform the duties of this position.

More specifically, this requirement involves: Experience providing research with respect to international infrastructure projects using economic indicators and market trends in key sectors, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and environment; experience with foreign assistance programs that support infrastructure development in emerging markets; experience providing services and research related to project development, such as grant agreements, scopes of work for contracts, studies, feasibility studies, or other contract or grant activities; experience developing and maintaining project tracking systems for the purpose of recommending changes in strategies that can lead to more efficient operations.

OR A master's degree or equivalent degree or two full years of progressively higher- level education leading to such a degree, or an LL. B or J.D., if related.

Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

OR A combination of experience and education as described above, where the total percentage is equal to 100%.

In addition to meeting the basic qualification, at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following qualifications: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level.

Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the competencies 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: Experience providing substantive research with respect to international infrastructure projects using economic indicators and market trends in key sectors, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and environment; experience providing services and research related to project development, such as grant agreements, scopes of work for contracts, studies, feasibility studies, or other contract or grant activities; experience with foreign assistance programs that support infrastructure development in emerging markets; providing services and research related to project development in related areas of expertise; experience providing research on international trade, technical and economic trends; experience providing foreign assistance, trade policy, commercial development, finance, banking, or other activities that contribute to the development of infrastructure initiatives or other similar initiatives requiring capital investment; development and maintenance of business relationships with U.S.

and foreign private sector representatives and government officials in the development of infrastructure projects; professional-level industry-specific research related to infrastructure and large-scale development projects.

OR A Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M., if related; OR A Combination of education and experience as listed above.

In addition to meeting the basic qualification, at the GS-12 level, you must meet the following qualifications: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level.

Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the competencies 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: Experience providing substantive research with respect to international infrastructure projects using economic indicators and market trends in key sectors, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and environment; experience providing foreign assistance, trade policy, commercial development, finance, banking, or other activities that contribute to the development of infrastructure initiatives or other similar initiatives requiring capital investment; development and maintenance of business relationships with U.S.

and foreign private sector representatives and government officials in the development of infrastructure projects; professional-level industry-specific research related to infrastructure and large-scale development projects.

In addition to meeting the basic qualifications, at the GS-13 level, you must meet the following qualifications: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level.

Specialized experience is that which has equipped the applicant with the competencies 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: Experience providing substantive research with respect to international infrastructure projects using complex economic indicators and market trends in key sectors, such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, and environment; significant experience providing foreign assistance, trade policy, commercial development, finance, banking, or other activities that contribute to the development of infrastructure initiatives or other similar initiatives requiring sizable capital investment; development and maintenance of business relationships with U.S.

and foreign private sector representatives and government officials in the development of major infrastructure projects; experience providing professional-level industry-specific research related to infrastructure and large-scale development projects.

Applicants must carefully review the information in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section for important information and instructions pertaining to the multi-hurdle assessment process for this position.

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

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).

Major Duties:

Evaluate the potential of infrastructure development projects in emerging markets to facilitate U.S. exports and job creation.

Make preliminary determinations of the project's ability to meet USTDA funding criteria, including ability to obtain implementation financing and support U.S. exports and jobs.

Support USG foreign policy priorities by promoting host country economic growth.

Represent the Agency in a variety of forums to provide information about, explain, advocate, and defend USTDA program activities.

Develop and maintain business relationships with embassy officials, government officials, and private sector representatives in the U.S. and assigned countries.

Perform due diligence on prospective USTDA contractors and grantees.

Track ongoing and completed projects to assess commercial and developmental impact in order to assist the Evaluations Office with monitoring project developments.

Draft briefing materials, memoranda, talking points, speeches, and other written materials that support USTDA's leadership, the regional teams, and other stakeholders relevant to USTDA's project activities.

Provide formal and informal oral presentations to business groups, USTDA leadership, foreign audiences, and other stakeholders relevant to USTDA's project activities.