Duties

As an International Trade Specialist, you will perform the following duties:

Counsel current and potential U.S. exporters on public sector export opportunities, the benefits of advocacy and the process of applying for Advocacy.
Manage a regional portfolio of advocacy cases for U.S. exporters pursuing major procurements abroad as well as SME exporters pursuing smaller contracts.
Develop and execute advocacy campaigns for approved cases and act as the lead coordinator of these campaigns with U.S. embassies around the world and interagency partners.
Advise senior interagency leadership on advocacy cases and major projects in regional portfolio area.
Carry out outreach activities to raise awareness about advocacy within the U.S. exporting community.

This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other International Trade Specialist GS-1140-9/11/12/13 GS-13 positions within the International Trade Administration in the same geographical location with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

This position is also advertised under ITA-GM-ST-23-11819559, which is open to Merit Promotion eligible applicants. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use of possession of drugs.
A probationary period may be required.
Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/).
If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
Drug Test Required: No
License required: No
Pre-employment physical required: No
Bargaining Unit Position: No
Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): No
Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: Will not be paid

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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, including volunteer experience.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-09: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

Performing research in one or more of the following areas: international trade issues, U.S. business exports.
Preparing memos and/or white papers and oral briefs.
Analyzing economic data.

-OR-

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION:

You must posses A master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., in international policy, international commerce, international management, intercultural relations, international development, global economy, government and foreign affairs, international business, international trade, international economics, international affairs, international relations, or other related fields of study; or a combination of the required experience and education for this grade level.

-OR-

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

You must possess a combination of education and experience that meet the total qualification requirements. (i.e. one year progressively higher graduate education leading to a Masters or 50% education plus 6 months of specialized experience or 50% experience. When added those together equal 100% of the qualifications requirements.)

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-11: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

Performing research in one or more of the following areas: U.S. export facilitation, foreign direct investment promotion, trade promotion, trade-policy analysis, the resolution of trade barriers, and/or negotiations.
Making recommendations on trade issues, policy positions, or negotiating strategies.
Operating in an international business or trade policy and promotion environment.

-OR-

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: You must possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in international policy, international commerce, international management, intercultural relations, international development, global economy, government and foreign affairs, international business, international trade, international economics, international affairs, international relations, or other related fields of study; or a combination of the required experience and education for this grade level.

-OR-

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:I possess a combination of education and experience that meet the total qualification requirements. (i.e. One year and 6 months of graduate level education or 50% education plus 6 months of specialized experience or 50% experience. When added up they must total 100% and transcripts must be provided and experience must be demonstrated in resume.)

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-12: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

Negotiating strategies, and developing and disseminating trade information to U.S. businesses or associations;
Performing U.S. export facilitation, foreign direct investment promotion, trade promotion through trade-policy analysis, the resolution of trade
barriers, and negotiations.

There is no substitution of education for experience at this level.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-13: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

Performing U.S. export facilitation, foreign direct investment promotion, trade promotion through trade-policy analysis, the resolution of trade barriers, and negotiations;
Recommending empirical trade information with interpretation and prediction of influences of economic, market, political, and other event;
Developing strategies for U.S. business facilitation, trade and investment promotion initiatives, regulatory, and global trade-policy positions.

There is no substitution of education for experience at this level.

Education

There is no positive education requirement for this position.

Additional information

The following links provide information on various hiring authorities that do not fall under competitive examining procedures; however, they may enable you to apply through merit assignment procedures, or be eligible for a non-competitive appointment.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)

ICTAP and CTAP Eligibles: CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition

CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice).
A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", noting current position, grade level, and duty location;
A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc;
A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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 resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the 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 the three pre-defined categories. The categories are "gold", "silver" and "bronze". However, your resume 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 eligible 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. For more information on Category Rating, please go to Category Rating.

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response: