Foreign Agricultural Affairs Officer (Trainee)

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Position description

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) links U.S. agriculture to the world to enhance export opportunities and global food security. In addition to its Washington, D.C. staff, FAS has a global network of nearly 100 offices covering approximately 180 countries. These offices are staffed by agricultural attachés and locally hired agricultural experts who are the eyes, ears, and voice for U.S. agriculture around the world. FAS staff identify problems, provide practical solutions, and work to advance opportunities for U.S. agriculture and support U.S. foreign policy around the globe.

Our Programs and Services

• Trade Policy
  • FAS expands and maintains access to foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products by removing trade barriers and enforcing U.S. rights under existing trade agreements. FAS works with foreign governments, international organizations, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to establish international standards and rules to improve accountability and predictability for agricultural trade.
• Market Development and Export Assistance
  • FAS partners with more than 70 cooperator groups representing a cross-section of the U.S. food and agricultural industry and manages a toolkit of trade promotion programs to help U.S. exporters develop and maintain markets for hundreds of products. FAS also supports U.S. agricultural exporters through export credit guarantee programs and other types of assistance.
• Data and Analysis
  • FAS’s network of global contacts and long-standing relationships with international groups contribute to the agency’s unique market intelligence capacity. FAS analysts provide objective intelligence on foreign market conditions, prepare production forecasts, assess export opportunities, and track changes in policies affecting U.S. agricul­tural exports and imports.
• Food Security
  • FAS leads USDA’s efforts to help developing countries improve their agricultural systems and build their trade capacity. FAS also administers U.S. food aid programs, helping people in need around the world. FAS’s non-emergency food assistance programs help meet recipients’ nutritional needs and also support agricultural development and education.

Duties

FSO Trainees undergo comprehensive training while stationed in Washington, DC, where they participate in and complete all components of their training program under the guidance of their supervisors. The duties described represent the expectations at the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments may entail a narrower scope, require less autonomy, and involve less complexity.

The duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Works effectively with other FAS program areas and other agencies.
• Administer market development and credit guarantee programs; develop and implement agricultural trade missions and trade shows; and cultivate productive working relationships with domestic agricultural industry groups.
• Coordinate and devise a global agricultural commodity analysis strategy, furnishing timely dependable market insights on production, consumption, trade, stock, and price data.
• Conduct analyses of market conditions, governmental policies, and commercial practices to furnish policy makers with actionable insights supporting USDA export programs, trade policies, and market access endeavors.
• Draft various documents including correspondence, briefing materials, market profiles, and background information pertinent to agricultural trade.
• Identify, monitor, and contribute to removal or mitigation of agricultural tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade, along with technical, sanitary, and phytosanitary barriers. Provide support for market access initiatives through policy analysis.
• Participate in the monitoring of USDA trade promotion and food assistance programs.
• Contribute to the formulation of strategies to administer these initiatives.
• Implement development activities aimed at advancing trade and food security objectives.
• Develop long-term trade strategies to address evolving trade policies.

Qualifications

FOR THE GS-09 LEVEL:

In order to qualify for this position at the GS-09 level applicants must possess one of the following: 1. One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service OR 2. Have qualifying education OR 3. Have a combination of specialized experience and qualifying education.

Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-09 level based on specialized experience applicants must possess one year or more of specialized experience that was equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-07) in the Federal service that has provided them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed in order to successfully perform the duties of the position at the GS-09 level.

Specialized experience may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors, be paid or unpaid, and is typically gained in the same field as the position being filled or another very closely related field.

Applicants qualifying for the GS-09 level based on experience must provide evidence of the following type of specialized experience in their resume. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating:

• Experience assisting with professional work in one of the following three areas:
  • Assisting in the evaluation of government regulatory policies and/ or economic data related to trade or food security.
  • Assisting with the Application of qualitative and/or quantitative methods to analyze markets and commercial trends, assess agricultural conditions, and/or assess production supply and demand.
  • Assisting in planning and implementation of export promotion campaigns or food and agricultural development initiatives.

OR Education: In order to qualify for the GS-09 level based on education applicants must have successfully completed a master’s degree (or equivalent) or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, in a field of study directly related to the duties of this position, such as economics, business, food and agriculture sciences, development, public policy, international relations, communications, law, or other directly related fields of study from an accredited university. Applicants qualifying for the GS-09 level based on education must submit copies of their college transcripts. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.

OR Combination of Specialized Experience and Qualifying Education: Applicants qualifying for the GS-09 level based on a combination of experience and education must show evidence of their experience in their resume and they must submit copies of their college transcripts. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.

FOR THE GS-11 LEVEL:

In order to qualify for this position at the GS-11 level applicants must possess one of the following: 1. One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service OR 2. Have qualifying education OR 3. Have a combination of specialized experience and qualifying education.

Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-11 level based on specialized experience applicants must possess one year or more of specialized experience that was equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-09) in the Federal service that has provided them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed in order to successfully perform the duties of the position at the GS-11 level.

Specialized experience may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors, be paid or unpaid, and is typically gained in the same field as the position being filled or another very closely related field.

Applicants qualifying for the GS-11 level based on experience must provide evidence of the following type of specialized experience in their resume. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating:

• Experience assisting with or performing professional work in two of the following three areas:
  • Independently conducting qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of government policies related to trade or food security and synthesizes findings into reports.
  • Independently conducting market research to identify shifts in consumer behavior and emerging market trends to develop strategic recommendations that inform marketing campaigns or stakeholder engagement efforts.
  • Independently conducting qualitative and quantitative research and analysis to assess markets trends, agricultural conditions, and/or supply and demand of commodities to produce analytical reports to inform decision-makers and stakeholders.
  • Independently planning and implementing of export promotion campaign activities or food and agricultural development initiatives.

OR Education: In order to qualify for the GS-11 level based on education applicants must have successfully completed at least three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree such as economics, business, food and agriculture sciences, development, public policy, international relations, communications, law or other directly related fields of study from an accredited university. Applicants qualifying for the GS-11 level based on education must submit copies of their college transcripts. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.

OR Combination of Specialized Experience and Qualifying Education: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the GS-11 grade level. Only graduate education beyond the second full-time year may be combined with experience. Applicants qualifying for the GS-11 level based on a combination of experience and education must show evidence of their experience in their resume and they must submit copies of their college transcripts. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.

FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL:

In order to qualify for this position at the GS-12 level applicants must possess one year of specialized experience that was equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal service that has provided them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the position at the GS-12 level.

Specialized experience may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors, be paid or unpaid, and is typically gained in the same field as the position being filled or another very closely related field. Applicants must provide evidence of the following type of specialized experience in their resume in order to qualify for this position at the GS-12 level. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating:

• Experience performing professional work in all of the following three areas:
  • Leading and conducting complex qualitative and quantitative analysis of government policies related to trade and food security that supports decisionmakers and stakeholders.
  • Leading analysis of consumer trends, market demand and/or behavioral patterns and synthesizes the results into strategic recommendations that are communicated in reports, briefings, or used to develop marketing campaigns.
  • Applying advanced analytical methods and forecasting techniques to develop data-driven recommendations for program development, marketing strategies, and outreach initiatives; and / or managing and conducting complex qualitative and quantitative analysis of agricultural conditions, production, supply, and demand.
  • Developing predictive models and trend forecasts using advanced statistical techniques and synthesizing findings into actionable reports and analytical briefings.
  • Leading planning and implementing of export promotion campaigns and activities or food and agricultural development initiatives.

Application instructions

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