Foreign Affairs Specialist
What you'd do
This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), with one vacancy in Silver Spring, MD. This position is also announced under vacancy number NMFS-26-13022951-ST, which is open to Status Candidates. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.
Major duties
As a Foreign Affairs Specialist, you will perform the following duties: Plan, coordinate, and provide input on related work to departmental formulation and direction of the foreign affairs of the United States, bearing on international fisheries relations, including bycatch and conservation of protected living marine resources. Implement seafood trade monitoring programs: Antarctic Marine Living Resources Program, the Highly Migratory Species International Trade Program, the Seafood Import Monitoring Program, the Tuna Tracking and Verification Program, and Certification of Admissibility requirements. Negotiate and implement sustainable international management measures for living marine resources through regional fisheries management organizations, regional partnerships and protected species conservation organizations. Respond to stakeholder requests for assistance with program requirements and compliance. Exercise responsibility as an independent specialist to analyze information to comply with international fisheries management, protected species conservation and trade measures, including formulating and executing capacity building efforts as directed. Perform analysis of information on sustainable fisheries management, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, bycatch of protected living marine resources and trade. Implement trade monitoring programs to combat IUU fishing. Facilitate trade and achieve other policy objectives. NOTE: These duties are described at the full performance level of the ZA-4; the ZA-3 is developmental leading to such performance. This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band. The ZA-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12. The ZA-4 is equivalent to the GS-13/14.
What you need to qualify
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/ BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement in addition to at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience OR substitution of education for experience OR combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet one of the following basic education requirements: To qualify for the 0130 series: EDUCATION: A. Degree: Major or equivalent, or a combination of courses totaling at least 24 semester hours, in international law and international relations, political science, economics, history, sociology, geography, social or cultural anthropology, law, statistics, or in the humanities; or 12 semester hours in one of the above disciplines and 12 semester hours in statistics/quantitative methods. OR B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. OR C. Experience: Four years of appropriate experience in one or more of the fields listed above in work associated with international organizations, problems, or other aspects of foreign affairs. NOTE: Qualifying work experience may have been gained through residence, study, teaching, business or commercial activities, military service, newspaper work, military or civil government activities, missionary or international relief work, or other experience in foreign countries. -AND- SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: 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. To qualify at the ZA-3 or GS-11 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZA-2 or GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Assisting with developing research strategies for multilateral or bilateral fisheries management or for protected species conservation and trade policies; Assisting with the collection or analysis of information on illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and related practices (e.g. bycatch of protected living marine resources, seafood traceability requirements and international trade practices and policies); and Participating in the development of materials (e.g. position papers, proposals, agreements, etc.) that interpret technical and scientific information into plain language. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience as described above. Note: Only graduate education in excess of two years is qualifying for combination. To qualify at the ZA-4 or GS-13 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZA-3 or GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Developing research strategies for multilateral or bilateral fisheries management or for protected species conservation and trade policies; Evaluating information on illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and related practices (e.g. bycatch of protected living marine resources, seafood traceability requirements and international trade practices and policies); and Participate in the development of materials such as position papers, proposals, agreements, treaties, or other related materials that support fisheries management.
Before you apply
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