Duties
As a Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative (DAUSTR), GS-301-15, your typical work assignments may include the following:
- As the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative's (AUSTR) principal expert and senior advisor on all trade negotiations and initiatives involving APEC or Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the incumbent coordinates U.S. trade policy on assigned area.
- Lead or participate in U.S. delegations to international trade negotiations and conferences on issues affecting assigned area.
- Prepare positions and strategies for consultations and negotiations with foreign governments on trade issues in assigned area. Assists in these consultations when required.
- Plan and conduct economic analytical studies and develops reports and recommendations for U.S. policy positions on issues related to negotiation, administration of trade agreements with foreign governments, and enforcement relating to assigned area.
- Prepare Congressional testimony, responds to controlled correspondence, briefing materials, summary statements and speeches for the U.S. Trade Representative and Deputy U.S. Trade Representatives on trade issues related to assigned area.
- Explain and defend the Administration's trade policies to foreign governments, the public, the press and the Congress. Represents USTR in contact with foreign government officials regarding assigned area.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
- Selective Service registration is required.
- Subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.
- All employees are required to participate in Direct Deposit/ Electronic Funds Transfer for salary payments.
- You must be able to obtain and hold a Top-Secret security clearance.
- May be required to successfully complete a one year probationary period.
- You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
- You must submit to a drug test and receive a negative test result prior to appointment to this position. After appointment, you may be subject to periodic random drug testing.
- Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
- Relocation expenses are not authorized. Other recruitment incentives may be authorized.
- Only experience obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
- The agency requires 30 days on site before being eligible to participate in the telework and/or alternate work schedule program.
Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS: All applicants must meet the qualification requirements outlined below to be considered minimally qualified for this position. The qualification requirements are in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Qualification Standards.
TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Applicants possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade level or pay band in Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have a minimum of one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility comparable to the next lower grade or comparable pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector.
ALL QUALIFICATIONS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
You may qualify at the GS-15 level, if you meet the following minimum qualification requirements:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector performing the following duties:
1) Advising on trade negotiations and initiatives involving APEC or Southeast Asia and the Pacific, coordinating U.S. trade policy; AND
2) Leading or participating in U.S. delegations to international trade negotiations and conferences on issues; AND
3) Preparing positions and strategies for consultations and negotiations with foreign governments on trade issues; AND
4) Planning and conducting economic analytical studies and developing reports and recommendations for U.S. policy positions on issues related to negotiation, administration of trade agreements with foreign governments, and enforcement; AND
5) Directing or serving as the lead department or agency representative in interagency working groups or task forces on international trade.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service program (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.
Education
There is no education substitution for this position.
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.
Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.
Your resume must include detailed information as it relates to the responsibilities and specialized experience for this position. Evidence of copying and pasting directly from the vacancy announcement without clearly documenting supplemental information to describe your experience will result in an ineligible rating. This will prevent you from receiving further consideration. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:
Influencing/Negotiating, Oral Communication, Political Savvy, Technical Credibility, and Written Communication
Category Rating Procedures: If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be placed in one of the following categories:
- Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all Selective Placement Factors (SPF) and appropriate Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) as determined by the job analysis.
- Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
- Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies, including all SPFs and appropriate QRFs as determined by the job analysis.
Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the best-qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. This position is not considered scientific/professional. Other 10-point preference eligible and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligible within the category in which they qualify. View information on www.fedshirevets.gov.
If you are determined qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.
Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Program (I/CTAP) Eligible: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not I/CTAP eligible. View information about I/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under I/CTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your resume showing your name, work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed. Your resume must include detailed information as it relates to the responsibilities and specialized experience for this position. Evidence of copying and pasting directly from the vacancy announcement without clearly documenting supplemental information to describe your experience will result in an ineligible rating. This will prevent you from receiving further consideration. Note: If you upload more than one resume, the last resume received will be the one utilized for consideration. Please limit your resume to 5 pages. If more than 5 pages are submitted, only the first 5 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or any other written form you choose, then you must ensure it contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position:
- Job title
- Name of employer
- Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/day/year format)
- Hours worked per week. We will prorate part-time employment in crediting experience.
- Detailed description of job duties for each job held, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable)
2. A complete
Assessment Questionnaire
3. Other
supporting documents to be submitted with application:
- DD214: Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable, a DD-214 Member 4 copy, which shows type of discharge. If still active, provide an official Statement of Service. Any other documentation such as VA letter documenting disability, SF-15, and any other required supporting documentation based your veterans' preference claim.
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.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
- Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account(
https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit:
https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
It is applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and uploaded, (i.e., resume, veteran's documentation, completed assessment, and SF-50's) is received and accurate. Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application. If a document is not in legible format, applicant will not be able to view it in Application Manager which means applicant must again upload or fax the documentation by the closing date of this announcement.
Application packages will NOT be accepted via mail or e-mail. All resumes/applications received at the addresses listed in the Contact Information or Agency Information will not be considered for this vacancy announcement.
Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12625706.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.
After a tentative job offer, we will conduct a security background investigation and drug screening. If the drug screening is negative and security background is cleared, then a formal job offer will be extended to candidate.