Clarification from the agency

This position is open to CURRENT Department of Commerce (DOC) employees who are serving in the competitive service as permanent career or career-conditional employees AND former DOC employees who are eligible for reinstatement under Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP).

As a Foreign Trade Zone Analyst, you will perform the following duties:

• Provides expert technical advice, guidance, and recommendations to ITA management and other senior staff on critical operations.
• Plans and manages major and continuing responsibilities for receipt, analysis, and recommended disposition (approval or non-approval) for requests for Foreign-Trade Zone production authority.
• Develops new approaches in response to identified weaknesses and vulnerabilities of ongoing operations and develops agencywide policies, procedures, and strategies for others to follow.
• Provides technical guidance and/or assistance to analysts within the FTZ staff. Ensures critical programmatic information, including program or agency rules, regulations, advisory opinions, exemptions, court decisions, and agency enforcement and regulatory policies and procedures and the most up-to-date evaluation methods and techniques, is made available to staff members and integrated into office practices and procedures.
• Acts as bureau authority and spokesperson on Foreign-Trade Zone program operations to other government agencies, to top business and industry officials, and to significant congressional staff and committees.

This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Foreign Trade Zone Analyst GS-1101-14, full performance level GS14 positions, within the Department of Commerce in the same geographical location with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• This position requires a Secret-level security clearance. Must be able to obtain and maintain the clearance.
• 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 or trial 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.
• Bargaining Unit Position: No
• Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): Yes
• Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: will not be paid
• License required: No
• Drug Test Required: This position is subject to pre-employment drug testing and random drug testing thereafter.
• Time-in-grade/band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement unless eligible for special hiring authority, reinstatement eligible, non-current Federal employee applying as a VEOA eligible which do not require time-in-grade/band.

Qualifications

To qualify at the at the GS-14 level you must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

• Interpreting and applying laws, regulations, or policy guidance to evaluate requests or cases and make recommendations (i.e., Foreign-Trade Zones, customs, or other federal regulatory programs).
• Supporting or coordinating a program or program segment involving multiple stakeholders, including analyzing information and preparing written reports, findings, or recommendations.
• Providing technical advice or guidance to internal or external stakeholders on program requirements, procedures, or regulatory matters.

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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/#url=Occupational-Series

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., two-page resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, the result of the Structured Resume Review and Structured Interview required for this position.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. SMEs will review ONLY two (2) pages of your resume. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume). Applicants passing the structured resume review will move on to the next phase of the assessment process.

Structured Interview: A structured interview is an assessment method designed to measure job-related competencies of candidates by systematically inquiring about their behavior in past experiences and/or their proposed behavior in hypothetical situations.

All:

"Performance appraisals and/or Incentive award documentation may be submitted and will be forwarded to the selecting official as support in consideration of your application in the evaluation process. To receive due weight, you must submit a recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable (do not submit a performance plan) and/or incentive award documentation (i.e. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increases, etc.)".

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

The assessments will evaluate you on the following general/technical competencies required to perform the job; please do not provide a separate written response:

• Technical Expertise (Foreign Trade Zone)
• Program Management
• Policy Analysis and Development
• Leadership
• Influencing and Negotiating

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. Do NOT include the following types of information in your resume/application. If any are included, you will be deemed INELIGIBLE for consideration.

• Classified or government sensitive information
• Social Security Number (SSN)
• Photos of yourself
• Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.

To preview the questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12918067

A complete application consists of the following:

• Resume (that must not exceed two pages in length) which shows relevant experience; cover letter optional. If more than two pages are submitted for the resume, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. Your resume should list your educational and work experience including the dates (mm/dd/yy) of each employment along with the number of hours worked per week, if less than 40. Your resume may be used to validate your responses to the qualifications/assessments. Your resume should also indicate your citizenship and if you are registered with the Selective Service System if you are a male born after 12/31/59. Refer to the "How you will be Evaluated' section for types of information not to include in your resume/application.

• SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action," supporting your eligibility, showing tenure code, position occupied and highest grade and step.

• If applicable, performance appraisals and/or Incentive award documentation may be submitted and will be forwarded to the selecting official as support in consideration of your application in the evaluation process. To receive due weight, you must submit a recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable (do not submit a performance plan) and/or incentive award documentation (i.e. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increases, etc.)
• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) documentation, if applicable.
  • CTAP applicant(s), MUST submit the following documents:
    • A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; or 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); or notice of disability annuity termination; or 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; or 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;
    • Any documentation from your agency that shows your latest performance appraisal rating; AND
    • Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

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