MANAGING DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL & GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS (Bilingual) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. IAF-25-DE-12661468CPO Department Inter-American Foundation
Salary $167,603.00 to $195,200.00 Grade 15 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/7/2025 Close Date 1/16/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

Come join the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), a nimble and transformative U.S. government agency that invests in community-led development across Latin America and the Caribbean. Reporting to the President and CEO and serving as an integral member of the management team, the Managing Director oversees a team and is responsible for planning, directing, and executing the IAF's internal and external communications, public affairs activities, as well as Congressional and intergovernmental outreach.

Duties

The goal is to advance the agency's position with relevant constituents, as well as to drive broader awareness and donor support for the foundation.

  • Develop a comprehensive strategic plan for Congressional engagement, public affairs and communications to advance the agency's interests.
  • Lead the External and Government Affairs Team to effectively implement the plan and drive towards measurable outcomes.
  • Bring an innovative strategic lens to the intersection of the IAF's program and policy work and seek internal and external opportunities to leverage both for the benefit of communities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  • Lead and facilitate IAF's response to congressional requests for budget and program briefings, congressional and staff delegation site visits.
  • Oversee the implementation and coordination of all public affairs activities to enhance relationships with targeted, external audiences, including the media and key influencers.
  • Oversee the implementation of the strategic communications agenda to broaden awareness of the IAF's unique approach, model, and relevance.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • US Citizenship is required.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, determined by background investigation.
  • Direct Deposit of pay is required.
  • Selective Service registration required for male applicants, unless exempt.
  • Background and security investigation for Top Secret Clearance.

Qualifications

Applicants must carefully review the information in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section for important information and instructions pertaining to the multi-hurdle assessment process for this position.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

This position contains a selective placement factor (SPF) that is part of the minimum requirement of the position. If you do not meet the SPF, you are ineligible for further consideration. The SPF for this position is: Professionally proficient to speak, read, and understand Spanish To English AND English To Spanish.

If selected for an interview, portions will be conducted in Spanish and there may be a written exercise.

In order to be eligible for the GS-15 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the GS-14 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience that is in or directly related to the line of work of this position and has equipped you with the knowledge and competencies to successfully perform the duties of this position. More specifically, this requirement involves experience: managing teams AND overseeing the production of communications (e.g. social media, articles, briefings, news releases, videos etc.) to convey technical and non-technical information; developing, implementing and evaluating communications and public affairs strategies; writing articles or other documents suitable for distribution to external audiences and/ publication; developing legislative strategies and working with Congressional members and staff to provide information about or advance an organization's interests; AND, preparing speeches and briefing papers for senior officials. Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of social, geographic, political, economic, cultural, environmental issues and challenges of Latin America and the Caribbean. Experience leading, supervising or managing a staff is required.

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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Additional information

Telework Suitability:
The duties of this position are suitable for occasional telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval and if they meet the eligibility criterion in the 2010 Telework Act.

Stipulations of Employment:

Selection may require completion of a 1-year probationary period.

Selection may require completion of a 1-year supervisory or managerial probationary period.

If selected, you will be required to file a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450).

Work Schedule:

This position allows for a flexible work schedule.

Miscellaneous:

IAF uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify.

This position is being advertised concurrently with vacancy announcement # IAF-25-MP-12661469CPO using Merit Promotion procedures. If interested, refer to that announcement to determine if you meet merit promotion requirements and can apply to that announcement. NOTE: You must apply separately to each announcement in order to be considered under both.

This vacancy announcement may be used to fill similar positions within 90 days.

If selection is made below the full performance level, promotion up to the full performance level may be made without further competition. However, promotion(s) will depend on the performance of the incumbent and are not guaranteed.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information

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.

For Category Rating: Once the application and assessment process are complete, qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. The categories for this announcement are defined as: Best-Qualified and Qualified. Your resume and supporting documentation will then be used to determine if you are qualified for this job. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the Assessment Questionnaire and any additional assessment required for this position. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

You will be evaluated for this job based on:
  • The experience listed in your resume and how well you meet the experience listed in the qualification section of announcement and the competencies listed.
  • On-line job Assessment Questionnaire
    • Competency based scaled self-report responses
  • Written assessment-Used to collect information about an applicants' training, education, experience, and past achievements related to critical job competencies. Applicants who meet a pre-determined score based on their responses to the traditional occupational questionnaire (self-assessment) will be required to respond to a written assessment.
    • Instructions related to the written assessment will be sent to applicants within 7 days of the vacancy closing date to the email address associated with the applicants' USA Jobs profile. Applicants must monitor their email and return their responses to the written prompts within a specified time frame after receiving notification. This time frame will be no earlier than 72 hours.
You will be assessed on the following technical and soft skill competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):
Note: Duplicative competencies indicate that the competency is being assessed in both the Assessment Questionnaire and additional assessment.
  • Communications and Media
  • Congressional and Legislative Affairs
  • External Awareness
  • Oral Communication
  • Strategic Thinking


If selected for an interview, there may be a written exercise and/or presentation. Portions of the interview will be conducted in Spanish.

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three," but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligible within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your Resume listing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment mm/yy and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted, only the most current resume will be reviewed for qualifications.
2. Other supporting documents:

  • Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service, SF-15 Form and related documentation, VA letter, etc.)
  • Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program Documentation: If you are applying under CTAP or ICTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility under 5 CFR 330.602(a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible
  • Cover Letter, optional but highly recommended
If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If applicable, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. Failure to provide this documentation may result in a non preference determination. For more information on veterans' preference (see https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-employment-initiative/vet-guide/).
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices. Note: A PDF Portfolio contains multiple files assembled into an integrated PDF unit. The files in a PDF Portfolio can be in a wide range of file types created in different applications. To ensure the document is not a PDF Portfolio document, open the document and if there are multiple different documents with a variety of extensions, it is a PDF Portfolio document and will not be processed.

It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted prior to the closing date of the announcement.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For information on CTAP and ICTAP visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

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 of this vacancy.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.

  • To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
  • You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
  • You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
  • To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • You may preview the Assessment Questionnaire at: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12661468
If you have questions about this job, please contact the HR Office representative listed in the "Agency Contact Info" section of this vacancy announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Mountain Time, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, you may request an alternate application method from the Agency Contact listed in the vacancy. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon EST on the closing date of the announcement.

Agency contact information

Dawn Craun
Address
Inter-American Foundation
1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Suite 1200 North
Washington, DC 20004
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

For status updates on your application, please follow the directions listed above in the How to Apply section. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. If you are selected for an interview for this position, you will be contacted directly. A final job offer for this position is typically made within several weeks after the closing date of the vacancy announcement. After confirming a job offer, all other applicants will be notified of their non-selection.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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