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The Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, is seeking innovative, results-oriented individuals to join our Pathways Recent Graduate Program. This vacancy is to fill several Pathways Recent Graduate - International Trade Specialist positions.
01/07/2025 to 01/14/2025
$69,923 - $109,975 per year
GS 9 - 11
No
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent
Full-time
Excepted
13
No
Yes
ITA-OCFAO-DE-25-12658938
827152500
As a Pathways Recent Graduate - International Trade Specialist, you will perform the following duties:
Applicants must have completed, within the previous two-years, a qualifying associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution.
Exceptions are made for veterans, as defined in 5 USC 2108 , who, due to military service obligations, were precluded from applying to the Recent Graduate Program during the two-year eligibility period described above. Veterans have a full two-year period of eligibility upon their release or discharge from active duty. The eligibility period shall not extend beyond six years from the date of academic completion.
This position is being recruited with an opportunity for non-competitive conversion eligibility to a permanent OR term position upon completion of all Recent Graduate program requirements. Conversion is not mandatory nor guaranteed (see Other Information).
Eligibility Requirements:
To be eligible for appointment under the Pathways Recent Graduate Program you must meet one of these eligibility requirements:
Qualification Requirements:
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/
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 GS-9 Level:
You must have one year of specialized equivalent to the next lower grade level (the GS-7) in the Federal service performing the following:
-Or-
A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.
-Or-
A combination of related graduate level education and specialized experience to meet the total qualification requirement.
Note: Applicants who are up to 9 months (maximum) away from completing any of the above academic requirements or from receiving a certificate from a qualifying program, will be considered. Applicant's MUST provide transcripts or legible course listing or documentation that shows the expected academic or certificate completion date.
See Qualifications Above.
The following links provide information on various hiring authorities that do not fall under competitive examining procedures; however, they may enable you to apply through merit assignment procedures, or be eligible for a non-competitive appointment.
ICTAP and CTAP Eligibles: CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition
CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:
ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:
PROGRAM COMPLETION AND CONVERSION: Upon completion of the minimum 1-year career development program, Program participants may, at agency discretion, be non-competitively converted without a break in service, to a career or career conditional appointment. There is no guarantee for conversion.
To be eligible for conversion, Recent Graduates must:
Additional Pathways Programs information can be found at:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/#url=Overview
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions) and place you in one of the three pre-defined categories. The categories are "gold", "silver" and "bronze". However, your resume or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the "gold" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.
How you will be evaluated for preference eligibility: Within each category, those entitled to veterans' preference will be listed at the top of the pre-defined category for which they are placed. Preference eligible with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest quality category (gold) depending on the position and grade level of the job. For more information on Category Rating, please go to Category Rating.
The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response:
A complete application consists of the following:
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.
Your complete application, including required documents, must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
To apply on-line, you must complete and submit an application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://www.usajobs.gov. To begin, click the Apply button and follow the prompts to register/sign-in into your USAJOBS account, answer the questions, and submit all required documents.
To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select Apply to continue.
For instructions on submitting your application in an alternate format, please contact the Agency Contact listed in this vacancy announcement.
You will be notified of your application status through USAJOBS at four points during the hiring process, as applicable. You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://www.usajobs.gov and clicking on "Track Your Online Application." The four points of notification are:
By submitting your application, you are certifying the accuracy of the information contained in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be terminated after you begin work; or, you may be fined or jailed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
You will be required to submit official documentation prior to appointment. The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, veterans' preference, disability, etc.).
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/827152500. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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The mission of the International Trade Administration (ITA) is to create prosperity by strengthening the international competitiveness of U.S. industry, promoting trade and investment, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements.
