Global Climate Change Specialist: Economics and Markets

Grade: GS-0301-13

Type of Appointment: Excepted Service (Time Limit) Appointment

Length of Appointment: Up to 5 years

Area of Consideration: All Sources

Opening Date of Announcement: 1/6/12

Closing Date of Announcement: 2/3/12

You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position and be able to obtain a secret security clearance. This is a USDA/FAS Excepted Service, Schedule B appointment for 13 months, with the possibility of renewal up to five years.

The individual selected for this position will be administratively assigned to the Rural Development and Natural Resources Branch (RDNR) of the Development Resources and Disaster Assistance Division (DRDA), Office of Capacity Building and Development (OCBD), Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (FAS/OCBD/DRDA/RDNR). The incumbent will be located in and work directly with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), at their headquarters offices located in Washington, D.C.

The individual selected for this position will be administratively assigned to the Rural Development and Natural Resources Branch (RDNR) of the Development Resources and Disaster Assistance Division (DRDA), Office of Capacity Building and Development (OCBD), Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (FAS/OCBD/DRDA/RDNR) but will be located in and work directly with the U.S. Agency for International Development/Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade Bureau (EGAT), Office of Environment and Science Policy, Global Climate Change Team.

The USAID Global Climate Change (GCC) Team is responsible for USAID’s participation in forums that deal with the multisectoral issues of climate change, coordinating with the international organizations that have taken the lead on climate change mitigation and for analytical work to deepen understanding of climate change and its impact on agriculture and the environment in developing and transition countries. The GCC Team is the lead coordinator on climate change activities undertaken by other Bureaus and Offices at USAID. The Team also ensures oversight and reporting on USAID’s activities in support of the Agency’s Global Climate Change Initiative.

The successful candidate will be responsible for forging strong professional partnerships with other federal agencies in developing and implementing inter-agency efforts to address climate change in cooperation with developing nations. S/he will provide technical support and advice to USAID field missions and bureaus in the development and implementation of USAID-sponsored climate change program activities, particularly those related emerging international environmental markets and economic instruments/analyses. S/he will also develop and maintain strong programmatic links between USAID Missions and inter-agency programs by providing regular updates on issues and activities to the field, and involving Missions in the broader development efforts and implementation of USG climate programs.

To apply, please send a) a cover letter that directly and individually addresses each of the required skills listed below and b) your current resume of experience and qualifications to the Program Officer listed below.

Basic Qualification Requirements:

• Must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal Service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

Required Skills:

• Experience and education with emphasis in areas including: environmental economics, environmental management, energy analysis and policy, international policy or global climate change is preferred.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including ability to synthesize information quickly, communicate ideas effectively to groups of experts and provide concise and accurate briefs for high level officials, domestic and foreign.
• Demonstrated ability to excel in a high-paced, multi-tasking environment while managing effective implementation of core activities, tasks and assignments.
• Experience working in developing countries and with developing country institutions. Experience with USAID or USAID-supported activities preferred.
• Experience with emerging international environmental markets and economic instruments, such as emissions offsets, payments for environmental services, renewable energy credits, and feed-in tariffs, particularly in developing countries.
• Practical work experience and in-depth knowledge of carbon economics and management, carbon finance, carbon markets, and revenue sharing arrangements, with at least some of this experience related to developing countries.

The position is located in Washington, DC, but will require the ability to travel, including to developing countries, sometimes under strenuous conditions in remote locations.

To apply, please send a) a current resume and b) a supplemental statement that addresses individually your experience and qualifications in each of the Required Skill Areas listed below to: FAS-SCHB-APPLIC@wdc.usda.gov with the Subject: (OCBD-12-063).

NOTE: Attachments should be limited to a total of 5 MB or less, as e-mails with large attachments may be blocked by the USDA e-mail firewall.

NOTE: Applications that do not include a supplemental statement addressing individually each of the required skills may not be considered.

Qualified, interested FAS staff should contact the listed Program Officer to express interest/be considered for a listed “new reimbursable or Schedule B assignments.”

Direct all inquiries to:

Program Officer: Mr. Abiola Adeyemi

Branch: USDA/FAS/OCBD/DRDA/RDNR

Email Address: Abiola.Adeyemi@fas.usda.gov

Telephone: (202) 720-8096

NOTE: A career status employee that is outside of FAS that accepts this position will be appointed to a Schedule B, Excepted Service time limited appointment. This appointment does not offer re-employment rights back to career status within FAS, as described in CFR, Chapter 352. The employee may seek re-employment rights from their losing agency prior to accepting this Schedule B appointment. Please note that agencies are not required to grant re-employment rights.