Program Analyst (Land Resource/Tenure & Communication Specialist) - Washington, D.C, United States

Grade: GS-0343-12

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 month)

Closing Date of Announcement: 12/06/12

You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position and be able to be security cleared for assignment.  This is an excepted service appointment not to exceed 5 years.

 

The individual selected for this position will be administratively assigned to the Rural Development and Natural Resources Branch (RDNR) Branch 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’s Land Tenure and Property Rights Division. 

 

The Land Tenure and Property Rights Division addresses land (and other resource tenure) and property rights challenges to: stimulate economic growth, agriculture and trade; mitigate violent conflict, promote good governance and address humanitarian crises; mitigate the spread of HIV/AIDS; address global climate change; and promote sustainable natural resource use and the protection of biodiversity. 

 

The incumbent will work with the Land Tenure and Property Rights Division to (1) support the communication of its work to internal and external audiences; (2) assist with program and financial management; (3) manage the flow of LTPR programmatic information with internal and external audiences; (4) manage the LTPR web portal; (5) assist in the planning and execution of LTPR assessments, program design and management; and (6) manage the team’s Agency reporting (budgets, earmarks and directives, and deliverables).

 

A focal area of the Division is to assist missions in the design and management of land tenure and property rights programs. The incumbent will support this objective by assisting missions and operating units to “tell their stories” of land tenure and property rights programs; and assist the Division with annual reports, portfolio reviews, and other reporting requirements.  

 

The incumbent coordinates Division activities, and facilitates the flow of information from the Land Tenure and Property Rights Division to USAID missions and offices, and between USAID, USDA and other parts of the USG inter-agency, implementing partners, civil society and private sector, and other cooperating agencies and organizations.

 

The incumbent will travel to the field periodically (approximately 30%) to promote and capture information on best practices in land tenure and property rights.

 

 

 Required Skills:

 

• Undergraduate degree required, advanced degree (or current enrollment in advance degree program desired), with emphasis in communications, and international development. Academic background in appropriate social science also acceptable (sociology, urban planning, resource governance, economics).
• Superior writing and public communications skills; experience with web and e-communication technology.
• Demonstrated work experience (2+ years) with communications and public policy.
• Significant experience in developing cultures, i.e., living and working in a developing country, either through several short-term assignments or long-term residential postings.
• Extensive knowledge of policies and procedures used for project management in USDA and USAID to carry out a full range of administrative issues that arise in completing assignments and managing multiple administrative tasks of complex programs dealing with a variety organizations and levels of contacts. USAID/Washington programming actions are frequently time-sensitive and require interaction with multiple offices to assure timely submission, even where there may be conflicting or overlapping guidance.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills and ability to effectively manage development programs. Ability to exhibit tact, diplomacy and resourcefulness in dealing with high level officials of international organizations and other foreign and domestic government officials and development partners.

  

The position is located in Washington, DC, but will require the ability to conduct occasional 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 Skills Areas listed ablove to : FAS-SCHB-APPLIC@wdc.usda.gov with the subject line: FAS-OCBD-13-005 

 

Attachment should be limited to a total of 5 MB or less, as emails with large attachments may be blocked by the USDA email firewall.

 

Note:  Applications that do not include a cover letter that directly and individually addresses the required skills will 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:  Virginia Wolf

Branch: USDA/FAS/OCBD/DRDA/RDNR

Telephone:  (202) 690-1941

 

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.