USDA Management and Program Analyst (Land/Resource Tenure and Property Rights Specialist)

Job Title: Management and Program Analyst (Land/Resource Tenure and Property Rights Specialist)

Grade:  GS-0343-14

Type of Appointment:  Excepted Service (Time Limit) Appointment

Length of Appointment:   Up to 5 years

Area of Consideration:  All Sources

Opening Date of Announcement: February 8, 2013

Closing Date of Announcement:   March 8, 2013

 

You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position and be able to obtain a secret security clearance.  

 

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 (FAS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but will be located in and work directly with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Economic Growth, Education, and Environment (E3) Bureau, Land Tenure and Resource Management Office (LTRM), Land Tenure and Property Rights Division.

 

This position will be based in USAID/E3/LTRM’s Land Tenure and Property Rights Division and will work closely with other offices in E3 and with USAID’s geographical bureaus. The Land Tenure and Property Rights Division addresses and 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; address global climate change; and promote sustainable natural resource use and the protection of biodiversity.

 

This position will focus on land tenure and property rights challenges in several developing nations. The specialist will cover a wide-range of resource tenure issues, particularly as they relate to promoting USAID’s food security objectives. The incumbent will work closely with USAID’s regional and functional bureaus on addressing these challenges, under the direction of the Senior Land Tenure and Property Rights Advisor. The incumbent will assist in the development of strategies and program recommendations. He/she will oversee the dissemination of resource governance and food security-related research and information to USAID and its partners. He/she will consult with acknowledged experts on resource governance challenges and solutions and maintain contact and share best practices with senior level representatives from other USG agencies, multilateral organizations, other donors, PVOs/NGOs, and others in the foreign affairs community. He/she will coordinate activities and facilitate the flow of information from the Land Tenure and Property Rights Division to USAID missions and offices, and between USAID, USDA, contractors, and various other cooperating agencies and organizations.

 

The incumbent will travel to the field periodically to provide leadership and expert assistance in the field of land tenure and property rights, particularly as that field relates to promoting global food security policy and strategy formulation.

 

  

Basic Qualification Requirements:

 

• Must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 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: 

 

• Superior writing and public communications skills (e.g., as evidenced by a track record of publication and public speaking on complex topics). 

• Demonstrated extensive experience in the field of land or resource tenure and property rights, with a specific focus on agriculture, food security, economic growth, and governance.  

• Extensive knowledge of principles, concepts, and methodology involved in the design, development, implementation, management, and evaluation of technical assistance programs/projects.  Ability to apply experimental theories and new approaches to resource tenure challenges. 

• 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 a complex program dealing with a variety of organizations and levels of contacts.  

• 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. Skill in coordinating, negotiating, and motivating individuals to take action. 

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 cover letter, b) a current resume and c) a supplemental statement that directly and individually addresses each of the required skills listed above to: 

 

FAS-SCHB-APPLIC@wdc.usda.gov with the Subject: OCBD-13-072.

 

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

 

 

Direct all inquiries to:

 

Program Officer:  Michael Hirsh

Branch:  USDA/FAS/OCBD/DRDA/RDNR

Email Address:  Michael.Hirsh@fas.usda.gov

Telephone:  (202) 690-2615

 

*NOTE* A career status employee that is outside of FAS who 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.