Assistant Director, International Affairs

FWS works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Our major responsibilities are to protect and conserve migratory birds, endangered species, and marine mammals and fish. FWS partners with farmers and ranchers, State and local governments, Federal agencies, Tribes, citizen volunteers, corporations, and conservation groups to accomplish its mission. You can find additional information at WWW.FWS.GOV

Duties

The Assistant Director- International Affairs (AD-IA) serves as a member of the FWS Directorate, the principal international affairs advisor to the FWS Director, and the FWS representative in all areas of international relations, including policies and programs, treaties, and foreign travel of FWS employees. The incumbent is responsible for overseeing coordination, formulation and implementation of all FWS international policy and programs, permitting, and international conservation grantmaking responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Lacey Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), Wild Exotic Bird Conservation Act (WBCA), Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Acts, Multinational Species Conservation Funds, Foreign Assistance Act, and various treaties, conventions, and agreements, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere, Polar Bear Treaty, Protocol on Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife in the Wider Caribbean Region, and Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitats (Ramsar Convention).

The AD-IA also serves as a secretariat for treaties, conventions, and agreements under which FWS has delegated authorities and implementation responsibilities, the FWS representative to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and the FWS POC for foreign governments, the State Department, and international conservation organizations.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Resume (See “Required Documents”). Failure to provide ALL required information on your resume will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is provided on resume.
• Eligibility and Supporting documents – You will ONLY be considered for the eligibilities that you select “yes” to AND submit the required supporting documentation, as listed in the Required Documents section.
• Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Drug Testing Position: Selectees tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
• Probationary Period: Appointment MAY include a requirement for 1 year Senior Executive Service probationary period.
• Notice of Financial Disclosure Report Requirement: This position is subject to a financial disclosure requirement and you will be required to complete OGE Form 278e as applicable within 30 days of your appointment
• Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. To verify registration, visit SSS.gov.

Qualifications

Only experience and education obtained by 12/06/2023 will be considered.

Educational Requirement

As a basic requirement, applicants MUST have:
A. Degree: Biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR
B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, or at least 30 semester hours in courses, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education; OR
C. Experience: Four years of experience that demonstrated that the applicant acquired knowledge and understanding of one or more of the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, or related disciplines equivalent to that which would have been acquired through completion of a 4-year course of study as described in A above.

Additionally, applicants MUST demonstrate progressively responsible leadership that is indicative of senior executive level managerial capability as outlined under Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the GS-15 grade level in the federal service or its equivalent with state or local governments, the private sector, or non-governmental organizations.

Unless you are currently serving under a career Senior Executive appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the Senior Executive Service, or have successfully completed a Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program approved by the OPM and been certified by the OPM, you must submit a narrative statement covering each of the Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications listed below. Your examples should be clear and concise, and emphasize your level of responsibilities, scope of complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments with results of your actions, policy initiatives and level of contacts.

The narrative addressing ECQ’s must follow the format provided at http://www.opm.gov/ses/recruitment/ecq.asp Narrative statements may not exceed ten (10) pages for ECQ’s; TQ’s may not exceed six (6) pages.

Technical Qualifications:

1. In-depth knowledge of, and professional experience in, applying principles and techniques of natural resources administration and management.
2. Knowledge of the roles, responsibilities, and goals of a large natural resources organization with programs of national scope.
3. Knowledge of current issues in environmental science, habitat maintenance, and the interactions among various environmental and biological sciences.

Executive Core Qualifications:

ECQ 1 – LEADING CHANGE: You must have demonstrated an ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.

Leadership Competencies: Creativity & Innovation, External Awareness, Flexibility, Resilience, Strategic Thinking, Vision

ECQ 2 – LEADING PEOPLE: You must demonstrate the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization’s vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.

Leadership Competencies: Conflict Management, Leveraging Diversity, Developing Others, Team Building

ECQ 3 – RESULTS DRIVEN: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.

Leadership Competencies: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving, Technical Credibility

ECQ 4 – BUSINESS ACUMEN: This ECQ involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.

Leadership Competencies: Financial Management, Human Capital Management, Technology Management

ECQ 5 – BUILDING COALITIONS: This ECQ involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.

Leadership Competencies: Partnering, Political Savvy, Influencing/Negotiating

FUNDAMENTAL COMPETENCIES: The following competencies are the foundation for success in each of the Executive Core Qualifications: Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Integrity/Honesty, Written Communication, Continual Learning, Public Service Motivation.

Education

PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution’s registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school’s definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

 

Applicants who meet all the mandatory executive and technical qualifications will be evaluated by a panel of SES members to determine the degree to which they possess each of the listed qualifications. This evaluation will determine which applicants are best qualified. Total background, including experience, education, awards, self-development, and training will be reviewed. This information will be obtained from the application package, including the required narrative statements for the technical and Executive Core Qualifications described above.

All applicants must submit the following in order to receive consideration for this position:

1. A resume. You must include the following information:
– Vacancy announcement number.
– Full name, mailing address, and day and evening telephone numbers.
– Educational information, including the name, city and state of colleges or universities you attended, as well as the type and year of any degrees received.
– Information about your paid and nonpaid work experience related to this position including:- Job title (include series and grade if Federal job)- Duties and accomplishments.
– Employer’s name and address.
– Supervisor’s name and phone number.
– Starting and ending dates of employment (month and year).
– Salary
– Indicate if we may contact your current supervisor.
– Information about honors, awards, and special accomplishments.

2. A narrative statement addressing each of the Executive and Technical Qualifications – experience (paid and unpaid), education, training, awards, and/or self-development activities as related to each. Each technical qualification and each ECQ must be addressed separately. Narrative statements for the executive core qualifications may NOT exceed ten (10) pages total and narrative statements for the technical qualifications may not exceed six (6) pages total.IF YOU EXCEED THESE LIMITS YOU WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. PLEASE SUBMIT THESE AS A SEPARATE DOCUMENT IN YOUR APPLICATION, DO NOT ATTACH IT TO YOUR RESUME.

3. Graduates of approved SES Candidate Development Programs must include a copy of the OPM certification of eligibility and a narrative statement addressing only the technical qualifications.

4. Current or former Career SES members must submit documentation of their SES status and a narrative statement addressing only the technical qualifications. NOTE: Non-Career SES members must address the narratives for BOTH the Executive Core Qualifications and the Technical Qualifications.

5. If a current federal employee, a copy of a recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, that indicates Federal status, grade, tenure, and type of service.

6. A copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal (from either the government or private sector).

 

 Help

Required Documents

 

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

1. Resume or Application. At a minimum, your resume MUST contain job title (include job series and grade, if federal), duties, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary. USAJOBS has a template to ensure a complete resume. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YX7o1PBoFk?

For this job announcement the following documents are required:

• Your resume
• A complete Assessment Questionnaire
• SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action (that shows your current grade and step) if a current or former Federal employee
• Most recent performance appraisal
• Official or unofficial College Transcript(s). Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. A copy of your official transcripts will be required if you are selected. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
• Narrative Statements addressing Executive and Technical Qualifications in the appropriate format

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

 

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

 

Review the appointment eligibility criteria in the application preview linked below. The eligibility section of the application allows you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the eligibilities that you select “yes” to and submit the required supporting documentation, as listed in the Required Documents section or the application text.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package. See required documents section.

Click ‘Apply’ to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.

1. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents. To preview the assessment questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12190156.
2. Please ensure you check the acknowledgement checkbox then click the Submit Application button to submit your application.
3. Applications must be received by 12/06/2023 ,11:59pm ET to receive consideration.
4. Check application status by logging into your USAJOBS account, in Applications tab, click the position title you applied to for the status. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

f you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact the Human Resources Office via email at fwshiring@fws.gov.