Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance Officer

If selected you will be responsible to identify and verify prohibited and/or non-compliant imported products found at ports of entry and in commerce which are regulated under the import requirements of the Plant Protection Act and the Animal Health Act.

• This is a term appointment not to exceed 13 months. (Appointment may be extended up to 10 years without reannouncing). For more details click: Term Appointments

Promotion potential: GS-11

The duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Operational planning, development, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of operations in the areas of smuggling interdiction and trade compliance.
• Conducts analysis for risk assessments and identification of modes of entry and distribution of prohibited import and other quarantine products.
• Plans commerce (retail and wholesale establishments) inspections, surveys, import cargo trade verifications and public outreach.
• Collects information, compiles statistics, develops case reports, and inputs data in applicable systems.
• Provides written reports to management on operations and field activities and conducts formal briefings.
• Technical leader that provides operational guidance to investigators, as well as to officials in other Federal agencies, state cooperators, industry and local law enforcement officials

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

BASIC REQUIREMENT:

Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement you will also need to meet the following:

FOR THE GS-07 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Pertinent regulations, policies, and procedures of agricultural quarantine principles and biological and scientific principles, techniques of collection and identification.
• Researching, interpreting and applying regulations for the importation of agricultural commodities/food products.
• Prevention and mitigation of plant and/or animal pests, diseases, and invasive species.

OR

1 year of graduate-level education biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement: To qualify based on superior academic achievement, you must have completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution AND 1) have a class standing in the upper third of the graduating class, 2) membership in a national scholastic honor society (excluding Freshman honor societies), or 3) must meet certain GPA requirements. GPA requirements: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on official transcripts or as computed based on 4 years of education, or courses completed during the final 2 year of the curriculum; OR 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required course completed in the major field or courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum (GPA will be rounded to one decimal place, e.g., 2.95 rounds to 3.0 and 2.94 rounds to 2.9).

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. This means you will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics):
 

• Attention to Detail
• Botany
• Compliance Inspection
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Risk Management
• Self-Management
• Speaking
• Teamwork

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To preview the application questionnaire, please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12561302