Agency: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Organization: Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security, Center for Agriculture-Led Growth, Division for Markets-Systems and Finance (REFS/CA/MSF)
Location of Position: USAID Annex, Washington, DC
Telework: Four days per pay period (two days per week). This position is not remote eligible.
Classified Title: Program Officer
Functional Title: Market Systems Specialist
Open Period: February 16, 2024 – March 8, 2024
Appointment Type: This is an excepted service, time-limited appointment, not-to-exceed an initial period of 19 months; position may be considered for two two-year extensions depending on the needs of the organization.
Salary: (USD) $107,657 – $158,097, annually, with Washington, DC locality.
Number of Vacancies: One

Description of Organization: REFS leads the Agency’s resilience and food security efforts and the coordination and implementation of the U.S. Government (USG) Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS) through the USG’s Feed the Future (FTF) initiative to combat global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition. With an annual initiative budget of roughly $1 billion, REFS has the overall responsibility for strategic planning, funding, design, implementation, oversight, and evaluation of all programs and projects that contribute to the GFSS. This position is located in RFS/CA/MSF.

Description of Position:

• Provide technical assistance to FTF and USAID field missions on topics related to agricultural market systems development, including agricultural trade, grades and standards, market information systems, managing market risks, agricultural technology commercialization, and the agribusiness enabling environment. Identify economic issues and participate in design, researchable question development, data collection and analysis, message development, and report writing in support of the GFSS implementation;
• Develop recommendations in collaboration with cross-office teams, and prepare technical products that provide factual and analytical information in a clear format that meets the needs of diverse audiences;
• Plan, organize, manage, and evaluate technically complex projects related to agricultural economic topics;
• Curate technical content in support of strategic knowledge management;
• Communicate effectively in written and oral formats;
• develop concise, informative reports, briefing materials, and talking points on complex subjects, with short lead times. Review draft reports to ensure accuracy, precision, and clarity of presentation of economic issues and data;
• Engage concerned USAID Mission staff at the activity design stage, and on a regular basis throughout program implementation for all field and or centrally-managed REFS activity support mechanisms to ensure that these activities are well-aligned with the Mission’s development priorities and strategies;
• Facilitate collaboration between partners and collaborate with representatives of different institutions, including government, universities, and the private sector;
• Coordinate among interagency technical experts and donor counterparts to align resources and agendas around GFSS objectives;
• Interact and speak authoritatively at Agency and technical levels, with a wide range of senior technical experts in public and private meetings; and
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Must be a U.S. citizen;
• Must have one year of specialized experience pertaining to the key duties above, equivalent to the next lower grade level of FSL-04/GS-12; and
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Secret-level security clearance.

Interested candidates must submit the following:

Resume/CV; A short written statement of interest or cover letter, no longer than one page;
At least three professional references;
Documentation if claiming Veterans Preference (DD-214, Service Disability Letter, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, etc.); and
Documentation if serving as a current/former political appointee must submit all appropriate documentation (SF-50s, appointment letter, etc.).

Please submit your application package to [email protected] with the subject line: “FSL APPLICATION PACKAGE: Program Officer (Market Systems Specialist), FL-1101-03, MPI, PD# 32944.” Application submissions are required by 11:59 p.m. EST, March 8, 2024. Incomplete packages or packages not submitted by the deadline with the specified subject line will not receive consideration. This notice may be used to fill additional vacancies, as the workforce needs of the Bureau may change.

USAID Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Commitment
USAID envisions a world where all individuals are valued, have equitable access to opportunities, and are included, respected, and safe in their societies. USAID embraces diversity as outlined in USAID’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement. We seek to elevate and include the voices of the USAID workforce, recognizing and valuing the unique contributions of all stakeholders. USAID also strives to improve equity for underrepresented communities that have historically been denied fair and just treatment and improve accessibility in all facets at USAID.

Additional resources include:

EEO Policy Statement
Reasonable Accommodation Policy
Foreign Service Salaries
Healthcare & Insurance

Any questions concerning this notice may be directed to Stephen Morin at [email protected].