Foreign Service Agriculture Officer (Multiple Vacancies)

Job Description

Responsibilities

USAID Agricultural Development Officer:

• Provides technical guidance and support to US Government foreign assistance activities in the areas of agricultural development and food security
• Guides USAID activities in agricultural development and food security based on the review and analysis of data and consultations with concerned parties
• Analyzes constraints to development, both sector-wide and country-specific; recommends appropriate courses of action; and guides USAID activities in agricultural development and food security based on the review and analysis of data and consultations with concerned parties.
• As leader or member of Mission or office team, guides or participates in the planning and implementation of a broad range of agriculture and food security program activities
• Identifies development issues and opportunities in agriculture and food security
• Leads or participates in designing and managing strategies, policies and programs in agricultural development and food security, including identifying opportunities for integrating agricultural development and food security with broader USG and other donor programs
• Drafts analyses, concept papers and project documentation in line with the Agency regulations and guidance
• Leads or participates in the monitoring and evaluation of program performance
• Mobilizes and manages available personnel and financial resources and leverages these USG resources to maximum developmental effect
• Directs and supports the efforts of staff and partners in the pursuit of developmental objectives
• Works with counterparts in other USAID regional and central bureaus to develop agency-wide policies, strategies, performance indicators, assessments, and evaluations of programs
• Coordinates with other USAID Bureaus and Offices, the Department of State, other USG agencies and non-governmental partners in the private sector and NGO communities in the development and pursuit of shared development objectives
• Develops specifications and subsequently manages financial instruments (contracts, cooperative agreements and grants) with Agency partners
• Performs a range of activities that address complex issues in agriculture and food security
• Assists in designing and managing initiatives that cut across sectors and engage other elements of the US development assistance to accomplish broad programmatic goals.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - A Foreign Service Officer generally spends the majority of their career assigned to the Agency’s overseas missions and works in assigned developing countries with a variety of challenges (civil war, political unrest, lack of modern conveniences).

Requirements Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Must have worldwide availability.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a TS security clearance.
• Must be between 18 and 59 years old at time of application.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

This is a Foreign Service announcement. Worldwide availability is a requirement of the position.

Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works effectively with a wide range of partners in and outside of government to determine and achieve goals.

Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Written Communication: Recognizes and uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces a wide range of written information (e.g. information and decision memoranda, analyses, reports, scopes of work, press releases) that is appropriate for the intended audience.

Agriculture Knowledge - Agriculture and Food Security: Understands agriculture development and food security principles, theories and methods, including the relationship between agriculture and economic growth and the role of nutrition and gender in agricultural development and food security.

Cultural Awareness: Able to work effectively in a developing country context, including work with other governments and civil society and with representatives of other donor countries and international organizations.

Qualifications

Education & Experience:

FS-05: Applicant must have a graduate degree (Masters or Doctorate) with at least two (2) years of relevant work experience, of which at least one (1) year must be in a developing country context or in a diverse working environment (as described under relevant overseas experience) and must be related to agriculture or rural development. The applicant’s graduate degree and work experience must be in one of the following agricultural sciences: Agribusiness (including finance for agriculture and agribusiness), Agronomy, Animal Science, Aquaculture, Crop/Plant Science, Entomology, Food Science, Agriculture-based approaches to Nutrition, Food Safety or Food Technology, Agro-forestry, Horticulture, Plant Pathology, Rural Sociology, Soil Science, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Education, Agricultural Engineering, International Agricultural Development, Agriculture Extension, or Agriculture and the Environment, including Climate Change.

FS-04: Applicant must have a Master’s degree with at least four (4) years of relevant work experience, or which at least three (3) years must be in a developing country context or in a diverse working environment (as described under relevant overseas experience) and must be related to agriculture or rural development OR a Doctoral degree with at least three (3) years of relevant work experience, of which at least three (3) years should be in a developing country context or in a diverse working environment (as described under relevant overseas experience) and must be related to agriculture or rural development. The applicant’s graduate degree and work experience must be in one of the following agricultural sciences: Agribusiness (including finance for agriculture and agribusiness), Agronomy, Animal Science, Aquaculture, Crop/Plant Science, Entomology, Food Science, Agriculture-based approaches to Nutrition, Food Safety or Food Technology, Agro-forestry, Horticulture, Plant Pathology, Rural Sociology, Soil Science, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Education, Agricultural Engineering, International Agricultural Development, Agriculture Extension, or Agriculture and the Environment, including Climate Change.

Relevant overseas experience is defined as serving or working in an overseas context or in an economically disadvantaged domestic community (such as an Indian reservation), directly related to the advertised Foreign Service Officer’s positions, in which you experienced new cultures, learned foreign languages, encountered different cultures and practices, coordinated and engaged with external partners and local counterparts, or conducted public outreach and communications.

Education

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements. Transcripts from any and all foreign educational institutions must be accompanied by an official Evaluation of Educational Credentials in order to be considered for the position. It is your responsibility to provide evidence that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States when applying. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency.