Remote Agricultural Engineer Jobs in Springfield, VA

Summary
As an Agricultural Marketing Specialist, with the National Organic Program, you will be located the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC), Washington, D.C. The primary emphasis of this position is to support the sharing of information and leverage the collective resources of the Partnering Government Agencies (PGA) at the CTAC for the prevention, preemption, deterrence and investigation of import and export laws.
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Duties
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• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Coordinates, analyzes, evaluates, and reports on data from external sources, including but not limited to CTAC Partner Government Agencies.
• Assesses initial appropriateness and validity of complaints using the NOP regulation 7 CFR 205 and the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) to prevent unfair trade practices.
• Conducts investigations of alleged complaints, trade practices, and violations of the NOP regulation and OFPA.
• Systematically analyzes a variety of information in order to synthesize targeting parameters to distinguish the high risk threats from low-risk cargo imports.
• Assists with policy recommendations to AMS and CBP management for action or decision on short-term and long-range plans, proposals and other matters relating to program development and operations.
• Participates in the internal review of management controls over NOP programs and makes recommendations for improvement.

Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Testing Designated Position: Selectee must submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and random testing thereafter. Final appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results for illegal drug use.
• Valid state driver's license is required at the time of application.
• All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.

Qualifications
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.
TIME-IN-GRADE: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.
FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-12 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

• Assess agricultural and food-related importers and exporters for compliance, verifying their ability to trace products across multi-stage, international supply chains.
• Evaluate agricultural and food operations for adherence to all applicable regulations, policies, and program requirements throughout processing and movement in the supply chain.
• Develop and execute investigative strategies; collect, organize, and analyze evidence; and determine whether the evidence supports compliance findings or enforcement actions.
• Utilize the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) to report, extract, and analyze operational data, ensuring that organic agricultural imports meet federal regulatory requirements.
• Leverage trade and import data insights to produce briefing materials for executive leadership, stakeholders, and training programs.

Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
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Education
This position does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information

• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
• Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).
• Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
• For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website.
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information.
• First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.
• The incumbent of this position must successfully complete and maintain a current, cleared full field background investigation or a U.S. Office of Personnel Management Tier 5 Top Secret background investigation, complete all required non-disclosure forms required by the Agency, and maintain such forms with the Agency.
  The incumbent must also acquire and maintain a security clearance necessary for accessing systems such as ACE, TECS, ATS, ACS, AMS and new systems or databases used to collect port of entry documentation and data.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.