Intelligence Operations Specialist

This position is in the Defense Intelligence and Analysis Division (DIAD). DIAD helps align national security priorities with USDA's mission areas and focuses on protecting USDA and U.S. food and agriculture against foreign threats. As an Intelligence Operations Specialist, the incumbent coordinates with the Intelligence Community and establishes intelligence practices to specific problems which involve many variables relating to national security.

Major duties

• Drafts, reviews, and edits, analytical products to forecast and assess future situations.
• Ensures secure data handling at point of capture and maintains chain of custody.
• Monitors and reviews new intelligence for agricultural equities.
• Reports across all classification levels using open-source materials, advanced databases, and intelligence systems.
• Applies project management best practices from planning to evaluation.
• Assists leadership in the development of risk assessments, strategies, and approaches for minimizing and reducing risk to USDA or U.S. agriculture.
• Participates in developing in-depth strategic, operational, and tactical intelligence research, analysis.
• Supports both short- and long-term complex research projects on short and fixed timelines.
• Maintains awareness and researches areas of emerging concern for U.S. agriculture.
• Serves as a liaison with internal and external stakeholders to create and maintain relationships.
• Facilitates the horizontal and vertical sharing of information and intelligence and integrates the same between multiple USDA agencies and offices as well as the broader U.S. interagency.
• Supports coordination with intelligence and counterintelligence partners on relevant analyses or issues of concern.
• Duties described above are at the full performance level GS-11, duties at the GS-09 level will be developmental.

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. Minimum Qualifications: Applicants must meet the Specialized Experience and/or Education requirements as shown below. If qualifying based on experience, your application or resume must clearly show that you possess the specialized experience requirements. Specialized experience is defined as experience that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

GS-09: Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which included experience using open-source materials, databases, and intelligence systems for developing strategic, operational, and tactical intelligence research, analysis, and reporting. OR Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree, or LL.B. or J.D. if related. OR A combination of education and experience as described above. NOTE: Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for the GS-09 grade level.

GS-11: Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which included experience using open-source materials, databases, and intelligence systems for developing strategic, operational, and tactical intelligence research, analysis, and reporting; and, performing risk analysis and risk assessments regarding national security topics. OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or LL.M. if related. OR A combination of education and experience as described above. NOTE: Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for the GS-11 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.

In the event of an emergency, USDA's Office of Homeland Security (OHS) employees may be subject to 24 hour on-call availability. This service may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites that require functioning under intense physical and mental stress.

Education

Education in related fields may be substituted for specialized experience at the GS-09 and GS-11 levels as described above. Transcripts must be supplied with application materials.