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Guidelines for the Junior Officer (JO) Program
I. Description of the JO Program
The Junior Officer (JO) program is USAID's mechanism for recruiting all entry-level career candidates into the FS. The program will seek the best qualified junior professional candidates who are willing to make a long-term commitment to the FS and international development. Agency policy is to recruit and select the best candidates available for FS appointments, without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, color, age, religion, ethnic origin, disability, marital status, or political affiliation.
The JO program is designed to prepare FSOs for tenure through an individually adapted training program. The total training program will be approximately three years with four months in Washington D.C. or, if foreign language training is needed, up to 12 months in Washington D.C. Training in Washington D.C. is followed by approximately 24 months of broad-based training through rotational assignments at an overseas office. All JOs must meet USAID foreign language tenuring requirements before departing for assignment overseas.
Tenure criteria includes three years as a career candidate in the FS, at least 18 months of overseas service with USAID, foreign language proficiency at an Foreign Service Institute (FSI) tested level of S3/R3 (French, Spanish, Portuguese) or S2/R0 or 1 in all other languages qualifying for USAID tenure, a top-secret security clearance, level one medical clearance and certification of availability for worldwide service. All FSOs must achieve tenure within five years of their entry on duty (EOD) date.
JOs will be considered for graduation from the program at the end of their first overseas tour of duty (24 months overseas) or their three-year anniversary, which ever comes first.
III. General Qualifications and Requirements
In general, the JO Program will require an advanced degree in the appropriate technical area. Relevant international professional experience is desirable. USAID plans to recruit in a wide range of professional areas, e.g., agriculture, economics, environment, administration, contracting, financial management, health, political science, etc.
JOs must be at least 18 years of age and not more than 59 years of age (see section 812 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended), a U.S. citizen at time of application, available for worldwide assignment and service, medically cleared for worldwide assignment and service, and registered with the Selective Service (for male applicants). In addition, all applicants selected for USAID positions are subject to drug testing.
IV. The Recruitment/Selection Process:
USAID has embarked upon a recruitment initiative to re-establish the USG's leadership role in the development arena. Over the past two decades, staff reductions and shifting of management responsibilities from permanent US direct hire (USDH) staff to other forms of employment, has had a negative impact on USAID's ability to effectively perform our responsibilities. While this approach has provided USAID with people in management positions, it has eroded the core technical staff necessary to properly represent the USG and to provide the leadership role needed to promote our foreign policy objectives. This recruitment initiative is referred to as the Development Leadership Initiative (DLI). Through the DLI, USAID plans to double the number of Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) from approximately 1,100 to 2,200 by 2012.
In preparation for meeting the challenge of the DLI, to rebuild the permanent Foreign Service workforce, USAID began the recruitment process to replenish the depleted pool of qualified candidates. The majority of DLI recruitment will be through the JO program with additional recruitment of mid-career FSOs in selected technical and support areas.
Based on assessments of present and projected personnel resources and organizational and programmatic needs, USAID plans to recruit up to six DLI classes of approximately 70 FSOs per year. Classes are contingent upon availability of funds for hiring and organizational priorities. These classes consist of various occupational categories such as Program/Project Development Officers; Agriculturalists; Environmentalists; Contract Officers; Controllers; Population, Health and Nutrition Officers; etc.
Specific technical and administrative JO Program openings are advertised on an open continuous basis. Qualified applicants are rated and ranked periodically based on a paper review by a Technical Selection Panel (TSP). The TSP conducts an on-site candidate assessment of the highest ranking applicants. The on-site assessment consists of a written exercise, group discussion exercise and an individual interview conducted by the TSP. Candidates are then rated and ranked based on established criteria.
Candidates recommended for hiring will undergo additional reference checks and pre-employment processes, e.g., medical and security clearances.
In general, the Agency is seeking to hire Candidates as JOs at the FS-06 level with a salary range from $36,762 to $53,986 without locality pay and $44,442 to 65,264 with locality pay (2008 pay scale). USAID follows Federal Salary setting guidelines. Three factors are used to set salary: professional training, years of relevant experience and salary history.
V. Training and Promotion
Candidates entering the FS through the JO program are in training for approximately three-years. At the end of the three-year period, the JO will be reviewed by a graduation panel to determine whether the candidate is ready for graduation based on annual performance evaluations and the recommendations of Bureau, Office or Mission management.
JO training is guided by an Individual Development (training) Plan (IDP), which is a framework and tool to detail training needs. The knowledge, skills and abilities to be developed are in line with the Foreign Service skills matrix that applies to all FSOs at USAID. The skills matrix is the basis for annually determining whether an employee is performing at or above grade and is the basis for promotions. At the FS-06 level, a set of related competencies have been defined as the basis for establishing the IDPs. These competencies cover a range of behavioral, occupational and professional skills deemed critical to the successful functioning of entry-level FSOs.
During the training time in USAID/Washington, each JO will have a supervisor of record who is responsible for overseeing the development of the IDP, mentoring and evaluating annual performance. Each JO is also assigned a coach to help develop the IDP, learn about working in USAID, and help with the transition into the FS and the first assignment overseas. Coaches are retired FSOs that serve as a confidant and advisor supporting JOs as they navigate through the USAID culture.
The IDP is based on the JO's supervisor and coach's assessment of the JO's previous experience and training and its relationship to required skills and competencies. Training will be designed to provide the JO with the skills necessary for his or her first overseas assignment in the shortest possible time. To develop the necessary skills, each JO will attend formal and informal training sessions, carry out work in his/her home offices and perform on-the-job training in other Washington offices under rotational supervisors.
During the three-year training period, JOs will be considered for two promotions via an administrative process linked to the JO Program. Each JO will have an initial performance review after the first 11 months and second performance review 12 months after the initial review. Administrative promotions will be recommended after each satisfactory review.
Timing of the first two JO performance reviews is determined by the JO's EOD date and is therefore not consistent with the April through March FS Annual Evaluation cycle. For example, an EOD date in May 2008 would result in an initial evaluation period of May 2008 through March 2009 (11 months). The second evaluation will cover a period from March 2009 to February 2010 (12 months).
For both the initial and second annual performance review, the JO's supervisor will solicit 360 input from rotational supervisors and others, but must not include the JO's coach as part of the Annual Evaluation Form (AEF) process. Using 360 input, the JO's self assessment of performance, and his/her own independent assessment, the supervisor will prepare a written appraisal of the JO's performance against work objectives and performance measures for the rating period.
In order to be promoted administratively, JO's must demonstrate satisfactory performance, i.e., they must meet the standards of their class. Accomplishing work objectives and demonstrating requisite skills proficiency meets the class standards.
Administrative promotion decisions will be made by a review panel. The JO Promotion Review Panel (PRP) will be established by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) at appropriate intervals for each JO class, prior to the first anniversaries of EOD. The Panel will consist of four members. Chaired by the Chief of the Foreign Service Personnel (OHR/FSP) or designee, the Panel will also include an Assignment and Performance Counselor (APC), the OHR/FSP Special Programs (OHR/FSP/SP) Team Leader and one senior FSO from outside of OHR with expertise in the JO backstops under review.
The JO PRP will determine which JOs meet or fail to meet the standards of their class. Individuals who meet (or exceed) the standards of the class will be recommended for administrative promotion to the next FS grade/class.
Those who are determined by a JO PRP not to meet the class standards will not be recommended for promotion. A counseling letter will be issued from the Panel outlining corrective actions to improve their performance. This letter will not be included in the JO's performance file. However, JOs not meeting the standards of their class will have their evaluation files referred to the next regularly scheduled FS Performance Boards. Those who were not recommended for promotion by the Panel may be so recommended by the Boards. JOs who appear to the Performance Board to be failing to meet the standards of their class will be referred to the Tenure Board rather than the Performance Standards Board. The Tenure Board may recommend one of two actions for pre-tenure eligible career candidates:
- Return the recommendation to the Performance Board noting non-concurrence with recommendation (the determination giving specifics regarding the Board's decision).
- Terminate the JO from service.
Where an administrative promotion is recommended from FS-06 to FS-05, upon approval by the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Human Resources, the effective date will be the anniversary of the JO's EOD date. Second administrative promotions from FS-05 to FS-04 will, upon approval, be effective on the second anniversary of the JO's EOD date.
It should be noted that JOs receiving a second administrative promotion will not be promoted a second time within the same rating period. FSOs are not promoted more frequently than once a year, and because Performance Boards meet at a set time once a year, then applying the "not more than once in twelve months" principle, JOs who become FS 04s in September of 2010 will go before the Boards for rating in June/July 2011 and, if appropriate, be ranked but will not be eligible for promotion until the next cycle Board reviews in 2012.
VI. Initial Overseas Assignment
OHR will direct all initial assignments of JOs. JOs, Supervisors, Coaches, Bureaus and Missions may be consulted and to the extent possible their views will be taken into consideration. However, it should be noted that all FSOs are required to be worldwide available and assignments are ultimately the prerogative of Agency management.
The Agency will make every effort to arrange an appropriate initial assignment, which matches the needs and abilities of the JO with the needs of the Agency.
A JO's initial directed assignment overseas will be under a supported ceiling training position. Supported ceiling positions come with an estimated $150,000 in OE funds per year for two years. These funds can be used to pay indirect costs such as housing and transportation-costs, training costs associated with the JO's IDP, and education allowance.
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