Cotton Market Reporter - Agricultural Marketing Service

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-12 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Cotton classing, harvesting methods, climate conditions, soil conditions, and related factors affecting the market value of cotton and of trade practices governing various kinds of cotton. Supply, demand, market, and price conditions. Written and oral communication and computer skills in order to communicate effectively with industry and Program representatives. 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. The duties may include, but are not limited to: Collects, evaluates, and analyzes market information from Cotton Market Reporters, Classing Offices, and other governmental and private sources. Identifies and develops new sources of marketing intelligence. Administers assigned regulatory acts relating to grade and staple statistics and collection, compilation, and dissemination of quality, price and other statistics on cotton and linters. Conducts statistical analysis and continuously stays abreast on the supply, demand, disappearance, and prices of cotton. Designs report headings, layouts, formats, graphs, and tables for various market news reports. Stays abreast of changes and trends of the cotton market in order to make accurate analysis of market conditions and determine their influence on prices.