Project Development Specialist

Other Agencies and Independent Organizations Development Finance Corporation (9 current openings)

Who may apply

Limited to the following applicant groups:

  • Internal to an agency
Washington, District of Columbia
Full-time Security Clearance: Secret
Application Deadline:
2026-08-21
Posted:
2026-08-10

2 days left to apply

Salary: $143,913 – $187,093 per year (GS-14)

Salary context

Based on 201 annual-salary jobs in the same occupational series. This role pays above most similar positions.

Job Details

Position Overview

This position is part of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Office of Global Business Development. As a Project Development Specialist you will perform a broad array of responsibilities associated with the implementation of the office project development program in emerging markets.

Duties

Implements activities associated with the early stages of deal origination.

Meets with potential and existing DFC clients, other DFC business lines and offices, multilateral development banks and other development finance institutions, and other U.S. Government agencies concerning potential project development activities and performs follow-up research and analysis.

Performs due diligence analysis of parties connected to potential and existing project development activities.

Prepares screening, underwriting committee, investment committee, and approval memoranda concerning potential office activities.

Works with DFC counsel and clients on the preparation of project development implementation plans.

Reviews deliverables provided during completion of project development activities, as well as determining the extent to which these deliverables meet project development funding agreement requirements.

Conducts site visits to locations in emerging markets where agency activities are or may be performed.

Delivers presentations during project development activity underwriting and investment committee meetings and responds effectively to questions posed during those meetings.

Serves as a Contracting Officer's Representative preparing contracting-related documents to initiate and implement contracting actions and review contractor work products and decide to approve or deny contractors' invoices.

Please Note: This is a Bargaining unit position represented by AFGE, local 1534.

Qualifications & Requirements

Status candidates must meet time-in-grade requirements (52 weeks at the next lower grade level). Applicants must meet all eligibility and qualification requirements no later than the closing date of this announcement.

TIME-IN-GRADE
: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).

You may qualify at the GS-14 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirements:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service that includes:
1) Implementing project development funding activities designed to develop international projects for financing, investment, or political risk insurance (e.g. origination, due diligence, deliverables review, etc.) AND
2) Analyzing international project development activity work scopes and budgets and resolve issues.

Note: Education is not substitutional at 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

This position is being advertised concurrently with vacancy announcement 26-OGBD-DE-13029177-AQ using Delegated Examining (DE) procedures. If interested, refer to that announcement to determine if you meet DE requirements and can apply to that announcement. NOTE: You must apply separately to each announcement in order to be considered under both.

This announcement may be used to fill similar positions, if additional vacancies occur.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Must submit resume and supporting documents (See How To Apply)
  • Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
  • Within 30 days of your start date, you will be required to file a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450)
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance
  • This position will require foreign travel to developing countries

Evaluations

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.


You may preview the Application Questionnaire at: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13029176

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed. IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement.
2. Your responses to the application questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13029176
3. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • Your most recent Promotion, Within-Range Increase (WRI/WGI), or Appointment/Conversion Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50), if applying as a current or former Federal Employee (i.e. status candidate), showing you are/were in the competitive service, on a permanent basis, and the highest grade or promotion potential held, is required. DO NOT submit NON-Pay Impacting Action SF-50's to include, "Organizational Code Change SF-50's, Award SF-50's and/or General Adjustment SF-50's, etc." or SF-52's Request of Personnel Action as they cannot be used to prove time-in-grade.
  • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
  • Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program Documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

  1. Click the Apply Online button.
  2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
  3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
  4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
  5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
  6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
  7. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
  8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Read the Eligibility questions carefully. The questions address if you are eligible to apply to this JOA. Your responses will affect your consideration for the position. You may qualify for more than one eligibility, so please choose carefully. You will only be considered under the options you have selected. If you respond that you do not meet any of the eligibility questions, you will not be considered for this position.

Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content (e.g. SSN or DOB), your resume will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you will not be considered for this vacancy.

Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted prior to the closing date of the announcement. For status updates on your application, please follow the directions listed above in the How to Apply section. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. If you are selected for an interview for this position, you will be contacted directly. A final job offer for this position is typically made within several weeks after the closing date of the vacancy announcement. After confirming a job offer, all other applicants will be notified of their non-selection.