Trade Policy Student Intern (Volunteer)

Executive Office of the President - US Trade Representative•Washington, DC

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The intern program at the Office of the United State Trade Representative (USTR) offers unpaid volunteer opportunities for students, recent graduates, and veterans to gain knowledge and hands-on experience in U.S. trade policy. Intern responsibilities may include conducting research and analysis, compiling statistics, preparing reports and briefing materials, assisting with meeting and conference planning, drafting correspondence, and attending meetings, hearings, or legislative markup sessions. This position is located in the Office of Trade Policy Coordination (TPC) in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and reporting to Mark DiPlacido, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy Coordination. USTR, as established by the Trade Act of 1974, is responsible for transmitting to the President and to the Congress the annual President’s Trade Policy Agenda, the Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program, and the National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (jointly “Reports”). These Reports provide the President’s trade objectives for the new year; the actions USTR and the U.S. Government took the prior calendar year to implement the President’s objectives, and an inventory of foreign practices that are significant barriers to U.S. exports and includes actions taken to eliminate those significant barriers to trade. The purpose of the internship is to assist TPC in editing these three Reports.

Requirements

Program participants must be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years or older before the first day of the program
Currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program at a college, community college, or university (two- to four-year institution)
Graduated from an accredited undergraduate or graduate program at a college, community college, or university (two- to four-year institution) no more than two years prior to the first day of the EOP Internship Program
A veteran of the United States Armed Forces who possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent and has served on active duty, for any length of time, no more than two years prior to the first day of the EOP Internship Program
If you are a male born after December 31, 1959, and are at least 18 years of age, civil service employment law (5 U.S.C. 3328) requires that you must be registered with the Selective Service System, unless you meet certain exemptions
Selected Interns will be expected to complete the entire term and must participate fully in all mandatory on-boarding/off-boarding activities
All participants in the USTR Internship Program must undergo a rigorous security review and drug testing prior to the start of the program
All participants must sign an USTR Internship Program Participant Agreement Form
Your resume showing dates of employment and duties performed
A COMPLETE RESUME IS REQUIRED. Your resume must show relevant experience where you worked, job title, duties and accomplishments, employer's name, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), and hours per week
If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, please ensure you provide the pay plan, series and grade level i.e. GS-0201-09
A copy of a current official transcript must be submitted with your application to verify your qualifications (if currently enrolled)
A copy of a qualifying degree to include an Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, OR obtained a Vocational, Technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous two years (if graduated)
A copy of your DD-214 and SF-15 forms are required (if veteran)

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated interest and a commitment to public service through schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and previous work or internship experience are beneficial to applicants.

Responsibilities

Conducting research and analysis
Compiling statistics
Preparing reports and briefing materials
Assisting with meeting and conference planning
Drafting correspondence
Attending meetings, hearings, or legislative markup sessions
Assist in editing the Reports
Review the 65-80 individual sections of each report to ensure they comply with USTR’s editing conventions
Review the 65-80 individual sections of each report to ensure the reporting is consistent among them
Advise the Senior Trade Policy Advisor when each section of the Reports are ready for further review
Coordinate with drafters on resolving edits and questions posed by the Senior Trade Policy Advisor regarding any sections of the Reports
Prepare tranches of sections of the Reports for transmittal to the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC)
Incorporate edits as provided by the 21 agencies comprising the TPSC and consult with the Senior Trade Policy Advisor on whether to further consult with the drafting offices and the Office of the General Counsel
Ensure that the drafters of each report section have considered and incorporated edits provided by the TPSC
Review compilations of the Reports for formatting and typographical errors
Review print shop proofs of the Reports for formatting and typographical errors