ResponsibilitiesPNNL seeks a Strategic Trade Controls Research Analyst with broad experience in strategic trade management and nonproliferation to support projects for federal sponsors, including the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Commerce. The successful candidate will contribute to research, analysis, technical assistance, and international capacity-building activities spanning strategic trade control policy and institutional frameworks, control lists and commodity classification, licensing and transaction risk assessment, industry and academic outreach, compliance, enforcement, and trade-data analysis.
The position requires the ability to apply strategic trade control concepts across different countries, institutional settings, commodities, and technologies. The candidate will analyze complex technical, regulatory, transactional, and programmatic information; develop evidence-based findings and recommendations; and communicate effectively with U.S. government sponsors, interagency partners, foreign government officials, technical experts, industry representatives, and academic institutions. Responsibilities may include developing and delivering workshops and exercises, preparing analytical and technical products, supporting program and project planning, and coordinating activities involving multiple organizations and areas of expertise.
Responsibilities
Strategic Trade Controls Analysis and Technical Support
- Conduct research and analysis concerning national and international strategic trade control laws, regulations, policies, institutional arrangements, and implementation practices.
- Analyze commodities, software, and technologies to determine the applicability of national and multilateral control lists and support technically defensible classification determinations.
- Support licensing and transaction reviews, including assessment of end uses, end users, intermediaries, destinations, transaction structures, proliferation concerns, diversion indicators, and other risk factors.
- Assess strategic trade control systems and identify practical opportunities to strengthen policy development, licensing, compliance, outreach, enforcement, and interagency coordination.
- Apply strategic trade control principles across a range of dual-use, military, proliferation-sensitive and emerging commodities and technologies, including unmanned and autonomous systems, working with technical specialists as needed.
- Specific responsibilities will vary based on the candidate's expertise and evolving programmatic needs. The successful candidate should be able to contribute flexibly across research and analysis, international capacity building, sponsor engagement, proposal development, project planning, and technical reporting.
Research, Trade Data, and Risk Analysis
- Conduct qualitative and quantitative research using regulatory information, technical documentation, open-source information, aggregate and transactional trade data, and other relevant sources.
- Analyze trade patterns and transaction information to identify emerging trends, anomalous activity, diversion risks, and potential implementation gaps.
- Identify appropriate HS codes when needed for trade-data analysis and explain the relationship and limitations of customs and export-control classification systems.
- Develop or adapt analytical methodologies to address complex or emerging strategic trade control questions.
- Translate analytical findings into clear, actionable recommendations for program activities, technical assistance, and policy or operational decision-making.
International Engagement and Capacity Building
- Design, develop, and deliver international capacity-building activities addressing strategic trade control policy, classification, licensing, risk assessment, compliance, outreach, enforcement, and related topics.
- Develop presentations, exercises, case studies, guidance, and other instructional or technical materials for government, industry, and academic audiences.
- Facilitate workshops, tabletop exercises, technical discussions, and interagency engagements with participants from a range of professional backgrounds.
- Support assessments of partner-country needs and the development of tailored activities, work plans, roadmaps, and follow-on recommendations.
Program and Project Support
- Contribute to proposals, work scopes, project plans, budgets, schedules, technical deliverables, and sponsor reports.
- Coordinate tasks and activities involving U.S. government sponsors, national laboratories, interagency partners, international organizations, foreign governments, industry, academia, and technical experts.
- Manage or support projects of varying size and complexity and adapt to changing sponsor priorities and programmatic needs.
- Prepare concise, technically accurate written products for technical, policy, program-management, and senior-level audiences.
QualificationsMinimum Qualifications:
- BS/BA and 7 years of relevant experience -OR-
- MS/MA or higher and 5 years of relevant experience
- Relevant experience is defined by experience with strategic trade controls, export controls, nonproliferation, enforcement, international security, trade compliance, or a closely related field.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Demonstrated substantive experience across multiple components of a strategic trade control system, such as policy and legal frameworks, control lists and classification, licensing and risk assessment, compliance and outreach, enforcement and interdiction, or trade-data analysis.
- Knowledge of U.S. export control system and familiarity with international or foreign strategic trade control systems and relevant multilateral control frameworks.
- Experience with INECP, ECRCI, EXBS or comparable U.S. government or international strategic trade control assistance programs.
- Experience analyzing commodities, software, or technologies against applicable control criteria and working with technical documentation and subject-matter experts.
- Knowledge of emerging technologies relevant to strategic trade controls, including drones and associated technologies and components, is desirable.
- Experience evaluating end-use, end-user, intermediary, destination, diversion, procurement, or proliferation-related risks.
- Knowledge or experience in supply chain analysis.
- Ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative research and synthesize technical, regulatory, transactional, and policy information.
- Experience developing and delivering international technical assistance, workshops, exercises, or similar activities.
- Strong writing, briefing, facilitation, and cross-cultural communication skills.
- Experience supporting U.S. government sponsors and managing complex, multidisciplinary projects.
- Ability to work independently while collaborating with technical experts, program managers, government officials, and international partners.
Hazardous Working Conditions/EnvironmentNot Applicable.
Additional InformationThis position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance.
A security clearance background investigation includes review of your employment, education, financial, and criminal history, as well as interviews with you and your personal references, neighbors, and co-workers to determine trustworthiness, reliability, and loyalty to the United States. The investigation also examines your foreign connections, drug and alcohol use, foreign influence, and overall conduct.
Requirements:
- U.S. Citizenship.
- Background Investigation: Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix B.
- Drug Testing: All Security Clearance positions are Testing Designated Positions, which means that the applicant selected for hire is subject to pre-employment drug testing, and post-employment random drug testing. In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the requisite Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP).
Note: Applicants will be considered ineligible for security clearance processing by the U.S. Department of Energy if non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for 12 months cannot be demonstrated.
Testing Designated PositionThis position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). The candidate selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing for illegal drugs, including marijuana, consistent with the Controlled Substances Act and the PNNL Workplace Substance Abuse Program.
