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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Males born after 12/31/59 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. If selected, you will be sent instruction on obtaining fingerprints. Please note, we are not able to reimburse any fees incurred for fingerprints.
Successful completion of a one-year probationary or trial period.
Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date 09/25/2024 of the announcement including the following specialized experience and/or education, as identified.

For The GS-9 Level

Two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree (LLB, JD, LLM, Ph.D., etc.), from an accredited college or university with a major in finance, business administration, economics, accounting, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, statistics, or another field related to the position such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock, farm management, ranch management, rural sociology, dairy science, domestic agricultural development or agronomy; OR
Applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-7 level in the Federal service or private sector equivalent, that demonstrates knowledge of credit principles and practices to assess the fundamental soundness of loans by independently examining applications, supporting documents, and credit reports, and maintaining servicing activities on agricultural loans. In addition, experience that demonstrates knowledge of, and skill in applying analytical and evaluative techniques to assist in assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of farm loan program operations to make recommendations for improvements; OR
A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience. Only graduate education in excess of the first year (18 semester hours) may be combined with experience.

For the GS-11 level:

Three (3) full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or a Ph.D, or equivalent doctoral degree with a major in finance, business administration, economics, accounting, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, statistics, or another field related to the position such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock, farm management, ranch management, rural sociology, dairy science, domestic agricultural development or agronomy; OR
Applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-9 level in the Federal service or private sector equivalent, that demonstrates competence in agricultural loans by servicing an agricultural loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association. In addition, experience that demonstrates knowledge of, and skill in applying analytical and evaluative techniques to provide recommendations in assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of farm loan program operations.
A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience. Only graduate education in excess of the first year (18 semester hours) may be combined with experience.

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 more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/group-stds/gs-admin.asp?

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.

Education

College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit with your application package evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution was appropriately accredited by an accredited body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. Education standards. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process; however, if selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Please refer to the "How to Apply" section for instructions on submitting the transcript.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP/RPL eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.
This position is eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Current USDA policy includes telework for an 8 hour work day, 4 days per week; other flexibilities are possible dependent upon availability and/or the position and its associated duties. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor.
Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.

Help Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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