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Loan Assistant (Agricultural)

Department of Agriculture
Farm Service Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

RE-OPENING ANNOUNCEMENT DUE TO RECENT SYSTEM OUTAGE. APPLICANTS WHO SUCCESSFULLY APPLIED BEFORE THE OUTAGE DO NOT HAVE TO REAPPLY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.

PLEASE READ ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS UNDER "HOW TO APPLY" BEFORE YOU BEGIN.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/30/2018 to 09/17/2018
Salary
$33,394 to - $53,773 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 05 - 07
Locations
Aberdeen, SD
1 vacancy
White River, SD
1 vacancy
Yankton, SD
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel will be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Drug test
No
Announcement number
FSA-18-0580-SD-SRN
Control number
509356700

Duties

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These positions are assigned to the Farm Service Agency in the State of South Dakota with (1) position in Aberdeen, Brown County, SD; (1) in White River, Mellette County, SD; and (1) in Yankton, Yankton County, SD.

Farm Loan Officer's (FLO's) are required to successfully complete all of the requirements of the Farm Loan Training Program. FLO's may be reassigned to another training office during their training program. In addition, upon completion of training program, FLO's may be reassigned, at any time, to a different duty station if workload activity changes or vacancies occur.

This position assists the Farm Loan Manager in administering farm loan programs in a USDA Service Center serving one or more Counties.

Major responsibilities include:

  • Making, servicing, and supervising loans;
  • Providing technical advice, guidance, and credit counseling to loan applicants and borrowers;
  • Has delegated loan approval authority to approve loans within a specific limit;
  • Has knowledge of agency farm loan programs and eligibility requirements;
  • Has knowledge of the technicalities of farm financing and credit, financial management concepts and practices, farm operations, land use and value, production and marketing of various crops and livestock, and prices and markets in the serviced farming areas.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National to apply.
  • Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Successful completion of a one year probationary period.
  • Meet education and/or experience requirements.
  • Complete the Occupational Questionnaire/submit resume/supporting documents.
  • Financial disclosure will be required at the GS-11 grade level.

To be eligible for appointment to this position, the new hire must be cleared to come on board once the results of the fingerprint check, review of the OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and the candidate’s Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (eQIP) entries have been reviewed and determined to be satisfactory.  This position requires a favorable credit check as part of the background investigation.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION AND FINGERPRINT CHECK: 
Selection and retention in this position is contingent upon a successfully adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check) and a background investigation.

CONFIDENTIAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT:  At the GS-11 grade level, you will be required  to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of you entering into that grade, and annually thereafter.  Selectee is subject to financial Disclosure
Requirements in accordance with 5 CFR, Part 2635, Sub Part E regarding business or personal transactions with applicants, borrowers, or business contacts who have or who are seeking business with this Agency. Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Qualifications

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

For the GS-5 level: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelors degree or a bachelors degree 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 or ranch management, or rural sociology from an accredited college or university; OR
Three years of progressively responsible general experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least the GS-4 in Federal service or private sector that required (1) gathering and analyzing facts and figures, and presenting the information or conclusions in clear oral and written language; or (2) that provided a knowledge of the principles of financial analysis or of insurance laws, such as contract, property, life, casualty, or marine insurance;
OR
A combination of education and experience as listed above.

For the GS-7 level. Superior Academic Achievement: A bachelor's degree in finance, business administration, economics, accounting, engineering, mathematics, anking and credit, law, statistics, or another field related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, r rural sociology from an accredited college or university with either: 1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0   based on a 4.0 scale; 2) a 3.5 GPA based on a 4.0 scale for required courses completed in a major field of tudy during the last two years of undergraduate study; 3) class standing of upper third of the graduating class n the college, university, or major subdivision of the college; 4) membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College Honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies;
OR
One year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-5 level in the Federal service or private sector equivalent that demonstrates basic knowledge of loan examining and/or servicing principles, procedures and techniques as they apply to investigation, analysis, and evaluation of financial   factors and credit risks in relation to granting and servicing of agricultural loans. Experience may have been gained in such work as assisting in reviewing and passing upon applications for agricultural loans; servicing an agricultural loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association; or similar work. In addition, this experience must demonstrate basic knowledge of farm operations, land use and value, production of various crops and   livestock, and prices and markets in the farming area where loans are made and serviced;
OR
One year of graduate education 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 or ranch management, or rural sociology;
OR
A combination of graduate education and experience as listed above.

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, 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.

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) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL or ICTAP eligibility see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP 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/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
•  Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
•  Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.
•  E-Verify: Federal law requires agencies to use the E-Verify system to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. If you are selected as a newly hired employee, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS 'E-VERIFY' system. Under the system, the new hire is required to resolve any identified discrepancies as a condition of continued employment.
•  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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below:

  • Knowledge of credit principles, farm loan program policies and regulations to make and service loans;
  • Ability to research, interpret and apply agricultural or lending regulations, policies and procedures to attain objectives;
  • Ability to communicate orally;
  • Ability to communicate in writing;
  • Skill in analysis and problem solving;
  • Knowledge of agricultural production practices to service customers;
  • Skill in negotiation and conflict management;
  • Customer service skills;
  • Ability to be innovative and demonstrate creativity;
  • Ability to train and develop others.

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.


To view the application form, visit: https://fsa.usda.ntis.gov/cp/?event=jobs.previewApplication&jobid=784FBDA0-1ED5-4E03-892B-A94600D1CE8F

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