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Community Program Specialist

Department of Agriculture
Agriculture, Rural Development
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The positions are headquartered in USDA Rural Development (RD) Menomonie, Wisconsin; Shawano, Wisconsin; Spooner, Wisconsin; or Stevens Point, Wisconsin Area Offices.

Remote/Virtual: No

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/29/2022 to 12/12/2022
Salary
$54,727 to - $103,176 per year

Salary Table identified for Rest of United States. Locality pay will be based on duty location of selectee.

Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 12
Locations
3 vacancies in the following locations:
Menomonie, WI
Shawano, WI
Spooner, WI
Stevens Point, WI
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
MP-WI-11734403-2023-FPJ
Control number
691758100

Videos

Duties

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  • Serves as an advisor under the Supervisory Community Liaison to the State Director concerning rural issues within targeted community regions and maintains high level liaison, as directed by the Supervisory Community Liaison.
  • Works with various sources of alternative or supplemental funding, such as federal, state, or local loan and/or grant providers, state legislatures, non-profit organizations, and private lenders.
  • Facilitates information sharing among public and private sectors to increase awareness of federal loan and grant programs and incentives for business and community development in rural areas.
  • The incumbent will perform administrative business, policy, and analytical work involving: the management, award, and/or obligation of funds for grants, cooperative agreements, and other related instruments and services.
  • Advise community networks and representatives of local government units, educational institutions, financial institutions, and others on agency financial policies and procedures.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • 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 of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

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 GS-09 Grade Level: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates: Experience working with senior staff to conduct evaluation reviews of the state's performance to determine the effectiveness of diverse and inclusive community planning efforts and Rural Development delivery services. Experience providing a high level of customer service to local governments and stakeholders as they carry out their responsibilities under Rural Development (RD) programs. OR Master's or degree OR 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree, if related OR a combination of education as described and specialized experience.

For GS-11 Grade Level: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates: Experience planning actions and issues, as well as technical content of State Community Economic Development (CED), strategic plans, and initiatives and/or work related documents. Experience assisting with the evaluation of the state procedures, standards, guides, reports, forms, informational releases, and/or training materials designed to promote more efficient operations and overcome deficiencies. OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related OR a combination of education as described and specialized experience.

For GS-12 Grade Level: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates: Experience serving as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) advising State Director, Area Directors, and Rural Development stakeholders on community planning in the development of Community Economic Development (CED) planning policies, methodologies, technical standards and guidance including: community systems changes to increase community voice and decrease disproportionate harms caused to low-income communities of color. Experience conducting evaluation reviews of state's performance to determine the effectiveness of diverse and inclusive community planning efforts and Rural Development delivery services. There is no substitution of education at this grade level.

NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the GS-1101 series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards

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

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. 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.

  • Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).
  • 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.
  • For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website.
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information.
  • This position is being concurrently announced under Delegated Examining Announcement Number DE-WI-11736434-2023-FPJ. This announcement is open to all qualified candidates. Applying to both announcements may expand the possibilities of consideration since different referral criteria apply to each type of announcement.
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.
  • 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.
  • Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc) should contact: USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

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 Implementing Community Development Plans
  • Knowledge of community planning
  • Knowledge of community planning strategies and assessments.
  • Leadership
  • Oral Communication
  • Program Administration/Project Management
  • Written Communication


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. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. 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.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11734403

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