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PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in a USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service state, area or field office within Missouri.

This is an administrative and technical support position under the supervision of the District Conservationist, Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations, or other higher graded employees. The position is responsible for processing and maintenance of records related to NRCS conservation programs and the day to day business and offices processes of the NRCS.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Posted 11/22/21
This job will close when we have received 30 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$35,265 - $56,790 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 7
Promotion potential
7
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
NRCS-22-11303174-DE-MO-MY
Control number
623135400

Duties

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  • Tracks the status of Farm Bill contracts through reports and communications with staff.
  • Reviews payment requests and verifies payment documents to ensure complete information is provided or is properly matched for approval by the District Conservationist.
  • Processes customer applications and certifications of eligibility. Analyzes problems with applications and take remedial actions.
  • Drafts and finalizes contract administration letters and documents related to status reviews, contract implementation, contract modifications, and potential cancellations or terminations,.
  • Assists staff with planning workload by developing customer files and entering data into agency software tools.

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 E-Verify at 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.

Applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement to be considered:
Specialized Experience at the GS-05: To qualify for the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include performing administrative duties in support of conservation planning (Resource Management, Farm Plan, Record of Decisions). Examples of specialized experience include:

  • Organizing and filing records for business program operations; responding to questions on office programs policies, procedures and operations to employees and outside parties; receiving and processing applications (including reviewing applications for completeness);
  • Reviewing incoming/ outgoing correspondence for format, grammar, and punctuation; maintaining office filing system;
  • Providing telephone and receptionist services; scheduling meetings; and providing other clerical and administrative support for an organization
Specialized Experience at the GS-06: To qualify for the GS-06 grade level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include performing administrative duties in support of conservation planning (Resource Management, Farm Plan, Record of Decisions). Examples of specialized experience include:
  • Designing or developing financial and transactional reports, and correspondences for conservation projects; and
  • Developing processes and procedures for administrative functions to provide consistency within the office and to outside parties.
Specialized Experience at the GS-07: To qualify for the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include performing administrative duties in support of conservation planning (Resource Management, Farm Plan, Record of Decisions). Examples of specialized experience include:
  • Providing contract administration support services, such as using a variety of electronic tools to input, organize and manipulate data;
  • Communicating program information and verifying participant eligibility;
  • Creating and maintaining case files;
  • Tracking contract status and following-up with participants to ensure deadlines are met;
  • Reviewing contracts, payments and other technical documents for accuracy and compliance with policy; and
  • Working with staff and customers to resolve program issues and problems.
Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-05, GS-06 and GS-07 grade levels.For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: Clerical and Administrative Support Positions

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

You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify all education requirements (i.e. substitution of education and/or basic education requirement). If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement. You must document all requirements on every vacancy; we cannot use previous determinations as a basis for rating. All required information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. This information must be received by the closing date of this announcement. Non-submission of these documents will result in non-consideration.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Applicants must, therefore, only report attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation via this link. All education claimed by applicants will be verified accordingly. Important: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Click on this link for more information.

Additional information

  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or 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.
  • Promotion Potential: 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.
  • PLEASE NOTE: In the interest of filling these positions as efficiently as possible, we are requiring the following:
    • If called for an interview, applicants must be available to interview within 3 business days of being contacted.
    • If a tentative job offer is extended, selectee will have 2 business days in which to accept or decline.

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 basic conservation program requirements for simple and routine administrative duties related to tracking of contracts, funds and and to assemble documentation for payment in a timely manner to comply with prompt payment requirements.
  • Knowledge of various and changing Farm Bill program contract and financial management procedures in order to process financial documentation related to Farm Bill program contracts and research or investigate problems or errors.
  • Skill in operating personal computers, related software, hardware, and printing equipment in order to create and generate reports, to locate and extract electronic files from the Internet, and other electronic sources, and to format information for electronic dissemination.
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/11303174

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Do you want to work for a premier conservation agency whose mission is to "help people help the land?" The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), works in close partnership with farmers, ranchers, forest managers, non-governmental organizations, local and state governments, and other federal agencies to create and maintain healthy and productive working landscapes.As part of USDA's new Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Mission Area, NRCS has 3,000 locations and covers every county in the U.S. We help stewards of agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest lands to plan and implement proven conservation systems through technical and financial assistance designed to enhance productivity, improve soil and water health, and restore wetlands and wildlife habitat.We need people who are committed to action through public service-- people who help ensure that all of us enjoy the benefits that come from a healthy environment and productive agriculture. Please consider joining us and helping to make a difference for generations to come.

Agency contact information

Melody Yates
Phone
816-926-5940
Email
melody.yates@usda.gov
Address
Natural Resources Conservation Service
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
US

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