This position is located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Business Center (FBC), Human Resources Division (HRD), Workforce Operations Branch, Employee Care Center. The incumbent is responsible for providing help desk support, advice and assistance to managers and employees on a variety of personnel management programs and personnel actions.
Summary
This position is located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Business Center (FBC), Human Resources Division (HRD), Workforce Operations Branch, Employee Care Center. The incumbent is responsible for providing help desk support, advice and assistance to managers and employees on a variety of personnel management programs and personnel actions.
Process correction, cancellation, and replacement actions using the History Correction Update Processing System (HCUP) application in the NFC automated personnel system in cases that are highly complex.
Provides personnel services such as generating, coding, and processing a wide variety of personnel actions.
Researches and interprets guidelines on cases concerning a wide variety of federal Human Resources functions, including complex personnel processing, issues of pay.
Utilizing various automated Human Resources Information Systems.
Maintaining electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) records.
Assists human resources specialists with identifying and resolving problems; providing technical information, guidance, training, and assistance on the interpretation and application of rules, regulations, and procedures as needed.
Males born after 12/31/1959 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 one year Trial 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 10/11/2024 of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined above.
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 (e.g. one year at the GS-6 grade level for consideration for the GS-07 grade level, one year at the GS-5 grade level for consideration for the GS-06 grade level, and one year at the GS-4 grade level for consideration for the GS-05 grade level). You must include an SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one) that supports meeting this requirement with your application package.
Specialized Experience for the GS-05 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level (or its non-Federal equivalent). Specialized experience for this position includes:
Experience interpreting and applying standard Human Resources rules, procedures and requirements related to a Human Resources functional area (i.e. employee benefits, recruitment and placement, personnel/payroll processing, classification, employee/labor relations, employee development) in order to prepare a variety of personnel documents and experience performing customer service activities by responding to Human Resources related inquiries in person or in writing.
OR
Successful completion of four full years of education above the high school level for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite.
OR
A combination of post-high school education (at least 60 hours or more) and specialized experience that together meet the qualification requirements for this position.
Specialized Experience for the GS-06 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level (or its non-Federal equivalent). Specialized experience for this position includes:
Interpreting and applying standard Human Resources rules, procedures and requirements related to a Human Resources functional area (i.e. employee benefits, recruitment and placement, personnel/payroll processing, classification, employee/labor relations, employee development) in order to prepare a variety of personnel documents;
Experience utilizing automated personnel systems to process personnel actions; and
Experience performing customer service activities by responding to Human Resources related inquiries in person or in writing, and coordinating new employee orientation requirements.
Specialized Experience for the GS-07 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level (or its non-Federal equivalent). Specialized experience for this position includes:
Experience interpreting and applying standard Human Resources rules, procedures and requirements related to a Human Resources functional area (employee benefits, recruitment and placement, personnel/payroll processing, classification, employee/labor relations, employee development) in order to prepare and review/verify a variety of personnel documents;
Experience utilizing automated personnel systems to process personnel actions and resolve issues related to automated processing activities; and
Experience performing customer service activities by responding to Human Resources related inquiries in person or in writing; coordinating new employee orientation requirements, and assisting in identifying and resolving payroll-related issues.
Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For the GS-06 and GS-07 levels, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.
You must be able to occasionally report to the designated office location in the Duty Location you are applying to for administrative duties, such as mail collection. The office locations for each duty station are as follows:
Kansas City, MO: 805 Pennsylvania Avenue, KCMO 64105
Raleigh, NC: 4405 Bland Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609
Washington, DC: 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250
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
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
You must submit a copy of your transcripts to include course number, title, completion and grade. 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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 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.
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.
For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA) or 30 percent disabled veterans, explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website.
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.
Term appointments are time limited appointments for more than one year but cannot exceed four years.
Current permanent Federal employees (to include permanent USDA employees) applying for a Term appointment will be appointed/converted into a Term appointment with no statutory return rights back to a permanent position.
Position may be made permanent without further competition.
Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.
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.
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.
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:
Accountability
Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
Decisiveness
Information Management
Interpersonal Skills
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.
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.
The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment (mm/yyyy - mm/yyyy); title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.
If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, official transcripts will be required prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Current Federal employees:
Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade held (or promotion potential) on a permanent basis, position title, series & grade AND
Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. A performance plan is not an acceptable substitute.
Time-in-grade documentation: If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old).
Veteran Hiring Authorities: VRA and 30% Disabled Veterans: DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, that shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment.
Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) 10:59 p.m. Central Time (CT) the of 10/11/2024 this announcement.
Please submit your most recent Performance appraisal that is Completed/Rated/Signed by Supervisor, which is dated within the last 18 months. DO NOT submit a Performance Plan, Progress Review or Current Appraisal in which the rating period is still on-going/not complete. If you do not have one, please submit a note explaining why you do not have one. Failure to do this will result in an ineligible rating. For FSA/RMA employees applying for vacancies, be sure to follow the instructions in the "How to Apply and Required Documents" sections. If you have questions, please call the HR Specialist that is listed as the contact on the announcement BEFORE the announcement closes.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, click "Apply Online" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. You must verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g. SF-50's or veteran docs) into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like documents into files will simplify the application process. Documents must be in one of the following formats: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signature, or other encryption to open.
Farm Production and Conservation Business Center
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
US
Next steps
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a compliant or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to SM.FairChanceFBC@usda.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.Fair & TransparentThe Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment (mm/yyyy - mm/yyyy); title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.
If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, official transcripts will be required prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Current Federal employees:
Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade held (or promotion potential) on a permanent basis, position title, series & grade AND
Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. A performance plan is not an acceptable substitute.
Time-in-grade documentation: If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old).
Veteran Hiring Authorities: VRA and 30% Disabled Veterans: DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, that shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment.
Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) 10:59 p.m. Central Time (CT) the of 10/11/2024 this announcement.
Please submit your most recent Performance appraisal that is Completed/Rated/Signed by Supervisor, which is dated within the last 18 months. DO NOT submit a Performance Plan, Progress Review or Current Appraisal in which the rating period is still on-going/not complete. If you do not have one, please submit a note explaining why you do not have one. Failure to do this will result in an ineligible rating. For FSA/RMA employees applying for vacancies, be sure to follow the instructions in the "How to Apply and Required Documents" sections. If you have questions, please call the HR Specialist that is listed as the contact on the announcement BEFORE the announcement closes.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, click "Apply Online" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. You must verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g. SF-50's or veteran docs) into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like documents into files will simplify the application process. Documents must be in one of the following formats: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signature, or other encryption to open.
Farm Production and Conservation Business Center
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
US
Next steps
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a compliant or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to SM.FairChanceFBC@usda.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.Fair & TransparentThe Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
