Apr
29
2012

LOAN SPECIALIST (AGRL)

Posted by

Job Title:LOAN SPECIALIST (AGRL)

Department:Department Of Agriculture

Agency:Farm Service Agency

Job Announcement Number:UK652372-ND-DT

SALARY RANGE:

 $47,448.00 to $61,678.00 / Per Year

OPEN PERIOD:

 Friday, April 27, 2012 to Thursday, May 10, 2012

SERIES & GRADE:

 GS-1165-09

POSITION INFORMATION:

 Full Time – Permanent

PROMOTION POTENTIAL:

11

DUTY LOCATIONS:

 1 vacancy(s) – Jamestown, ND United StatesView Map

WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED:

 US Citizens and Status Candidates

JOB SUMMARY:

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

RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE AUTHORIZED.

THIS IS A BARGAINING UNIT POSITION (AFGE).

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is an exciting and rewarding place to start, build and/or continue your career. Be part of our team and support the well-being of American agriculture and the American public. Take part in delivering these essential and critical programs as an Agricultural Loan Specialist by making and servicing agricultural loans, evaluating financial factors and credit risks, and providing advice, guidance, and credit counseling. As a team member located in one of our USDA Service Centers, you will receive both classroom and on-the-job training intended to further develop your talent, skills, and abilities to successfully administer farm loan programs.

FSA’s diverse culture and benefits allow for a healthy balance between your career and home life. In addition to a generous salary, FSA offers a friendly and professional working environment with a diverse workforce, flexible hours/work schedules, and other family-friendly benefits such as: paid vacation and sick leave, paid holidays, retirement and supplemental savings plan, a wide array of health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans, flexible spending accounts, and long-term care insurance.

AREA OF CONSIDERATION: All interested persons may apply.  You need not be a current or former Federal employee to apply.

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.

    KEY REQUIREMENTS

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply.
  • Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
  • This announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies.
  • Registered for Selective Service if needed. Financial Disclosure required.
  • Meet education and /or experience requirements.
  • Complete Occupational Questionnaire and submit resume/supporting documents.

DUTIES:

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These two positions are assigned to the FSA NORTH DAKOTA STATE OFFICE, Farm Loan Team, located in Jamestown, Stutsman County, North Dakota.

Farm Loan Officer’s (FLO’s) are required to successfully complete all of the requirements of the Farm Loan Training Program.  Training for the position will be provided at alternate work sites (to be determined) upon selection.  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 works in a developmental capacity receiving on-the-job and classroom training in the administration of farm loan programs.

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.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

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Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by Thursday, May 10, 2012.

You may start at the GS-9 level if you have one of the following qualifications:

  • Two full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or master’s or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university with a major field of study in finance, business administration, economics, accounting, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology; OR
  • One year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-7 level in the Federal service.  Experience that demonstrates competence in agricultural loans. Experience may have been gained in such work as reviewing and passing upon applications for agricultural loans; servicing an agricultural loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association; or similar work. Experience that demonstrates knowledge of credit principles and practices to assess the fundamental soundness of individual loans by independently examining applications, supporting documents, and credit reports, and maintaining servicing activities on small agricultural loans. In addition, experience must demonstrate knowledge and understanding 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
  • A combination of education and experience as listed above.

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 evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume.  You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process.  Please refer to the “How to Apply, Alternative Methods for Submitting Your Application Materials” section, for instructions on submitting the transcript.

Note:  Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work.  An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must meet the time-in-grade restriction.

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

CONFIDENTIAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT: If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, 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 the Farm Service Agency. Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. If selected you will be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

We will review your application, including an online assessment questionnaire, to ensure you meet the job requirements and assess your ability to perform this job. Before any certificate can be issued to the selecting official, the resume and supporting documents are reviewed by an HR Specialist to ensure that (a) minimum qualification requirements are met and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your answers will be verified against information provided in your online resume and application. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

For Competitive Applicants/All US Citizens - If you meet the qualification requirements based on the extent and quality of experience, education and training relevant to the duties of the position and your responses to the automated scoring system, your application will be placed in one of the three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran’s preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans.

For Merit Promotion Applicants - If you meet the qualification requirements, you will be rated on the extent and quality of experience, education and training relevant to the duties of the position. An automated scoring system, based on your responses to the online application process is used to determine the Best Qualified applicants.

Note: If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your description of experience and/or education OR that your application is incomplete may result in receipt of a lower or ineligible rating.

BENEFITS:

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Permanent employees are eligible to elect life and health insurance coverage and will be covered by a Retirement System.  Employees will earn annual and sick leave.  For additional information on benefits click here.

OTHER INFORMATION:

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Plan(CTAP): If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, provide a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal (at least “fully successful” or equivalent), and proof of eligibility, i.e., a RIF separation notice or Certification of Expected Separation, and SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles will be considered well-qualified if achieving a rating of 80 or above excluding veteran’s preference points.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

HOW TO APPLY:

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Please read all the instructions before you begin.

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package, which includes the following:

1.  Resume. You may either use USAJOBS Resume Builder to create a resume or create your own; however, your resume must contain the following information: 1) job information for which you are applying; 2) personal information; 3) education; 4) work experience; and, 5) other qualifications.
2. A complete Occupational Questionnaire
3. Additional Required Documents i.e., college transcripts, Veterans documents, etc (see Required Documents section below).

To begin this process, click the “Apply Online” button to create an account or log into your existing USAJOBS account.  Follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire.  Please ensure that you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.

Please print your “Confirmation of your Submission to Application Manager” for your records. The online Occupational Questionnaire must be completed and submitted by 11:59 p.m. EDT on  Thursday, May 10, 2012.  Applications are not screened for required documents before determining minimum qualifications. It is your responsibility to ensure that all required documents are received in the office by the close of business on or before the closing date of this announcement. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service etc.

Alternative Method for Submitting Your Application Materials:

If you are not applying online, you may fax your application materials to 1-478-757-3144.

1. Click  View Occupational Questionnaire to download the questions, and
2. Click here to download the OPM Form 1203FX, this form is used to record your responses on, and
3. Click here to download the fax cover page.

If applying online or faxing your application materials poses a hardship, please contact the servicing human resources office during core business hours (8:00am to 4:30 pm central time) prior to the closing date. Requests for hardship will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Make requests in a timely manner to allow enough time to obtain documents and return the completed information to our office.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

In addition to your Occupational Questionnaire and Online Resume, other documents may be required.

1) If this vacancy announcement has a basic education requirement and/or you are substituting education for specialized experience, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts.

2) If you are applying for Veteran Preference, submit evidence of eligibility, such as DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or Application for 10-point Veteran Preference (Standard Form 15), and the proof requested on the form.

3) If you are a current or former Federal employee, you must provide the most current Notification of Personnel Action (Form SF-50) that verifies career-conditional/career status, position title, series and grade (do not submit an Award SF-50). FSA County employees must provide the most recent Notification of Personnel Action (Form SF-50-B or FSA-50) that verifies permanent status. Also provide the SF-50 that reflects the highest grade level held on a permanent basis or the full performance level of your current position, whichever is higher. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.

4) If you are a current Federal employee, you must submit your most recently completed annual performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) which identifies the employee’s official rating of record, signed by the supervisor, or a statement advising why the performance appraisal is unavailable.  Do not submit a performance plan. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.

5. If you are eligible for appointment based on a disability under the Schedule A hiring authority, you must provide a certification of disability. The certification of disability can be documented in one of several ways; by a counselor at either the State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency or the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs; by a statement or letter on a physician/medical professionals letterhead stationary; or by statements, records or letters from a Federal Government agency that issues or provides disability benefits. The certification must verify the applicant has a severe disability and is therefore eligible under a Schedule A appointment authority, and he or she is able to perform the essential duties of the position. The certification must also describe any needed reasonable accommodation. You can review additional information at: https://www.opm.gov/disability/appempl.asp.

6. If you are eligible for appointment based on Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), or 30% Disabled Veterans, service in the Peace Corps, Vista, Action Cooperative, or another special authority, submit proof of eligibility.

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:

DOROTHY L. TAYLOR
Phone: (816)926-2169
TDD: (800)735-2966
Email: DOROTHY.TAYLOR2@ONE.USDA
.GOV
Agency Information:
Farm Service Agency
Beacon Facility – Mail Stop 8398
PO Box 419205
9240 Troost Ave KCMO 64131-3055
Kansas City, MO
64141-6205

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

Once your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume has been received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a qualification review of your complete application package has been made, you will be notified as to the status of your application. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. You can track the progress of your application package in Application Manager at http://ApplicationManager.gov.

http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/315239800