Agricultural Specialist

This position is located in the Farm Service Agency, Vermont State Office, Operations Branch, located in Colchester, Chittenden County, Vermont. The selectee participates in and shares in the responsibility for planning, directing, and administering all aspects of primary and related agricultural commodity programs and agricultural loan programs carried out by the State FSA Office.

Major duties

• Receives and helps evaluates suggestions and recommendations for improvement.
• Carries out the provisions of the Internal Controls and Integrity Reviews Program by assisting higher-graded Program Specialists in the reviews covering assigned FSA Agricultural Program duties.
• Assists higher-graded Specialist in the gathering and selection of information for use in the administration of assigned programs.
• Provides technical guidance related to preparation and transmittal of Time and Attendance records and analyzes problems and assists in implementing corrective action.
• Prepares correspondence, procedures, notices, handbook supplements, instructions and forms for use by State and County Office personnel relating to the administration of assigned programs.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts. Specialized Experience at the GS-7: One full-time year of specialized work experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-5 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience 1) presenting information and responding to questions on topics involving assigned program responsibilities; 2) providing information on the status of automated loan and supporting program applications; 3) assisting in the preparation of procedures, supplements, instructions and forms for use in administration of programs; and 4) assisting in researching program information to prepare calculations for reports; OR Superior Academic Achievement: Superior Academic Achievement from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in dairy science, agricultural marketing, domestic agricultural development, farm management, agronomy, or other agricultural specialty areas; 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 study during the last two years of undergraduate study; 3) class standing of upper third of the graduating class in 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. (MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS); OR Education: Successful completion of one year of graduate education OR a master's degree or higher graduate degree with a major field of study as listed above. (MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS); OR Combination: A combination of graduate education and experience as listed above Specialized Experience at the GS-9: One full-time year of specialized work experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-7 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience 1) providing technical advice and assistance on less complex matters concerning loan making and servicing methods; 2) participating in processing foreclosures and other legal actions; 3) utilizing automated system(s) to maintain crop tables; and 4) serving as the first point of contact for program interpretation on questions within assigned program areas; OR Education: 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 dairy science, agricultural marketing, domestic agricultural development, farm management, agronomy, or other agricultural specialty areas; OR Combination: Combination of graduate education and experience as listed above. 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

College Transcript: If qualifying based on education, you must submit a copy of your college transcript with course number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours, and grade earned. 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 to ensure proper evaluation. Your education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited toward qualifications. You may verify accreditation by visiting the U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs website. We will verify your education accordingly. Foreign Education: You must submit verification that education completed in a foreign institution, was recognized by an accreditation body accepted by the U.S. Department of Education. You must include a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript. 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 National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. Your transcripts must be in English or include an English translation. You may submit an unofficial copy of your 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 transcripts.

Requirements

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. If selected, you may be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note, we are unable to reimburse for any fees incurred. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period unless previous federal service is creditable. During this time your employment will be evaluated, and we may consider: your performance and conduct, the needs and interests of the agency, whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government, and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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.gov.