This position is located in the Farm Service Agency, Arkansas State Office, Farm Loan Program Branch located in Little Rock, Arkansas. About the position: Evaluates farm loan program activities carried out by Service Centers; provides technical advice and assistance to Service Center farm loan staff; develops and conducts training on farm loan program topics; develops guidelines, forms, and procedures to be used throughout the State.

Duties

Provide technical advice and assistance on subjects such as loan making and servicing methods, land use and development practices, farm organization, installation of facilities, and handling legal problem cases. Reviews and evaluates Farm Loan Program activity, including technical services activities, loan making, loan servicing, and the transfer of borrowers to private or cooperative credit. Analyzes field program activity reports to identify trends and detect program weaknesses. Reviews and/or recommends approval or disapproval of the more difficult loan cases channeled through the State office. Develops the actions and solutions required for the most complex loan cases, and exercises delegated loan approval authority. Analyzes and recommends decisions in appeal cases submitted to the State Office. The incumbent may serve as an appellate authority for decisions denying loan.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Males born after 12/31/59 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 a one-year probationary or trial period.
• 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/.
• Confidential Financial Disclosure Report: If selected for this position, you will be required to submit an Annual Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter.
• This Position Requires "Agricultural Loan Approval Authority" for the GS-11 and GS-12 Grade Levels.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date 09/22/2023 of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined. Specialized experience for the GS-11 level: Applicants must have three full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education or Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral 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- Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-9 level in the Federal service or private sector equivalent. Experience that demonstrates competence in agricultural loans. Experience may have been gained in such work as reviewing and passing upon applications for a limited number and variety of agricultural operations (i.e., single owner, single enterprise operation, farm equipment and machinery, etc.), or servicing an agricultural loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association. In addition, experience must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the technicalities of farm financing and credit, and a general working knowledge 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. Time in grade at the GS-11: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the GS-9 grade level. Specialized experience for the GS-12 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Experience that demonstrates competence in agricultural loans. Experience reviewing and passing upon applications for various kinds of agricultural operations representing all types of ownership (i.e., single owner, partnerships, and corporations, etc.); servicing an agricultural loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association. In addition, experience must demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the technicalities of farm financing and credit, 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. 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 GS-11 grade level. NOTE: Your resume must specifically address the experiences and Selective Placement Factor needed to be considered. Failure to document may result in an ineligible rating. MANDATORY SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR FOR GS-11 & GS-12: Must possess or have possessed Agricultural Loan Approval Authority For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/group-stds/gs-admin.asp. 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 using education at the GS-11 level: 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 with your application package evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution was appropriately accredited by an accredited body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. Education standards. You may submit an unofficial copy of the 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 the transcript.

THE SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION IS NOT QUALIFYING FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL.

Contacts

• Address Farm Service Agency 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Jennifer Falkner
• Phone: 303-880-5838
• Email: [email protected]