This position is located in a State or Area Office in USDA/Rural Development (RD). Receives training and experience designed to develop competency in performing housing program work in an organization of a USDA Rural Development State Office. There is one vacancy that may be filled at any of the locations listed. This is NOT a remote position. The incumbent must report for work at the listed duty location.

Duties

Conduct special studies of program activities and problems; keep currently informed of national office policies, procedures, and directives and of the trends and developments in agricultures, credit, and local rural problems. Participate in developing and implementing annual and longer-term program plans and targets for the state. Participate in efforts to ensure adequacy of program compliance, including program staff training, credit counseling, loan/grant eligibility determinations, security servicing/debt adjustment, collections, records maintenance, and related activities. Ensure that fair housing requirements are communicated to partners, that partners adhere to established standards, and that partnering relationships foster diversity in home ownership to the maximum extent possible.

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.
• 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 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. 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. For GS-07 Specialized Experience: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates basic knowledge of loan examining and/or servicing principles, procedures and techniques as they apply to investigation, analysis and evaluation of financial factors and credit risks in relations to the granting and servicing of mortgage loans. Experience may have been gained in work equivalent to furnishing general information concerning loan programs, loan eligibility requirements, or financial and credit information. OR possess one (1) full year of graduate level education OR Superior Academic Achievement (see definition of SAA below) OR an equivalent combination of experience and education as noted above are acceptable. For GS-09 Specialized Experience: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates experience in performing loan making and/or loan servicing duties such as regularly examining loan applications, supporting documents and credit reports; maintaining servicing activities of somewhat complex loans and/or grants; assisting higher-level loan specialists by performing assigned portions of financial credit analysis in connection with more complex loans as a way of acquiring training and competency for more difficult loan examining and servicing assignments. OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related OR a combination of education as described and specialized experience. For GS-11 Specialized Experience: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates knowledge and understanding of mortgage loan making/servicing and credit principles and practices in order to assess the fundamental soundness of single-family housing loans and to independently examine applications, supporting documents, and credit reports, and maintain servicing activities on small mortgage loans. Experience may have been gained in work equivalent to furnishing information to borrowers and applicants on loan programs, eligibility requirements, financial and credit requirements; analyzing information provided by loan applicants, determining eligibility for mortgage loans, and making loan approval decisions; providing credit counseling to all borrowers and debt adjustment services; assists other employees in the same program with policy and application of program requirements. Reviews the work of loan originators for loan approval and consistency. Makes recommendations to supervisor for statewide rule and regulation adherence and consistency. OR a Ph. D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.M., if related. For GS-12 Specialized Experience: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates knowledge and understanding of mortgage loan making/servicing and credit principles and practices in order to assess the fundamental soundness of single-family housing loans and to independently examine applications, supporting documents, and credit reports, and maintain servicing activities on small mortgage loans. Experience may have been gained in work equivalent to furnishing information to borrowers and applicants on loan programs, eligibility requirements, financial and credit requirements; analyzing information provided by loan applicants, determining eligibility for mortgage loans, and making loan approval decisions; providing credit counseling to all borrowers and debt adjustment services; assisting other employees in the same program with policy and application of program requirements. Designs, implements, and evaluates assigned housing programs for the geographic areas encompassed in the responsibilities of the Office. The incumbent conducts studies; develops state-wide directives, systems, and procedures; and participates with managers in developing and effecting outreach and marketing efforts and in evaluating program effectiveness primarily for the single-family housing (SFH) program. Serves as expert staff resource for program. There is no substitution of education for this series/grade level. Superior Academic Achievement is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. 1.Class standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on completed courses. 2. Grade-point average - Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed bases on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum; OR 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. 3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society. Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology. NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the GS-1165 series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards 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

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Contacts

• Address Rural Development 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Christina Harvey
• Email: [email protected]