This position is designed as a SES, Career-Reserved. USDA structures its SES positions into position levels. This is a position level two with a salary range of $189,354 to $200,728 per year. Exceptions to the salary cap may be considered in certain circumstances. SES employees are also eligible to receive bonuses and performance-based awards. Visit http://www.opm.gov/ses/ for additional information and benefits for SES employees.

Duties

Responsible for compliance operations and monitors progress toward program and overall Rural Development (RD) organizational goals. Provides policy direction to staff of professional accountants who, in turn, provide technical accounting and auditing advice and assistance to borrowers, their CPAs, and program officials. Directs and coordinates the financial activities relating to the development, maintenance of internal controls related to the operation of a multi- hundred-billion-dollar loan portfolio accounting system. Develops policies, methods, and procedures related to loan and grant accounting functions to meet the goals and objectives of the CFO in compliance with OMB Circular A-123 internal control objectives along with laws and regulations for RD. Directs the evaluation of the assigned accounting operations to ensure efficient and effective use of available resources and the application of the most advanced/state-of-the art accounting techniques. Serves as the Agency's representative on financial, accounting, and audit issues with other Federal and state agencies, utility industries and professional standard setting organizations. Provides expert financial, accounting and auditing advice to the CFO, mission area Administrators and the Under Secretary for RD, as well as other senior level staff of the agency on utility, cooperative and other accounting issues.

Requirements

• Veterans Preference is not applicable in the Senior Executive Service.
• Initial appointments are required to serve a 1-year probationary period.
• Narrative Statements for the ECQs must not exceed 10 pages.
• Background Investigation required.

Qualifications

YOU MUST UPLOAD YOUR RESPONSES TO THE EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs) AND TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs). As a basic requirement for entry into the SES, applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible executive leadership and supervisory experience that is indicative of senior executive level management capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications listed below. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the GS-14/15 grade level in the federal service or its equivalent in the private sector. As such, your resume should demonstrate that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully fulfill responsibilities inherent in most SES positions such as: - Directing the work of an organizational unit- Ensuring the success of one or more specific major programs or projects; - Monitoring progress toward strategic organizational goals, evaluating organizational performance and taking action to improve performance; and - Supervising the work of employees; and exercising important policy-making, policy determining, or other executive functions. Failure to meet the basic qualification requirement and address all Mandatory Technical and Executive Core Qualification factors will result in your application being disqualified. EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): The ECQs were designed to assess executive experience and potential not technical expertise. They measure whether an individual has the broad executive skills needed to succeed in a variety of SES positions. All applicants must submit a written narrative to address the ECQs. Your narrative must address each ECQ separately and should contain at least two examples per ECQ describing your experiences and accomplishments/results. The narrative should be clear, concise, and emphasize your level of responsibilities, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments, policy Initiatives undertaken and the results of your actions. Applicants should not enter "Refer to Resume" to explain your answer. The narrative must not exceed 10 pages. NOTE: Current career SES members, former career SES members with reinstatement eligibility, and SES Candidate Development Program graduates who have been certified by OPM do NOT need to address the ECQs. 1. Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment. (Competencies: creativity and innovation, external awareness, flexibility, resilience, strategic thinking, vision) 2. Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organizations vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. (Competencies: conflict management, leveraging diversity, developing others, team building) 3. Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. (Competencies: accountability, customer service, decisiveness, entrepreneurship, problem solving, technical credibility) 4. Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. (Competencies: financial management, human capital management, technology management) 5. Building Coalitions: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. (Competencies: partnering, political savvy, influencing/negotiating) Fundamental Competencies: These competencies are the foundation for success in each of the Executive Core Qualifications: Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Continual Learning, Written Communication, Integrity/Honesty, Public Service Motivation. The Fundamental Competencies are crosscutting; and should be addressed over the course of each ECQ narratives. It is not necessary for you to address the Fundamental Competencies directly as long as the narrative, in its totality, shows mastery of these competencies on the whole. Applicants are encouraged to follow the Challenge, Context, Action and Result (C-C-A-R) model outlined in the guide. Challenge- Describe a specific problem or goal. Context - Describe the individuals and groups you worked with, and/or the environment in which you worked, to address a particular challenge (e.g., clients, co-workers, members of Congress, shrinking budget, low morale). Action - Discuss the specific actions you took to address a challenge. Result - Give specific examples of measures/outcomes that had some impact on the organization. These accomplishments demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of your leadership skills. Additional information about the SES and Executive Core Qualifications can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) SES Website. You are strongly encouraged to review OPMs Guide to SES Qualifications for specific examples and guidance on writing effective ECQ narrative statements. MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): All applicants must submit a written narrative response to the following TQs. You must address each TQ separately. Each TQ narratives must not exceed two (2) pages. Please give examples and explain the complexity of the knowledge possessed and the sensitivity of the issued you handled. 1. The incumbent will have mastery of generally accepted accounting principles, theories, and practices for the Federal Government and its component agencies involved in loan making activities. Describe your knowledge and experience in applying accounting concepts in (1) formulating accounting policies and procedures for loans and grants, (2) performing operational accounting activities; (3) coordinating resolution of accounting/accounting applications problems; (4) performing compliance reviews of accounting systems and operations; and (5) designing/modifying, testing, and implementing automated accounting applications; and (6) interpreting legislation relative to government financial and accounting structures. 2. The incumbent will have the ability to develop, implement and organizational vision which integrates program goals, priorities, and values. Describe your experience in providing leadership and motivating managers to incorporate vision, strategic planning, and quality management into financial management activities. Describe your ability to balance change while striving to improve customer service and encourage subordinates to think creatively, develop and implement best practices, and be proactive in a financial management environment. 3. The incumbent will have the ability to develop and implement best practices for financial procedures and internal controls and/or compliance requirements for new financial management systems, processes, operations, and programs. Describe your experience that demonstrates your knowledge of a variety of accounting and/or loan servicing systems and internal control processes.

Education

You will be evaluated on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education (if applicable). Your application will be rated and ranked by an Executive Resources Board (ERB) Panel, using only the information submitted within the application package. Applicants who do not demonstrate in their application sufficient possession of the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQ) will be determined ineligible for further consideration. Unless you have already been certified by a Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past, your ECQs must be certified by a QRB after selection and before appointment can occur.

Contacts

• Address Rural Development 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Michelle Williams
• Phone: 202-791-8477
• Email: [email protected]