This position is located at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE) The Program Specialist will serve as the USDA Liaison for the Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) in their respective state.

Duties

Communicates USDA program mission objectives to local farmers and ranchers, socially disadvantaged, beginning and veteran farmers and ranchers, and other USDA stakeholders. Serves as a senior consultant to the State Food and Agriculture Committee (SFAC) to better integrate farmer and rancher perspectives, concerns, and interests into ongoing local programs. Identifies and facilitates opportunities that will enhance greater advocacy and increased outreach between USDA stakeholders and USDA agencies. Assists the program lead for the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach (2501 Program) with distribution of information and materials to existing and potential award recipients. Helps implement USDA student programs, including the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Internship Program, Future Ag Leaders Program, AgDiscovery Program, internship programs, and other related programs. Works with groups to foster partnerships to promote USDA’s programs and services to empower rural and underserved communities. Plans and hosts regional and state-wide events to address specific community challenges and utilizing Federal, state, and local resources to alleviate those challenges. Contributes to the development of meaningful and measurable metrics and performance indicators to examine and analyze the effectiveness of outreach and related work. Conducts benchmark studies and solicit feedback from stakeholders to identify systematic concerns. Reports findings through analytical measurers and tools.

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.
• Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary 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/.

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. Specialized Experience: At the GS-13: Qualifying experience for GS-13 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-12 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience working with Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) on student recruiting, Hispanic agricultural outreach and/or programs available to HSIs. This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability, or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment. Applicants who do not meet these requirements are ineligible for further consideration. Selective Placement Factor: Ability to speak, interpret, translate, read and write both Spanish and English fluently. If selected for an interview, you may be asked to provide a writing sample to confirm your ability to write clear and concisely (Bilingually).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

There is no education substitute for specialized experience at the GS-13 level.

Contacts

• Address Office of Partnership and Public Engagement 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Cachea Barringer
• Email: [email protected]