Summary This position is located in the Farm Service Agency, South Carolina State Office, District 2 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. About the position: Performs analysis, evaluation and advisory assignments related to the effective delivery of loan making and servicing activities. Assisting in the formulation and implementation of farm loan programs, policies, and procedures for the assigned farm loan area. Responsibilities Provides support and assistance to the Farm Loan Chief, and Farm Loan Specialists, and County Offices that perform a range of lending activities, closing, disbursement, monitoring, liquidating, and servicing of agricultural loans. Under the direction of the District Director and the Farm Loan Manager, works collaboratively with Farm Loan Officers and loan staff. Performs analysis, evaluation and advisory assignments related to the effective delivery of loan making and servicing activities. Assists in the formulation and implementation of farm loan programs, policies, and procedures for the assigned farm loan area. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined. Specialized experience at the GS-5 level: Completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, or I possess a bachelor's degree in any field of study -OR- Three years of general work experience that is progressively responsible experience (one year of which is equivalent to at least a GS-4) that demonstrates my ability to analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; to plan and organize my work; and to communicate effectively both orally and in writing -OR- A combination of education and experience as listed above. Advancement to positions up to GS-5. Candidates may be advanced without time restriction to positions up to GS-5 if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under his or her latest non-temporary competitive appointment. Specialized experience at the GS-7 level: Superior Academic Achievement: A bachelor's degree in any field of study from an accredited college or university 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 -OR- One year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-5 level in the Federal service or private sector. Specialized experience is experience that demonstrates knowledge of basic principles, concepts, and methods of fact-finding, analysis, and problem-solving techniques as they apply to investigation, analysis and evaluation of financial factors and credit risks in granting and servicing of agricultural loans. In addition, I have knowledge of and skill in applying analytical and evaluative techniques to assist in assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of farm loan program operations to make recommendations for improvements -OR- One year of graduate education from an accredited college or university with a major 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- A combination of graduate education and experience as listed above. Time in grade for the GS-7: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the GS-5 level. Specialized experience for the GS-9 level: Two full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or master's, or equivalent graduate degree (LLB, JD, LLM, Ph.D., etc.), from an accredited college or university with a major in finance, business administration, economics, accounting, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, statistics, or another field related to the position such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock, farm management, ranch management, rural sociology, dairy science, domestic agricultural development or agronomy -OR- One full-time year (12 months) of specialized work experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-7 level in the Federal service. Experience that demonstrates knowledge of credit principles and practices to assess the fundamental soundness of loans by independently examining applications, supporting documents, and credit reports, and maintaining servicing activities on agricultural loans. In addition, experience applying analytical and evaluative techniques to assist in assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of farm loan program operations to make recommendations for improvements -OR- A combination of education and experience as listed above. Time in grade for the GS-9: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the GS-7 level. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: General Business and Industry Series 1101b (opm.gov)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 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. Additional Information Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP/RPL eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period. This position is eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Current USDA policy includes telework for an 8 hour work day, 4 days per week; other flexibilities are possible dependent upon availability and/or the position and its associated duties. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor. Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.