Agriculture Program Specialist

Farm Service Agency

Albuquerque, NM

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JOB DETAILS

SKILLS

Adjudication, Agricultural Science, Agriculture, Agronomy, Analysis Skills, Animal Husbandry, Business Administration, Conservation, Dairy Science, Economics, English Language, Farm Management, Farming, Federal Government, Flexible Spending Accounts, Fraud Investigation, Interpret Regulations, Legal, Marketing, Peace Corps, People Management, Policy Development, Problem Solving Skills, Project/Program Coordination, Regulations, Regulatory Requirements, Soil Science, State Government, Technical Leadership, Training/Teaching, Training/Teaching Curriculum, Trend Analysis, United States Citizen, United States Customs, Vocational Training, Volunteer Experience, Web Programming

LOCATION

Albuquerque, NM

POSTED

3 days ago

Summary

This position is located in the Farm Service Agency, New Mexico State Office in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico.

About the position: Responsible for administering and advising on assigned Farm Programs in the State, interpreting regulationsand legal requirements, providing guidance to County offices on complex, precedent setting, or unusual situations. Provides information to producers, the public, and groups interested in the program and its operations.

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Duties

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Serves as resource person to the Supervisor, State Executive Director, State Committee, County Offices and District Directors for information and advice on assigned programs.
Provides technical guidance on problems and resolves matters between program participants and CountyFSA Office.
Interprets national program policies, procedures and regulations to determine their applicability to impact upon program administration in the State.
Identifies and analyzes program non-compliance, recommending corrective solutions.
Attends meetings and develops contacts with various governmental agencies, producers and trade organizations, County offices, State agricultural officials, and the public.
Investigates allegations of fraud or program abuses.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

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. If selected, you may be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are unable to reimburse for any fees incurred.
Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information.
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 e-verify.gov.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts.

Individual Occupational Requirements

Education: Undergraduate Education: Major study economics, agricultural economics, marketing, business administration, animal or poultry science/husbandry, agronomy, soil science, or related curricula dealing with the production and distribution of farm products.

Graduate Education: Major study dairy science, agricultural marketing, domestic agricultural development, farm management, agronomy, or other agricultural specialty areas.

OR

Experience:

Experience that demonstrated:

Knowledge of the laws and regulations governing agricultural stabilization and conservation programs and of the particular application of national policies and objectives at the State level;
Understanding of farming practices and customs in the United States, and of the economic needs of farm communities at the State level;
Knowledge of current State and Federal agricultural trends; and
Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with representatives of public and private organizations, farmers' associations, and others, and to interpret regulations, programs, and policies affecting them.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

Agricultural extension work as a subject-matter specialist, county agent, or assistant or associate county agent.
Teacher of vocational agriculture.
District director, State program specialist, or county office employee performing duties in the operational phases of farm programs such as production adjustment, price support, and conservation.
Experience at the county, district, or State government levels in the operational phases of farm programs of the type carried out through such agencies as the Soil Conservation Service, Farmers Home Administration, or related programs.

In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirements, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education listed below.

Specialized Experience Requirement

For the GS-09 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

Reviewing and/or commenting on national FSA conservation policy.
Interpreting and applying regulations to resolve program administration issues or problems.
Explaining program requirements and provisions. conducting reviews and recommending solutions.

OR

Education at the GS-09 grade level: 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

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience as listed above.

For the GS-11 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

Assisting in the planning of agricultural and FSA conservation programs.
Directing and/or coordinating agricultural programs on a statewide basis through county committees and county offices.
Working with representatives of public organizations, farmers' associations, and others, to interpret agricultural regulations, programs, and policies affecting them.

OR

Education at the GS-11 grade level: 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. OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience as listed above.

For the GS-12 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

Experience in applying laws and regulations governing agricultural stabilization and FSA conservation programs to serve as an advisor on the application of national policies and objectives at the State level.
Understanding of farming practices and customs in the United States, and of the economic needs of farm communities at the State level.
Experience maintaining relationships with representatives of public organizations, farmers' associations, and others, to interpret agricultural regulations, programs, and policies affecting them.

The substitution of education is not qualifying for the GS-12 grade level.

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.

Time-in-Grade Requirement: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. You must meet this requirement by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

College Transcript: If qualifying based on education, you must submit a copy of your college transcript with course number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours, and grade earned. If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g., special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college to ensure proper evaluation.

Your education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited toward qualifications. You may verify accreditation by visiting the U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs website. We will verify your education accordingly.

Foreign Education: You must submit verification that education completed in a foreign institution, was recognized by an accreditation body accepted by the U.S. Department of Education. You must include a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. Your transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

You may submit an unofficial copy of your 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 transcripts.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or 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.

Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

Telework: This position is eligible for telework. As determined by the agency policy.

Incentives: Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.

Bargaining Unit: This is not a bargaining unit position.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

About the Company

Farm Service Agency

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