Summary This position is located in the Farm Service Agency, Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs, Program Delivery Division. The incumbent of this position serves as a Team Lead assisting and leading in the facilitation and management of special projects and assigned tasks and activities as directed by the Director, Deputy Director and/or Branch Chief of the Program Delivery Division. Applications will be accepted only from current permanent FSA employees with competitive status. Responsibilities Has management authority and input into and influences both technical and administrative decisions and therefore, influences program development and delivery as well as program direction and priorities. Develops overall operating policies and procedures for the automation of farm programs, complying with mandates of Certification and Accreditation. Analyzes program trends and recommends appropriate actions to ensure continued effectiveness of operations and attainment of program objectives. Provides and leads the facilitation and information gathering of input, recommendations and technical requirements on issues spanning the entire scope of the organization's activities. Provides leadership, project management, oversight and guidance on the delivery of complex business solutions in a complex, geographically dispersed matrix organization. Formulates, develops and recommends business processes including operating policies, procedures and regulations for assigned programs and functionality. Develops and recommends changes in program policies for more efficient and effective processes and accomplishments of program objectives. Assist in preparing budget and appropriations justifications and data analysis for Section programs. Participates in or conducts meetings and serves as liaison with Agency and interagency groups to provide technical guidance and information on assigned programs Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. Basic Requirement: GS-1145 Series: 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. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education listed below. Specialized Experience Requirement For the GS-14 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: Applying technology to analyze, evaluate and implement agricultural programs; Analyzing legislation to determine its impact on program operations and software delivery; Establishing and maintaining effective relationships with representatives of FSA State and County Offices, public and private organizations, farmers' associations, and/or others; Writing business user requirements in order to obtain a level of effort in order to secure funding to implement automated systems, working with IT developers and testers to implement automated applications for use by FSA State and County Offices, conducting training on automated applications, writing directives and/or procedure and trouble-shooting software issues. 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 This job does not have an education qualification requirement. 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, RPL, or ICTAP 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. Temporary Promotion Not-to-Exceed: This is a temporary promotion not-to-exceed 1 Year and may be extended (up to 5 years) without further competition or may end earlier due to lack of work or funds, or at the discretion of the Hiring Manager. Note: If you are applying at the target grade level identified in the vacancy announcement and you currently hold that same grade level, the personnel action will be processed as a detail instead of a temporary promotion. This detail may be extended without further competition or may end earlier due to lack of work or funds, or at the discretion of the Hiring Manager. This temporary promotion may be made permanent without further competition. If the temporary promotion is not made permanent, you will be returned to your permanent position of record with any increases that would have been received if not temporarily assigned. If it is not possible to be returned to the prior position, you should be placed in another position in your agency for which qualified, at the same grade and geographic location as before. Should this not occur, reduction-in-force procedures may be necessary. If you are selected, we will work with you and your supervisor on an agreement covering return rights so every effort will be made to return you to a properly classified position for which qualified and at the same grade level. Locality Pay: The salary for each location may vary depending on geographically defined locality pay areas. Locality tables may be found at Office of Personnel Management Salaries and Wages. Telework: This position is not eligible for telework. Incentives: Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized. Bargaining Unit: This is a non-bargaining unit position.
