Duties

Summary

Our ideal candidate is a person with prior experience making and servicing loans to farmers and ranchers. As a Policy Analyst, you will be responsible for providing policy solutions for complex credit and mission related issues facing the Farm Credit System (System or FCS). This position is located in the Credit and Mission Team, Office of Regulatory Policy located in McLean, VA.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Specific duties include:

• Participating and/or leading the development of regulations and policy statement in the areas of credit and mission in support of the Agency's regulatory plan.
• Developing policy-related directives or correspondence such as position papers, policy statements, and memos.
• Providing technical information and advice on credit and mission issues to facilitate the interpretation or development of regulatory and policy positions.
• Researching and analyzing credit issues to determine impact on the FCS, eligible borrowers and rural America.
• Leading the evaluation of proposed FCS actions that require prior approval in accordance with current regulations.
• Delivering presentations on policy requirements and guidance to senior agency officials and stakeholders in a variety of settings, including conferences.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
40

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• One year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Suitability for federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• Submission of a financial disclosure report may be required.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.

Qualifications

You may qualify at the VH-38 (GS-12) band level if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the VH-37 (GS-11) band level in the Federal service that demonstrates your ability to meet at least 4 of the 5 following parts:

Providing technical analyses and research on credit and mission issues for review of an organization's regulatory or policy positions related to agricultural lending;

Participating on projects or work groups for developing, updating or implementing financial regulations related to agricultural lending;

Researching and analyzing developments in regulatory and policy issues that affect financial institutions;

Drafting position papers, bookletters or informational memos related to the implementation of regulatory provisions for financial institutions;

Preparing or delivering presentations at meetings and conferences on topics related to regulations of financial institutions.

You may qualify at the VH-39 (GS-13) band level if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the VH-38 (GS-12) band in the Federal service that demonstrates your ability to meet all 5 parts of the following:

Providing technical analyses and research on credit and mission issues for review of an organization's regulatory or policy positions related to agricultural lending;

Participating on projects or work groups for developing, updating or implementing financial regulations related to agricultural lending;

Researching and analyzing developments in regulatory and policy issues that affect financial institutions;

Drafting position papers, bookletters or informational memos related to the implementation of regulatory provisions for financial institutions;

Preparing or delivering presentations at meetings and conferences on topics related to regulations of financial institutions.

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, knowledge, and skills 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 substitution of education for experience at the VH-38 or VH-39 band level.

Additional information

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

• All FCA employees are subject to the conflict of interest laws and Standards of Ethical Conduct imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report.
• FCA's supplemental ethics regulations restrict certain FCA employees concerning their direct or indirect interests in, or connections with, Farm Credit System institutions. These rules also require all employees to obtain approval for outside employment or business activities. Please contact the HR Division for additional information on these rules.
• FCA uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.
• This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies if openings in the same series and grade occur.
• Salary range VH-38: $94,016 to $155,126 annually
• Salary range VH-39: $107,565 to $177,481 annually

This position is also advertised for non-competitive and status eligible candidates under job opportunity announcement VA-20-0152-MP-VMD. If you would like to be considered under both merit promotion (MP) and delegated examining (DE) procedures, you must apply to both announcements.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your resume serves as the basis for the determination of your qualifications and should highlight relevant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this position. Your resume must include the following information:

• Paid and non-paid work experience including your position title, start and end dates (month/year) of employment, average number of hours worked per week and salary;
• Position series and grade for Federal positions;
• Indication of the knowledge, skills and education you have that are pertinent to this position;
• Specific duties you have performed as a regular part of your job with indications of the level of responsibility and complexity of work;
• Names and contact information for your current and/or previous supervisor(s).

You must provide the information specified above in your resume to be considered for this position. Your resume must include enough detail to permit a valid determination that you meet eligibility and specialized experience requirements for each grade for which you are applying. Take a look at this online video for ideas on how to communicate your qualifications .

Your application will be evaluated and rated under Category Rating and Selection procedures. Eligible candidates will be placed in one of three pre-defined quality categories, described below. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position.
Highly Qualified Category: In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must fully demonstrate proficiency in all major aspects of the position.
Well-Qualified Category: In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in some but not all of the major aspects of the position.
Qualified Category: In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of knowledge, skill and ability of the position.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) and other characteristics relevant to the duties of this position:

• Knowledge of agricultural lending.
• Knowledge of FCS credit and mission programs and activities.
• Knowledge of federal or state regulations.
• Knowledge of the operations of financial institutions.
• Oral Communication
• Skill in applying analytical methods and techniques.
• Skill in written communication.

Under category rating procedures, veterans' preference points and the "rule of three" are not applied. The rights of eligible veterans are protected by placement on the list ahead of non-preference eligibles within each pre-defined quality category. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent (i.e., CPS and CP) are listed in the Highly Qualified category except when the position is being filled is scientific or professional at the VH-35 (GS-09) grade level or higher.

Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) candidates must be rated "Well Qualified" for the position to receive priority consideration.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package through USAJOBS that includes your resume, responses to the Applicant Questionnaire and supporting documentation:

Current Resume: All applicants must submit a current resume. See the Qualifications and Evaluation section of the announcement for details on the information required. You can use USAJOBS resume builder or upload your own resume. Need help? Get some tips from this online video on Federal resume-writing .

CTAP/ICTAP applicants only: If you are claiming priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP, you must submit a) A copy of your RIF Separation Notice or Certification of Expected Separation or other documentation indicating that you are a surplus employee; b) Evidence of full performance level of current position; c) A copy of your most recent performance appraisal; and d) A copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action.

Veterans' Preference eligibles: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release of Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 (Member Copy 2 or 4), or other official documentation from a Branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veteran's Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge. If you are currently on active duty, you must provide an official statement of service from your command/unit which states the date you entered active duty, expected discharge type and date, and campaign medals you have received OR other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions. If the appropriate information is not submitted to confirm your discharge status, dates of service, etc., you will not receive credit for the claimed active duty military service.

10-point Preference Eligible Veterans: If you are claiming Veterans' Preference based upon a Compensable Disability, Widow or Spouse Entitlement, or as a Purple Heart recipient, you must submit your DD-214 (Member Copy 2 or 4) AND documentation to support your status, e.g., Department of Veterans Affairs letter dated 1991 or later, marriage license, death certificate, etc. If you do not submit appropriate or adequate information to confirm your eligibility you may not receive the credit claimed.