Agricultural Program Specialist

Full Job Description

This position is located in the Farm Service Agency, Farm Service Agency (FSA), Environmental Activities Division (ENV).

The incumbent serves as an agricultural program specialist with a special emphasis for providing expertise, direct assistance, and training on environmental compliance issues, and assessment of natural resources, farm loan, and conservation programs.

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-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: Drafting written materials related to environmental compliance efforts; Assist in interpreting environmental compliance policies; Assisting in the developing of training and/or training materials related to environmental compliance.

For the GS-13 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service.

Specialized experience is defined as: Assisting in the development of environmental policies, plans, and procedures; Providing guidance on environmental compliance issues; Developing and providing training and/or training materials related to environmental compliance.

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. Major Duties:

• Identify critical environmental compliance policy issues and needs.
• Design and implement projects to analyze and assess data on priority environmental compliance issues; and on the effects of farm and conservation activities to support environmental compliance assessment activities within the Division.
• Coordinate with ENV, FSA, Business Center, NRCS, and Risk Management Agency (RMA) staff to ensure that environmental compliance guidance, tools, and data are used appropriately and accurately in FPAC agency documentation.
• Serve on temporary teams to address special policy and technical analyses of emerging issues and provide leadership to these teams, including development of potential policy positions
• Identify special studies and analyses needed to address emerging issues and provide relevant information and recommendations to the National Environmental Coordinators (NEPA, ESA, and NHPA).
• Anticipate critical assessment and information needs to enhance the Agency's capability to provide efficient and effective service customers.
• Collaborate with internal and external experts to identify current scientific and technological data, research activities, and technical literature that may be useful for REC and ENV products and activities.
• Prepare and present training materials to FSA agency staff, through classroom, Teams, AgLearn, and field settings.
• Assist in the creation and management of the ENV Internet and Intranet web pages and ServiceNow Intake Portal (or other intake system), National and Regional ENV SharePoint sites, and any automated/GIS based systems.