Loan Specialist (Agricultural)

Full Job Description

This position is location in the Farm Service Agency, South Carolina State Office in Richland, South Carolina.

About the position: Evaluates farm loan program activities carried out by Service Centers, provides technical advice and assistance to Service Center farm loan staff on the most complex loan cases, develops and conducts training on farm loan program topics, and reviews and recommends approval or disapproval on loan cases.

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 and Graduate Education: Major study -- finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology OR Experience General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience that required gathering and analyzing facts and figures and presenting the information or conclusions in clear oral and written language; or that provided a knowledge of the principles of financial analysis or of insurance laws, such as contract, property, life, casualty, or marine insurance.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience that demonstrated competence in agricultural, commercial, realty, or other types of loans.

Experience may have been gained in such work as reviewing and passing upon applications for agricultural, commercial, bank or mortgage loans; servicing a loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association; performing financial analysis of commercial concerns for investment purposes; appraising real estate to determine property valuation; or similar work.

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

Specialized Experience Requirements For the GS-9 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service.

Specialized experience is defined as: (1) Basic knowledge of agricultural production, financial management and credit principles and practices to analyze the solvency, credit risk and future repayment capacity of small to moderate size operations having a limited number of enterprises; (2) Basic knowledge of laws, rules and regulations concerning agricultural trade and business practices and of income tax laws, bankruptcy laws and other statutes; (3) Developing skill in working with smaller loans and less complicated business structures (micro, youth, beginning farmer); (4) Experience performing loan collection activities with limited supervision.

Education at the GS-09 grade level: Successfully completed a masters 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.

in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position, such as: 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.

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-9 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service.

Specialized experience is defined as: experience working with agricultural loans by reviewing and passing upon applications for various kinds of agricultural operations representing all types of ownership (i.e., single owner, partnerships, and corporations, etc.); and servicing an agricultural loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association.

In addition, my experience demonstrated a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the technicalities of farm financing and credit; farm operations, land use and value, production of various crops and livestock, and prices and markets in the farming area where loans are made and serviced.

Education at the GS-11 grade level: Ph.D.

degree or equivalent graduate degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree from an accredited college or university with a major field of study 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.

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: working with agricultural loans by reviewing and passing upon applications for various kinds of agricultural operations representing all types of ownership (i.e., single owner, partnerships, and corporations, etc.); and servicing an agricultural loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association.

In addition, my experience demonstrated a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the technicalities of farm financing and credit; farm operations, land use and value, production of various crops and livestock, and prices and markets in the farming area where loans are made and serviced.

THE SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION IS NOT QUALIFYING FOR THE GS-12 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. Major Duties:

• Provide technical advice and assistance on subjects such as loan making and servicing methods, land use and development practices, farm organization, installation of facilities, and handling legal problem cases.
• Reviews and evaluates Farm Loan Program activity, including technical services activities, loan making, loan servicing, and the transfer of borrowers to private or cooperative credit.
• Develops and/or recommends guides, procedures, forms, information releases, and similar issuances for use by various offices.
• Develop information for the general public and special interest groups concerning available farm loan assistance.
• Reviews and/or recommends approval or disapproval of the more difficult loan cases channeled through the State office.
• Analyzes and recommends decisions in appeal cases submitted to the State Office. The incumbent may serve as an appellate authority for decisions denying loan.