Agricultural Program Specialist

This position is located in the Farm Service Agency in Kansas State Office. The duty location is to be determined after selection has been made within the state of Kansas. The incumbent is delegated full responsibility for administering and advising on assigned Farm Programs in the State, interpreting regulations and legal requirements and providing guidance to County Offices on complex, precedent setting, or unusual situations.

USDA employees: Please refer to the Next Steps section.

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 : 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 General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience related to the production and marketing of agricultural commodities. Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): 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 basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education listed below .

Specialized Experience Requirement For the GS-0 9 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: experience that demonstrates intermediate knowledge of the laws and regulations governing agricultural stabilization and conservation programs to assist in the determination of the application of national policies and objectives at the State level; Intermediate understanding of farming practices and customs in the United States, and of the economic needs of farm communities at the State level; Experience communicating with representatives of public organizations, farmers' associations, and others, to provide agricultural program information affecting them.

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 in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: dairy science, agricultural marketing, domestic agricultural development, farm management, agronomy, or other agricultural specialty areas.

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: experience which demonstrates considerable knowledge of the laws and regulations governing agricultural stabilization and conservation programs to assist in applying national policies and objectives at the State level; Considerable understanding of farming practices and customs in the United States, and of the economic needs of farm communities at the State level; Experience 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 in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: dairy science, agricultural marketing, domestic agricultural development, farm management, agronomy, or other agricultural specialty areas.

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 that demonstrates Expert level knowledge of the laws and regulations governing agricultural stabilization and conservation programs to serve as an advisor on the application of national policies and objectives at the State level; Expert 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.

Education

cannot be substituted for experience at the GS-12 grade level. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, Ameri. Corps) 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.

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.