Loan Assistant/Specialist (Agricultural)
About The Position
This position is located in the Farm Service Agency, Iowa State Office, in Independence, Iowa. The employee assists the Farm Loan Manager in administering farm loan programs at a USDA Service Center serving one or more counties. The role is developmental and includes on-the-job and classroom training in farm loan program administration. Farm Loan Officers must successfully complete the Farm Loan Training Program and may be reassigned to another training office during training. After completing training, they may be reassigned to a different duty station if workload or vacancies change. The position involves interviewing loan applicants, reviewing applications, and making preliminary inquiries to establish facts relevant to applicant eligibility. It also provides technical advice, guidance, and credit counseling to loan applicants and borrowers. The work requires applying knowledge of agency farm loan programs and eligibility requirements, as well as farm financing and credit, financial management, farm operations, land use and value, agricultural production, and prices and markets in the serviced farming areas.
Requirements
- U.S. citizenship or U.S. national status.
- Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with the Selective Service or exempt.
- Satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
- Meet the applicable basic education or experience requirements for the GS-1165 series and the selected grade level.
- For GS-5 qualification by general experience: three years of general experience, including one year equivalent to at least GS-4, involving gathering and analyzing facts and figures and presenting conclusions clearly in oral and written language, or knowledge of financial analysis principles or insurance laws; alternatively, qualifying education or a combination of education and experience may be used.
- For GS-7 qualification by specialized experience: one year equivalent to GS-5 demonstrating basic knowledge of loan examining or servicing principles and techniques for investigating, analyzing, and evaluating financial factors and credit risks for agricultural loans, plus knowledge of farm operations, land use and value, crop and livestock production, and local agricultural prices and markets; alternatively, qualifying graduate education, superior academic achievement, or a combination of education and experience may be used.
- For GS-9 qualification by specialized experience: one year equivalent to GS-7 demonstrating competence in agricultural loans, credit principles and practices, independent examination of loan applications and supporting documents and credit reports, servicing small agricultural loans, and knowledge of farm operations, land use and value, agricultural production, and local prices and markets; alternatively, qualifying graduate education or a combination of education and experience may be used.
- Submit transcripts if qualifying based on education. Education must be from an accredited institution; foreign education requires the specified equivalency documentation and English translation.
- Serve a one-year probationary period unless previous federal service is creditable.
Responsibilities
- Interview loan applicants, review loan applications, and make preliminary inquiries to develop facts for assessing applicant eligibility.
- Provide technical advice, guidance, and credit counseling to loan applicants and borrowers.
- Apply knowledge of agency farm loan programs and eligibility requirements.
- Apply knowledge of farm financing and credit, financial management concepts and practices, farm operations, land use and value, production and marketing of crops and livestock, and prices and markets in serviced farming areas.
- Assist the Farm Loan Manager in administering farm loan programs at a USDA Service Center serving one or more counties.
- Complete on-the-job and classroom training in farm loan program administration and the requirements of the Farm Loan Training Program.
Benefits
- Federal employee benefits package; specific benefits depend on position type and should be confirmed with the hiring agency.
- Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
