Loan Assistant/Specialist (Agricultural)

Farm Service Agency•Mankato, MN

About The Position

This position is with the Farm Service Agency, Minnesota State Office, located in Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minnesota. It works in a developmental capacity, with on-the-job and classroom training in administering farm loan programs. The position assists the Farm Loan Manager in administering programs at an FSA Service Center serving one or more counties. Farm Loan Officers must successfully complete the Farm Loan Training Program and may be reassigned to another training office during training. After training, they may be reassigned to a different duty station if workload changes or vacancies occur. The position provides technical advice, guidance, and credit counseling to farm loan applicants and borrowers. It applies knowledge of agency farm loan programs and eligibility requirements, as well as farm financing and credit, financial management, farm operations, land use and value, crop and livestock production, and local agricultural prices and markets. The position is eligible for telework as determined by agency policy. Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized. The position is non-bargaining-unit. A one-year probationary period is required.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship or national status.
Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service or exempt.
Satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation and/or fingerprint check, and participation in continuous vetting if selected.
Serve a one-year probationary period.
Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
Meet the applicable education and/or experience qualifications for the grade level sought. Qualifying education may include study in finance, business administration, economics, accounting, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate, statistics, agriculture, agricultural economics, farm or ranch management, livestock management, or related fields.
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 information and communicating findings clearly, 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 specialized experience: one year equivalent to GS-5 demonstrating basic knowledge of loan examining or servicing principles and techniques applied to agricultural loan investigations, financial analysis, and credit-risk evaluation, plus knowledge of farm operations, land use and value, crop and livestock production, and local agricultural prices and markets. Qualifying graduate education, superior academic achievement, or a combination of education and experience may be substituted as described in the announcement.
For GS-9 specialized experience: one year equivalent to GS-7 demonstrating competence in agricultural loans, including examining loan applications and supporting materials, applying credit principles to assess loan soundness, maintaining servicing activities on small agricultural loans, and understanding farm operations, land use and value, production, and local agricultural markets. Qualifying graduate education or a combination of education and experience may be substituted.
Current federal GS employees applying for promotion must meet the 52-week time-in-grade requirement by the announcement closing date.
Submit transcripts if qualifying based on education; foreign education must include the required equivalency verification and English translation.

Responsibilities

Interview loan applicants, review loan applications, and make preliminary inquiries to develop factual information 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 technical knowledge of farm financing and credit, financial management, farm operations, land use and value, crop and livestock production, and prices and markets in the serviced farming areas.
Assist the Farm Loan Manager in administering farm loan programs at an FSA Service Center serving one or more counties.
Complete on-the-job and classroom training in the administration of farm loan programs.