LOAN ASSISTANT/ SPECIALIST REALTY

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. Applicants must meet one year at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade. For the GS-07 level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates: basic knowledge of loan examining and/or servicing principles, procedures and techniques as they apply to investigation, analysis, and evaluation of financial factors and credit risks in relation to the granting and servicing of mortgage loans. Experience may have been gained in work equivalent to furnishing general information concerning loan programs, eligibility requirements, financial and credit requirements; reviewing loan applications for eligibility and financial soundness; and analyzing information provided by loan applicant and making recommendations to a higher-level loan specialist about loan eligibility; OR possess one (1) full year of graduate level education or Superior Academic Achievement (see definition of S.A.A. below) (see qualifying fields of study below); OR an equivalent combination of experience and education as noted above are acceptable. For the GS-09 level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates: Knowledge and understanding of mortgage loan making/servicing and credit principles and practices in order to assess the fundamental soundness of single family housing loans and to independently examine applications, supporting documents, and credit reports, and maintain servicing activities on small mortgage loans. Experience may have been gained in work equivalent to furnishing information to borrowers and applicants on loan programs, eligibility requirements, financial and credit requirements; Analyzing information provided by loan applicants, determining eligibility for mortgage loans, and making loan recommendations to a senior employee; Assisting senior level employees in initiating action to graduate borrowers who are eligible for other credit sources; and Participating in providing credit counseling to all borrowers and debt adjustment services OR Master’s or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.B. or J.D., if related (see qualifying fields of study below) OR an equivalent combination of experience and education as noted above are acceptable. 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. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. Determine your qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required. Determine your education as a percentage of the education required. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. Superior academic achievement (S.A.A.) — This provision covers advanced trainee positions that provide opportunities for advancement upon attaining required job skills and knowledge, require no prior experience, and have work classified at two-grade intervals. It recognizes students who have achieved superior academic standing as evidenced by one of the three methods described below. In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. Class standing – Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on completed courses. Grade-point average – Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B” or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B+” or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society — Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achshonor.org/) NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the GS-1165 series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards 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.
This position is located in a State or Area Office in USDA/Rural Development (RD). This vacancy announcement is open to current Rural Development State of Florida and Rural Development State Arkansas employees only. This position is neither remote nor virtual. The employee will be expected to report in person to the assigned duty location.