Associate FCA Examiner

Summary This position is located in the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), Office of Examination, Staff Development Division. Our ideal candidate for the Associate FCA Examiner position is a recent graduate with a Finance, Accounting, or Agricultural Business degree with at least six credit hours in Finance and Accounting and a GPA above 3.0. Candidates with a Master's or in process of obtaining a Master's by June 2027 are encouraged to apply for the VH-34 and VH-35. Qualifications All qualification requirements, including completion of education, must be met by June 12, 2027. 1. ELIGIBILITY FOR PATHWAYS RECENT GRADUATE PROGRAM · To be eligible for this position, you must be a college graduate from a qualifying educational institution with an undergraduate and/or Master's degree (see required fields of study noted in 2 below), within 2 years of your application. · Students scheduled to receive their qualifying degree (see required fields of study noted in 2 below) no later than spring 2027 are also eligible. · Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, have as many as six years after degree completion to apply. 2. DEGREES REQUIRED FOR APPLICATION Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Your Undergraduate major field of study must be one of the following: Accounting, Agribusiness, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Finance, Agricultural Economics, Animal/Diary Science, Analytical Finance, Banking, Business Administration, Commercial or Banking Law, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Mathematics, - or areas of major study directly related to the position such as agricultural sciences, statistics, data analytics, management information systems, public policy. If pursing a Master's degree, either your undergraduate or graduate major field of study must be one of the following noted above. 3. QUALIFICATIONS TO QUALIFY AT THE VH-34 BAND LEVEL (GS-07 equivalent), applicants must have ONE of the following: A) One (1) full year (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours) of graduate level study education AND an undergraduate degree by June 12, 2027. Either your Undergraduate degree or Master's must be one of the following fields: Accounting, Agribusiness, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Finance, Agricultural Economics, Animal/Dairy Science, Banking, Business Administration, Commercial or Banking Law, Economics, Finance, Marketing, or Mathematics - or areas of major study directly related to the position such as agricultural sciences, statistics, data analytics, management information systems, public policy. (Must submit transcripts with application). OR B) A bachelor's degree in Accounting, Agribusiness, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Finance, Agricultural Economics, Animal/Dairy Science, Analytical Finance, Banking, Business Administration, Commercial or Banking Law, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Mathematics - or areas of major study directly related to the position such as agricultural sciences, statistics, data analytics, management information systems, public policy AND have superior academic achievement (SAA) by June 12, 2027. To qualify for SAA, applicants must have met one of the following: i. A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study at the time of application. ii. A grade-point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study at the time of application. iii. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, University or major subdivision. iv. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. TO QUALIFY AT THE VH-35 BAND LEVEL (GS-09 equivalent), applicants must have ONE of the following: A) One year of specialized experience equivalent to the VH-34 (GS-07) band level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position includes examining or auditing such financial institutions as savings and loan associations, savings or commercial banking institutions or trust companies, farm credit associations, or Federal or State credit unions. OR B) A master's or equivalent graduate degree in an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in one of the fields of study listed above; or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or possession of a LL.B. or J.D degree, if related. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position. OR C) A combination of education and experience as listed above. Education In addition, you must meet EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS to qualify for this internship. Your undergraduate or graduate-level education must be in one of the following major fields of study: Accounting Agribusiness Agricultural Business Agricultural Finance Agricultural Economics Animal/Dairy Science Analytical Finance Banking Business Administration Commercial or Banking Law Economics Finance Marketing Mathematics Other areas of major study directly related to the work of the position such as agricultural sciences, statistics, data analytics, management information systems, public policy You MUST submit copies of your transcript(s) that include: your name, the name of the educational institution, course titles, number of semester/quarter hours, cumulative GPA, grade(s) earned and degree(s) awarded. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. Educational institutions must be accredited by one of the accrediting agencies or associations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditation How You Will Be Evaluated You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Once the announcement has closed, a review of your résumé and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your résumé and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. All qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Your qualifications will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics): - Conscientiousness/Work Motivation - Interest and Willingness - Learning - Oral Communication - Professionalism - Researching and Investigating In addition to an online assessment battery (once successfully passed the questionnaire): - Accountability - Attention to Detail - Customer Service - Flexibility - Influencing/Negotiating - Integrity/Honesty - Interpersonal Skills - Learning - Reasoning - Self-Management - Stress Tolerance - Teamwork - Writing - Arithmetic - Mathematical Reasoning The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. "This announcement uses the Rule of Many method under 5 CFR § 332.402. If set number/percentage: All applicants tied at the cut line will be referred.] We will provide the selecting official a sufficient number of names, when available, to consider at least three candidates per vacancy. If fewer than three eligible and available candidates per vacancy result, we will expand the group in accordance with our pre-announced supplement strategy and OPM policy." Simultaneous Listing: "Candidates may be referred simultaneously on multiple certificates for which they are interested, eligible, and within reach." Required Documents To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes: Cover letter Your resume (no more than two pages in a Times Roman 10pt font) showing (1) paid and non-paid work experience including your position title, start and end dates (month/year) of employment, hours worked per week, and duties performed (separated by position series and grade for each federal position, if applicable). Undergraduate students: You must submit college transcripts (official or unofficial transcript) showing your name, the name of your university(s), all courses completed, and cumulative GPA. Your undergraduate degree must be in one of the fields of study listed in the Qualifications Tab of this announcement. Graduate students: If you are pursuing a Master's degree, either your Master's degree or Undergraduate degree must be in one of the fields of study listed in the Qualifications tab of this announcement. In this case, you must submit all college transcripts (undergraduate and, if applicable, graduate) that document the educational requirements for this position (unofficial transcripts are acceptable). Other supporting documents: Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.) If you are a current or former federal employee it is recommended that you submit a copy of your SF-50(s) (Notification of Personnel Action) to support your experience. Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within-grade increases, separations, and accessions. If you are a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee, submit a copy of your initial and termination SF-50s. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. Please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating. How to Apply To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/), all your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Division. Please contact FCA HR Division at Employment_Opportunities@fca.gov between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, at least two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement to obtain an alternative application.