This job announcement has closed

This is a County Program Technician position, located in Schuylkill County, Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

Major responsibilities for this position can be found below.

Learn more about this agency

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Hiring complete

Open & closing dates

10/20/2022 to 11/03/2022
Salary

$33,221 - $58,158 per year
Pay scale & grade

CO 4 - 7
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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:
- Pottsville, PA
Remote job

No
Telework eligible

Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed

No
Appointment type

Permanent
Work schedule

Full-time
Service

Competitive
Promotion potential

7
Job family (Series)
- 1101 General Business And Industry
Supervisory status

No
Security clearance

Not Required
Drug test

No
Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
- Credentialing
Announcement number

FSACO-11694234-23-PA-RW
Control number

684158700

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The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all US Citizens and US Nationals.

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Carrying out office activities and functions pertaining to one or more of the program areas administered in the county.
Interpreting and explaining procedures, program regulations and forms to producers and other agency personnel.
Utilizing various web-based software applications to maintain producer data and processing automated forms.
Using a high degree of initiative and judgment in planning and carrying out assigned tasks and resolving problems encountered.

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Conditions of Employment

You must be a US Citizen or US National.
Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service Registered or Exempt.
Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
Must be a high school graduate, or have a GED.
Must be 18 years of age, or 17 years of age for high school graduates.

Qualifications

Qualifications are in accordance with requirements in Handbook 27-PM.

** Specialized experience is defined as experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and is typically in or related to the work of the position being filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least 1 year in the next lower grade level.

When self-qualifying at any grade(s) above the lowest advertised grade, applicants should also ensure they are indicating the lowest grade they are willing to accept the advertised position at. It is imperative applicants understand they can NOT be considered for any grade(s) lower than what is indicated in the Lowest Acceptable Grade field when completing the preferences section.

Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date in the announcement, including the following specialized experience and/or education, as identified below:

You may start at the CO-04 level if you have one of the following qualifications:

Successful completion of two years of education above high school in an accredited business, secretarial or technical, junior college, college or university in any field in which high school graduation or the equivalent is a prerequisite may be substituted for experience. OR
One year general experience of progressively responsible clerical, office work, or equal background in the operations of a farm or ranch that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the duties of this position.

You may start at the CO-05 level if you have one of the following qualifications:

Successful completion of four years of education above high school in an accredited business, secretarial or technical, junior college, college or university in any field in which high school graduation or the equivalent is a prerequisite or Bachelors degree from such an accredited college or university. OR
One year of experience equivalent to the CO-4 level applying office methods and procedures to provide clerical and limited technical support to any farm or agricultural program.

You may start at the CO-06 level if you have one of the following qualifications:

One year of experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the CO-5 level applying office methods and procedures to provide clerical and limited technical support to process and service farm or agricultural programs.

You may start at the CO-07 level if you have one of the following qualifications:

One year experience equivalent to grade CO-6 or GS-6 applying office methods and procedures to provide clerical and limited technical support to independently perform a full range of farm program processes. Experience that shows your ability to perform progressively more complex, responsible, or difficult duties: and that shows your ability to learn the specific work of this position.

Education

College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit with your application package evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution was appropriately accredited by an accredited body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. Education standards. You may submit an unofficial copy of the 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 the transcript.

Additional information

Veterans preference does not apply since this position is being advertised under Title 7 authorities.
Relocation expenses are not authorized.
When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.
This is a Title 7, Non-Federal, Non-Civil Service position.
This announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact: USDAs TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
Optional - This position may be eligible to telework up to four (4) days per pay period, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements in accordance with Department and Agency directives.
To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement Safer Federal Workforce Task Force 2 pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to Executive Order 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

All applicants will be considered on the basis of their education, experience, supervisory appraisal, training, awards and education as it relates to the qualification requirements and on the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) listed below.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS CAREFULLY. During the online application process, you will be asked to address the following items:

Describe your ability to communicate orally being sure to include specific examples.
Describe your ability to communicate in writing being sure to include specific examples.
Describe your ability to identify and resolve problems. Be sure to include specific examples explaining the situation you encountered, the action you took, and the resolution you achieved.
Describe your knowledge of FSA farm programs and practices including details regarding how you obtained this knowledge.
Describe your skill in using computers being sure to include software you are proficient with, specific tasks performed, and how or where you obtained these skills.
Describe your customer service skills, and provide specific examples regarding various situations where you have utilized these skills.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on application documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Help
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
- Resume that includes: 1)personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; for current or previous Federal or FSA County employees, it should also include the title, Pay Plan, Series and Grade for each work experience entry; 4) supervisors phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
- For current or previous Federal or FSA County employees, you must attach a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action (form SF-50 or SF-50B or equivalent) that provides current position, grade level, salary and duty location. Award SF-50 or SF-50B or equivalent will result in an ineligible rating.
  - NOTE: THIS IS REQUIRED FOR BOTH PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES.
- Current USDA employees (both permanent and temporary) must submit your most recently completed annual performance appraisal/summary rating (dated within the last 18 months) which identifies the employee's official rating of record and is signed by the supervisor. If a performance appraisal/summary rating is not available, you must submit a statement advising why the performance appraisal/summary rating is unavailable. Do not submit a performance plan. Failure to submit either a performance appraisal/summary rating or a statement regarding the reason for not submitting a performance appraisal/summary rating will result in an ineligible rating.
- Former USDA employees (both permanent and temporary) must submit your latest annual performance appraisal/summary rating or a statement advising why the performance appraisal/summary rating is unavailable. Do not submit a performance plan. Failure to submit either a performance appraisal/summary rating or a statement regarding the reason for not submitting a performance appraisal/summary rating will result in an ineligible rating.
- If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with at the time of application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact us at Rebecca.Wilson@usda.gov, well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.

To begin, click "Apply Online" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.

NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBS transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.

Once your application has submitted, we recommend you save or print your completed application and a screen print of uploaded document for your reference.

Agency contact information

Daniel Smeal

Phone

717-237-2121

Email

daniel.smeal@usda.gov

Address

Farm Service Agency - County Offices
359 East Park Drive, Suite 1
Harrisburg, PA 17111
US

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account at USAJOBS account to check your application status.

You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

Help

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

Resume that includes: 1)personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; for current or previous Federal or FSA County employees, it should also include the title, Pay Plan, Series and Grade for each work experience entry; 4) supervisors phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
For current or previous Federal or FSA County employees, you must attach a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action (form SF-50 or SF-50B or equivalent) that provides current position, grade level, salary and duty location. Award SF-50 or SF-50B or equivalent will result in an ineligible rating.
- NOTE: THIS IS REQUIRED FOR BOTH PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES.
Current USDA employees (both permanent and temporary) must submit your most recently completed annual performance appraisal/summary rating (dated within the last 18 months) which identifies the employee's official rating of record and is signed by the supervisor. If a performance appraisal/summary rating is not available, you must submit a statement advising why the performance appraisal/summary rating is unavailable. Do not submit a performance plan. Failure to submit either a performance appraisal/summary rating or a statement regarding the reason for not submitting a performance appraisal/summary rating will result in an ineligible rating.
Former USDA employees (both permanent and temporary) must submit your latest annual performance appraisal/summary rating or a statement advising why the performance appraisal/summary rating is unavailable. Do not submit a performance plan. Failure to submit either a performance appraisal/summary rating or a statement regarding the reason for not submitting a performance appraisal/summary rating will result in an ineligible rating.
If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with at the time of application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

Help

Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact us at Rebecca.Wilson@usda.gov, well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.

To begin, click "Apply Online" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.

NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBS transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.

Once your application has submitted, we recommend you save or print your completed application and a screen print of uploaded document for your reference.

Agency contact information

Daniel Smeal

Phone: 717-237-2121
Email: daniel.smeal@usda.gov
Address: Farm Service Agency - County Offices
359 East Park Drive, Suite 1
Harrisburg, PA 17111
US

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account at USAJOBS account to check your application status.

You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

This job announcement has closed

Help

Hiring complete

Open & closing dates

10/20/2022 to 11/03/2022
Salary

$33,221 - $58,158 per year
Pay scale & grade

CO 4 - 7
Location

1 vacancy in the following location:
- Pottsville, PA
Remote job

No
Telework eligible

Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed

No
Appointment type

Permanent
Work schedule

Full-time
Service

Competitive
Promotion potential

7
Job family (Series)
- 1101 General Business And Industry
Supervisory status

No
Security clearance

Not Required
Drug test

No
Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
- Credentialing
Announcement number

FSACO-11694234-23-PA-RW
Control number

684158700

This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/684158700. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.

Temporary County Program Technician

Summary

Overview

Open & closing dates

Salary

Pay scale & grade

Location

Remote job

Telework eligible

Travel Required

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Appointment type

Work schedule

Service

Promotion potential

Job family (Series)

Supervisory status

Security clearance

Drug test

Position sensitivity and risk

Trust determination process

Announcement number

Control number

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Duties

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Qualifications

Education

Additional information

How You Will Be Evaluated

Agency contact information

Next steps

Required Documents

How to Apply

Agency contact information

Next steps

Fair & Transparent