County Executive Director

Summary
This is a County Executive Director position(s), location(s) are listed to the right.
This position is employed by the local Farm Service Agency (FSA) committee(s).
This job is open to

• Internal to an agency
  Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency
Open to FSA CO and GS FSA Federal employees who are in current permanent supervisory or managerial positions, including but not limited to, CED's, FLM's, and State Office FLC's or Farm Program Chiefs with specialized experience and In-State County Executive Director in Training (CEDT) who have successfully completed the CEDT program or are within 30 calendar days of successfully completing the CEDT program.
** See Additional Clarification from the Agency in the Qualifications Section.
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Duties

• Responsible for directing and managing program and administrative operations for one or more counties.
• Carrying out permanent and ad hoc farm bill programs and policies established by USDA as well as crop insurance operations under policies established by the Risk Management Agency (RMA).
• May perform farm loan program assignments based on authorities delegated.
• Performing office and field activities as needed to accomplish program objectives.
• Managing and directs activities of subordinate staff.

Requirements
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.
• Must be a high school graduate or equivalent.
• Must be 18 years of age or 17 years of age for high school graduates.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• 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/.
• Successful completion of one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period, if required.
• Financial Disclosure Required (FSA-324).

Qualifications
** Additional Clarification from the Agency;
The following may also be considered:
Out-of-State CEDTs who have successfully completed the CEDT Program.
Former (within the last 5 years) FSA supervisory/managerial CO or GS employees with a minimum of 52 weeks of specialized experience.
Current Program Technicians, who:

• previously completed the CEDT program within the last 5 years
• requested to remain on the STC register for a 1-year extension
• exceeded the combined 2-year time limit for the STC register
• served as Program Technician in Charge for more than 1 year within the last 5 years.

If the selectee is not a current CED or has not successfully completed the CEDT program, then successful completion of the CEDT training program per requirements in handbook 27-PM paragraphs 454O and 481 is required. This training may be included as part of your performance plan.
Note: Must have more than 52 weeks of total experience acquired on 1 to 3 temporary promotions during the most recent 5-year period.
Qualifications are in accordance with requirements in Handbook 27-PM.
*Examples of Specialized Experience would be experience in an FSA Supervisory position, CEDT position, or PT-in-Charge position within the last 5 years for a total of at least 52 weeks.
*** 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.
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-09 level if you have one of the following qualifications:

• One year of specialized experience directly related to the functions of the position to be filled or equivalent experience in a related activity at the next lower grade level. Experience in providing program interpretation, and instruction for an agriculture program area or operational phases of farm loan programs. Such work experience included acquiring data and providing information to producers, farm loan borrowers and farming operations; writing summary reports; assisting staff with policy guidance; arranging and scheduling activities of subordinates to complete technical/clerical review.

*** You may start at the CO-11 level if you have one of the following qualifications:

• One year of specialized experience directly related to the functions of the position to be filled or equivalent experience in a related activity at the next lower grade level. Experience in independently conducting agricultural operation or in participating in the overall administration of one or more agricultural program areas. Such work experience included actively participating in the development or implementation of local farm program policies; applying knowledge of agricultural principles; making presentations or providing training; planning and organizing work of lower-level employees.

*** You may start at the CO-12 level if you have one of the following qualifications:

• One year of specialized experience directly related to the functions of the position to be filled or equivalent office experience in a related activity at the next lower grade level. Experience in administering or significantly impacting administration of one or more agricultural programs. Such work experience included providing technical information and assistance regarding farm programs to representative of business and community groups; leading in the development of local farm program policies; manages all day-to-day operations of the office; employs subordinate staff.

Education
The substitution of education is not qualifying for this position.
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 two (2) days per biweekly pay period (1 day per week) upon supervisory approval. This position may also be eligible for flexible work schedules in accordance with Department and Agency directives.

• Benefits
  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.

How You Will Be Evaluated
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 (KSA's) listed below.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS CAREFULLY. During the online application process, you will be asked to address the following items:

1. Describe your ability to plan work and make decisions independently. Be sure to include specific examples.
2. 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.
3. Describe your ability to communicate in writing being sure to include specific examples.
4. Describe your ability to communicate orally being sure to include specific examples.
5. Describe your ability to supervise and lead people. Be sure to include specific examples including any supervisory or leadership roles you may have held.
6. Describe your knowledge of FSA farm programs and practices including details regarding how you obtained this knowledge.

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.

• Benefits
  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.
• Required Documents
  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 and Salary for each work experience entry.
  4) Other qualifications
  
  • For current or previous Federal or FSA County employees, you must attach a copy of your Most Recent Notification of Personnel Action SF-50, 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.
  • Current and former USDA Employees must submit your most recently completed annual performance appraisal/Summary Rating (dated within 18 months) which identifies the employees official rating of record, signed by the supervisor, or a statement advising why the performance appraisal/summary rating is unavailable. Do not submit a performance plan. Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.
• How to Apply
  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 holly.andrews@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
  Karli Button
  Phone
  605-352-1177
  Email
  karli.button@usda.gov
  Address
  Farm Service Agency - County Offices 200 4th Street SW, Room 308 Huron, SD 57350 US
  Next steps
  Your application will be revi...