• The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity.
• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Serve as a technical advisor on the application of the U.S. Warehouse Act and the interpretation of the provisions of contracts for the storage and handling of government-owned or loan commodities.
• Conduct in depth, technical reviews of warehouse examination reports for completeness and accuracy, and determine if prescribed examination procedures were followed.
• Serve as a technical liaison on information technology issues pertaining to the warehouse examination and inspection program.
• Provide oversight on the serious and complex examinations, involving alleged violations and illegalities.
• Verify that warehouse operator’s records and receipts meet requirements established by regulations, storage agreements, and/or contracts.
• Serve as the Division safety liaison. Identify and investigate safety issues and determine precautions and/or protections required for the safety of examiners.
• Assist supervisor in coordinating the work of other team examiners and provide technical direction as needed.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• 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 E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/
• All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.
• Selectee will be subject to a pre-employment medical statement and/or exam.
• Valid state driver's license is required at the time of application.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Individual Occupational Requirements

Education:

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: that included at least 24 semester hours in marketing, economics, business administration, agriculture, accounting, engineering, commerce, transportation, or related courses. OR;

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Manager or supervisory official of a storage facility for agricultural commodities. The experience must have included responsibility for the receipt, care, and delivery of agricultural commodities and the issuance of warehouse receipts.
• Federal or State warehouse examiner responsible for examining storage facilities for agricultural commodities.
• Auditor, accountant, or bookkeeper employed in a storage facility for agricultural commodities.
• Agricultural employee involved in commodity loan inspections, farm storage facility inspections, and the inspection and verification of warehouse records.
• Work as a licensee under the U.S. Grain Standards Act, in the inspection of grain for condition and grade in accordance with official standards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Driver's License

Applicants are required to have, or must obtain before appointment, an automobile driver's license currently valid in the State in which they are domiciled or principally employed.

Medical Requirements

Before appointment a medical examination will be made by a licensed physician. Applicants must be physically able to perform efficiently the duties of the position for which application is made. Good distant vision in one eye and ability to read without strain printed material the size of typewritten characters are required, corrective lenses permitted. Ability to hear the conversational voice, with or without a hearing aid, is required. Any condition that would cause the applicant to be a hazard to himself/herself or to others will disqualify for appointment. Applicants must possess emotional and mental stability.

FOR THE GS-07 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Experience using a variety of information technology for the purpose of organizing data and creating reports.
• Inspecting the physical condition of storage facilities, equipment, and machinery used in connection with warehousing and storage of goods.
• Experience communicating in writing for the purpose of accurate reporting of information to Management, Senior Officials, other Agencies, State officials or private entities.

OR; 1 full year of graduate level education in the following degree fields: agriculture, agriculture marketing, agriculture business, agriculture economics, accounting, engineering, commerce, transportation, or closely related field.

OR Superior Academic Achievement: To qualify based on superior academic achievement, you must have completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution AND 1) have a class standing in the upper third of the graduating class, 2) membership in a national scholastic honor society (excluding Freshman honor societies), or 3) must meet certain GPA requirements. GPA requirements: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on official transcripts or as computed based on 4 years of education, or courses completed during the final 2 year of the curriculum; OR 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required course completed in the major field or courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum (GPA will be rounded to one decimal place, e.g., 2.95 rounds to 3.0 and 2.94 rounds to 2.9).

FOR THE GS-09 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates one or more of the following:

• Conducting examinations or inspections on agricultural commodity warehouses.
• Inspecting and reporting on the physical condition of storage facilities, equipment, and machinery used in connection with commodity storage.
• Taking physical inventory of products in storage and comparing inventory figures with data obtained from records.

OR; A master's degree or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in the following degree fields: agriculture, agriculture marketing, agriculture business, agriculture economics, accounting, engineering, commerce, transportation, or closely related field.

OR; LL.B. or J.D., if related.

FOR THE GS-11 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-09 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates one or more of the following:

• Independently conducting warehouse examinations on agricultural commodity warehouses licensed under the United States Warehouse Act or approved under Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Authority.
• Working with examination and agricultural commodity inventory/accounting systems.
• Working with warehouse examination reporting systems.
• Experience in applying a wide range of Federal laws including the United States Warehouse Act, and relevant State laws governing a commodity warehouse examination program.

OR; Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in the following degree fields: agriculture, agriculture marketing, agriculture business, agriculture economics, accounting, engineering, commerce, transportation, or closely related field. OR; 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. OR; LL.M., if related

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for all above grade level.

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-7/9/11 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. This means you will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

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 Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To preview the application questionnaire, please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12925956

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure or downtime, 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; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications; and 5) supervisors name and phone number for each work period listed and whether or not they may be contacted for reference checks. Resume cannot exceed two pages. Only one resume will be reviewed.
• 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 the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; 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 you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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. For further information, visit the following: Foreign Education Evaluation. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
• If claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions within 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. The certification must be on the letterhead of the appropriate military branch and include the dates of military service. Veterans' preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
• If claiming 10-point veterans' preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference visit FEDSHIREVETS
• Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), last performance appraisal that is at least fully successful or its equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.
• Worker's Compensation Separation: Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.
  • Disability Annuity Termination: Notification from OPM of disability annuity termination AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held. Military Reserve or National Guard Technician Special Disability Retirement Annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456: Certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard Bureau AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.

Next steps

Additional locations