Summary

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is an independent office within the Department of Agriculture whose mission is to ensure economy, efficiency, and integrity in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and operations through the successful execution of audits, investigations, and reviews.

This job is open to

Federal employees - Competitive service

Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.

Federal employees - Excepted service

Current federal employees whose agencies have their own hiring rules, pay scales and evaluation criteria.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Land and base management

Current or former employees of a base management agency.

Veterans

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference

Military spouses

Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.

Individuals with disabilities

Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.

Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista

Individuals who have served at least 2 years with the Peace Corps or 1 year with AmeriCorps VISTA.

Special authorities

Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed in another hiring path.

Clarification from the agency

Current permanent Federal employees with competitive status; Reinstatement eligibles; Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP and VEOA eligible; 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans; Military Spouses; Interchange Agreement and Other Miscellaneous Authorities; People with Disabilities; Peace Corps and VISTA. Location Negotiable is ONLY applicable to internal USDA/OIG employees.

Duties

Strategic Planning: Provides overall guidance and prioritization in engagement planning; creates, oversees, and reviews the development of base-content, risk assessments, planning ideas, engagement templates, and new products.
Written and Oral Communications: Prepares and delivers a wide variety of high-level briefings, reports, studies, memorandums, information papers, and other documents to high-level officials and staff members.
Technical Competence: Revises and establishes new policies and/or procedures to ensure engagements are conducted in accordance with prescribed professional audit and accounting standards.
Recommends changes in audit policies and/or procedures to improve oversight effectiveness and to address actions received during external quality assessment/peer reviews.
Audit Systems Analysis and Development: Develops creative solutions to controversial problems; studies and integrates findings of numerous audit efforts to define audit targets and develop audit criteria or new approaches for use by other auditors.
Customer Satisfaction and Liaising: Meets with key customers and coordinates with officials to assess customer satisfaction; explains organizational policy and procedures, resolves significant problems that arise.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

You must be a US Citizen
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
Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their 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 https://www.e-verify.gov/
You will be required to complete an OGE-450, Confidential Statement of Employment and Financial Interests
Relocation expenses are NOT authorized

Qualifications

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.

Individual Occupational Requirement:

Degree: auditing; or a degree in a related field such as business administration, finance, public administration or accounting.

or
Combination of education and experience: at least 4 years of experience in Performance/Financial Auditing, or an equivalent combination of performance/financial auditing experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional auditing knowledge. The applicant's background must also include one of the following:
1. A certificate as a Certified Internal Auditor or a Certified Public Accountant, obtained through written examination; or
2. Completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in auditing or accounting, e.g., 15 semester hours.

In Addition to the IOR above you must meet the Specialized Experience below for the respective grade:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-14: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade
GS-13. Specialized experience is described as mastery of a professional knowledge of the theory, concepts, principles, and practices of accounting and, as required, auditing, and financial management sufficient to conduct difficult assignments involving interfaces and inter-relationships between and among programs, systems, functions, policies, and various issues.

FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS (GS-14): Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-13 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-14 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks.

NOTE: Applicants applying as VEOA candidates who are current GS civil service employees or are prior GS civil service employees within the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements.

Education

If education is required or being used 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, official transcripts will be required 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. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
- CTAP: (USDA), RPL: (USDA), ICTAP: (Non-USDA): Include RIF separation notice or a Proposed Removal/Separation notice; Copy of your latest performance rating; and Copy of your most recent SF-50: Notification of Personnel Action showing your position, grade and step, tenure code, duty location, full promotion potential, and/or highest grade held. Submit more than 1 SF-50 if necessary. See the Career Transition Assistance site on USAJOBS for more information about CTAP. ICTAP: For more information, review the USAJOBS Help Center
Certain Military Spouses: You may be eligible if you are: A spouse of an active duty member of the armed forces. OR A spouse of a service member who is 100% disabled due to a service-connected injury. OR A spouse of a service member killed while on active duty.
- You are no longer eligible if you remarry. You must meet certain criteria for each of these eligibility categories. Your eligibility does not entitle you to a job within the Federal Government. You must still apply and meet qualification standards and additional requirements, such as a background investigation. Learn more about the specific criteria for military spouses...
- To verify your eligibility for option 1: You must submit a copy of the PCS (permanent change of station) orders indicating you are authorized to relocate on those orders, and marriage certificate.
- To verify your eligibility for options 2 and 3: You must submit the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15 and all supporting documentation identified on that document (e.g., Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of service which includes character of service; death certificate and documentation identifying marital status at the time of death; disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service, and marriage certificate etc.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

You will be evaluated based on your responses to questionnaire items focused on the minimum qualifications (duties/specialized experience), and a structured resume review to verify the experience you claim in the questionnaire is documented in your resume. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process, including the application, questionnaire, and submission of the required documents. Overstating your education or experience in your application materials may result in your removal from consideration.

Application Questionnaire: Applicants must complete a questionnaire as part of the application process. Applicants who respond that they meet the minimum qualifications (specialized experience) for the position will move on to the next phase of the assessment process.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required duties/specialized experience listed. SMEs will review ONLY two (2) pages of your resume, starting at your work experience. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., Links embedded in your resume will not be opened.).

Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, 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.Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12937792

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, 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) Name, address, email and phone number; 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.

This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency at 202-260-8128. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

Required Documents

CONTINUED FROM ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

30% or More Disabled Veterans:To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service). You must also submit the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15.
VEOA: Include DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, that 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 not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment.
- If claiming 10-point veteran's 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.
Persons with Disabilities/Schedule A: Include documentation of the disability is required. Documentation of eligibility for employment under Schedule A can be obtained from a licensed medical professional (e.g., a physician or other medical professional certified by a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory to practice medicine); a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist (i.e., state or private); or any Federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits. The letter must be printed on the official letterhead of a medical professional and must include a signature or it is invalid. Please visit OPM's website for sample letters. Learn more about Schedule A eligibility.
Current permanent FSA County employees: Include most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing your highest grade (or promotion potential) held on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months). Submit more than 1 SF-50 if necessary.
Federal Career/Career Conditional Comp and Non-Competitive Employees: Include a copy of your most recentNotification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status. Your SF-50 (or equivalent personnel action form) must reflect: career or career-conditional (Tenure field is 1 or 2); AND status in the competitive service (Position Occupied field is 1). Reflect promotion potential or highest grade held, Submit more than 1 SF-50 if necessary AND most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months).
Reinstatement Comp & Non-Comp: To verify your eligibility as a former Federal civilian employee, you must submit a copy of your Separation (removal, resignation, retirement, etc.) Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status. Your SF-50 (or equivalent personnel action form) must reflect: career or career-conditional (Tenure field is 1 or 2); AND status in the competitive service (Position Occupied field is 1). Reflect promotion potential or highest grade held. Submit more than 1 SF-50 if necessary.
Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act: Copies of Notification of Personnel Action(s) (SF-50) showing the employee served in eligible appointment(s) for a period(s) of more than 24 mos w/o a break between appointments of two+ years. Include initial hire actions, extensions, conversions and separation SF-50s for each period. Submit performance rating(s) showing acceptable performance for each period counted towards eligibility signed by supervisor(s). If documentation does not exist for one or more periods, submit a statement from supervisor(s) indicating acceptable performance. Applicants who do not have performance documentation for any period shall provide a reason why the documentation is not available and statement that performance for all periods was at an acceptable level.
Peace Corp/AmeriCorps: USAJOBS Help Center | Peace Corps & AmeriCorps VISTA Include a copy of your Certification of Volunteer Service and latest SF-50s.

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 11:59p.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 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below 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" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.

NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. You must verify that uploaded documents 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. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g. SF-50s or veteran docs) into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like documents into files will simplify the application process. Documents must be in one of the following formats: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signature, or other encryption to open.

Agency contact information

Brandon Griggs

Phone: (210) 439-5450
Email: brandon.griggs@oig.usda.gov

Address: Office of the Inspector General
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
US

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 to check your application status.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to brandon.griggs@oig.usda.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.

Additional locations

Dallas, TX

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