Clarification from the agency

1. U.S Citizens or U.S. Nationals; no prior federal experience is required. 2. ICTAP/CTAP eligibles.

HUD's Mission
The mission of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is to foster strong communities by supporting access to quality, affordable housing, expanding the housing supply, and unlocking homeownership opportunities for the American people. The Department is committed to furthering the promise of self-sufficiency in every American while promoting economic development to revitalize rural, tribal, and urban communities across the country.

The Office of Housing provides vital public services through its nationally administered programs. It oversees the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the largest mortgage insurer in the world, and regulates important parts of the housing industry. The Office of Housing is committed to building and preserving healthy neighborhoods and communities through homeownership, rental housing and healthcare opportunities.

The Office of Single Family Housing is responsible for the overall management of Single Family mortgage insurance programs for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The Office assists in the expansion of affordable and quality homeownership opportunities for individuals and families who are traditionally underserved by the private market. The Office also acts as a stabilizing force in the single family home financing market by increasing access to mortgage credit. Policies and programs administered by the Office-from becoming an FHA-approved mortgage lender or other stakeholder, to mortgage origination through post-closing and endorsement processes, servicing of FHA mortgages, and beyond-assist in the provision of these affordable mortgage programs while meeting the needs of borrowers. These functions are carried out by dedicated staff in our Washington, DC headquarters, four Homeownership Centers in Atlanta, GA, Denver, CO, Philadelphia, PA, and Santa Ana, CA, and through our National Servicing Center in Tulsa, OK.

As a Housing Program Policy Specialist, you will:

• Initiate and provide leadership, coordination technical advice, guidance and interpretation of policies and procedures on Single Family housing programs and valuation/appraisal requirements for Headquarters, field office staff and affected members of the general public.
• Monitor and evaluate agency operations to insure that policies and standards are maintained, up-to-date and ensure compliance with respective guidance and procedures. Interpret statutory requirements, administrative policies, as well as procedures and methods of program and valuation analyses and translate them into instructions for the FHA's Homeownership Centers and lending community.
• Plan, initiate, and conduct analytical studies of the various aspects of single family housing procedures for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of current policies and procedures with a view towards the development of significant improvements in policy or procedures.
• Collect, review and analyze a variety of data including statistical information. Resolve many types of program policy issues involving single family mortgages and appraisal/valuation requirements presented by field staff, lending institutions, and other housing interests. When necessary, collaborate with other segments of HUD so that coordinated efforts will result in workable solutions.
• May be assigned to assist in an advisory capacity with programs or projects which present special technical problems.

Conditions of employment

The official duty station for this position will be in Alexandria, Virginia. Failure to report to duty at this location may be grounds for a disciplinary action, including removal.

• Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
• A probationary or trial period may be required. Continued employment is contingent upon supervisory certification that continued employment will benefit the Federal Service; the certification will occur no less than 30 days before the end of the probationary/trial period.
• Must successfully complete a background investigation.
• Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
• Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
• Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
• Please refer to "Additional Information Section for additional Conditions of Employment."

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized Experience for the GS-14, you must have one year (full 52 weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

- Underwriting FHA single family mortgages; AND
- Communicating and developing or directing the development of new or revised credit policies, procedures, standards, guidance, or training for government-insured, guaranteed, or conventional single family home mortgage programs; AND
- Interpreting, implementing, and providing technical guidance and responses on HUD policies, regulations, and procedures governing single family home mortgage programs.

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories: Best (highest quality category), Better (middle quality category), or Good (minimally qualified category) depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Rating:

Eligible and qualified applicants will be evaluated through a structured interview based on the competencies listed below. The interview will be conducted by subject matter expert(s) of the position as a formal assessment.

Technical Competence - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

Problem Solving - Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations.

Research - Knowledge of the scientific principles, methods, and processes used to conduct a systematic and objective inquiry; including study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; and the reporting of results.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category.

Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category.

A complete application includes:

1. A resume: All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.)

• USA Jobs restricts resume uploads to a maximum of 2 pages. Resumes attached in other sections (such as "Documents" or "Other") will not be considered in the determination of specialized experience. If multiple resumes are submitted, the resume submitted last (based on time stamp) will be the only one reviewed as a part of your application. To ensure readability, resumes must be formatted using an easy-to-read font (such as Lato, Calibri, or Arial) with a minimum font size of 10-points and margins no smaller than 0.5 inches. Failure to follow these formatting guidelines may result in disqualification from further consideration.
• To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume.
• For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?

• VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation.
  • In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.

• CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.

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