Summary
This position is situated in the USDA Office of Tribal Relations and serves as the 1994 Tribal Colleges and Universities Program Liaison for the Great Lakes area (Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin). The Liaison is responsible for developing relationships with Native American-serving educational institutions, Native American students, farmers, ranchers, foresters, and Tribal Nations and Tribal communities in the region to inform them on USDA programs and resources.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Open to the Public; Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Duties
- Serves as a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) resource person to 1994 Tribal Colleges and Universities faculty and staff by identifying their annual priorities and emergent issues that USDA can address.
- Advises and counsels Native American students, Native American Serving educational institutions, Tribal Nations tribal communities, and Native American farmers, ranchers, foresters, and others on USDA programs, initiatives, services, and resources.
- Communicates closely with the Director of the 1994 Tribal Colleges and Universities Program and other 1994 Tribal Colleges and Universities Program Liaisons on recruiting efforts for the 1994 Tribal Scholars Program.
- Assists the Director of the 1994 Tribal Colleges and Universities Program in collaborating efforts with USDA Mission Areas and Offices and implementing the 1994 Tribal Scholars Program and other internship programs.
- Identifies and facilitates opportunities that will enhance greater advocacy and outreach between USDA stakeholders and USDA agencies, mission areas, and offices.
- Collaborates and maintains communication with and provides resources to Tribal Colleges and Universities and Tribal Nations, focusing on the issues and concerns of importance to them and their Tribal citizens.
- Coordinates meetings with 1994 Tribal Colleges and Universities, tribal leaders, organizations, and tribal citizens as applicable with USDA or other federal partners.
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.
- Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
- If selected, you may be required to serve a probationary or trial period as applicable to appointment type.
- 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/.
Qualifications
Applicants must have regional expertise in Native American Tribes and reside in Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Michigan while holding the position.
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including the selective placement factors, and specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.
Selective Placement Factor: This position includes Selective Placement Factors (skill, knowledge, ability, or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment. Applicants who do not meet them are ineligible for further consideration. Your resume must clearly show your experience meeting these selective placement factors in order to be considered.
Applicants must have expert knowledge/experience in:
- Expert experience working with and for tribal communities in the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, and
- Working with tribal colleges or on behalf of American Indian students located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, and
- Expert knowledge in American Indian cultural competencies located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.
AND
Minimum Qualifications for the GS-09:
To qualify for the GS-9 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include all of the following:
- Assisting in the recruitment of internship/scholarship programs for Tribal Colleges and Universities located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan; and
- Assisting with advocating for Tribal Colleges and Universities and Tribal Nations during meetings or presentations located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.
OR
Education Substitution: master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B., or J.D., if related.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy.
Minimum Qualifications for the GS-11:
You must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the Federal GS-9 level or higher, that has equipped me with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. For this position, specialized experience includes all of the following:
- Recruiting students for Tribal Colleges and Universities' internship/scholarship programs by attending open houses and career fairs located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan; and
- Advocating for Tribal Colleges and Universities and Tribal Nations during meetings or presentations located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.
OR
Education Substitution: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy.
Minimum Qualifications for the GS-12:
You must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the Federal GS-11 level or higher, that has equipped me with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. For this position, specialized experience includes all of the following:
- Recruiting students for Tribal Colleges and Universities' internship/scholarship programs by attending open houses and career fairs located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan; and
- Advocating for Tribal Colleges and Universities and Tribal Nations during meetings or presentations located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan; and
- Providing advice and counsel to Tribal Colleges and Universities students and Tribal Nations communities on an organization's programs and services located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.
NOTE: Experience must be documented in your resume. If this experience is not presented in your application materials, you will be rated ineligible.
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.
Education
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
You must submit a copy of your transcripts to include course number, title, completion and grade. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g., special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabus and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement.
Important: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Click on this link for more information.
Failure to provide all of the required documents/information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
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.
Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of two or 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 knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:
- Program Management
- Diversity/Inclusion Recruitment
- Advocacy and Outreach
- Tribal Relations
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.
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/12543438
Required Documents
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) 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.
- 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 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.
- If claiming veteran's 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 not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's 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 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. 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), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall 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 11:59p.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 in order 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: 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.
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.
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).
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement
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 OHRM-FCAComplaint@USDA.GOV, subject line: Fair Chance Act.
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