View original position description on the USAJOBS website

Job Title: Seed Marketing Specialist
Department: Department Of Agriculture
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service
Job Announcement Number: 24LS-AMS-MA-2015-0247

SALARY RANGE: $70,192.00 to $91,255.00 / Per Year
OPEN PERIOD: Wednesday, March 18, 2015 to Wednesday, April 8, 2015
SERIES & GRADE: GS-1146-12
POSITION INFORMATION: Full-Time - Permanent
PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 12
DUTY LOCATIONS: 1 vacancy - Gastonia, NC View Map
WHO MAY APPLY: US Citizens and Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.
SECURITY CLEARANCE: Public Trust - Background Investigation
SUPERVISORY STATUS: No

JOB SUMMARY:

About the Agency

Current and former Federal employees, disabled Veterans, candidates with 3 or more years of active duty military service, and and candidates eligible for special hiring authorities may also apply to Merit Promotion announcement 6LS-AMS-MA-2015-0248.

The position is located in the Seed Regulatory and Testing Division (SRTD), Livestock and Seed Program in Gastonia, North Carolina.  The SRTD is concerned with various aspects of seed marketing, including enforcement of the Federal Seed Act (FSA), which regulates agricultural and vegetable seed shipped in interstate commerce, as well as provisions of the Agricultural Marketing Act relating to marketing of seed both at the national and international level.

The incumbent is responsible for the administration of the daily operation of the U.S. program for exporting seed, certified for varietal purity, through the Organization for Economic (OECD) Seed Schemes.

TRAVEL REQUIRED

• Occasional Travel
• Occasional travel may be required

RELOCATION AUTHORIZED

• Yes
• Relocation expenses may be paid

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• US Citizenship is required.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Subject to satisfactory completion of one year probationary period.

DUTIES:

The duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Plans and initiates FSA investigations, coordinates with State cooperators and others to obtain evidence, reviews and evaluates relevant evidence, and finalizes investigations of alleged FSA violations and coordinated enforcement in one or more regions of the country.
• Prepares for the Division Director's signature, letters to seed shippers and other interested parties concerning interpretations of the FSA and Regulations and enforcement policy; contributes items to the newsletter "Items of Interest in Seed" issued by the Division.
• Responsible for the administrative process of all cases.  Assures that all FSA case documents are typed correctly, mailed in a timely manner, logged, and filed.
• Prepares and submits various reports, including those related to quantities of seed shipped through the OECD Seed Schemes, results of post control tests, and requests for additions to or changes in the OECD Seed Schemes Rules.
• When appropriate, consults with seed related groups in the U.S. to develop consensus positions for various issues being considered by the OECD.
• Responds to national and international inquiries regarding OECD rules and policy, U.S. procedures relating to the OECD Seed Schemes, and resolves problems related to seed lots shipped through the OECD Seed Schemes.
• Represents the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and SRTD at regional, national, and international meetings relating to OECD Seed Schemes and FSA as necessary.
• Prepares information for and conducts workshops to provide training in seed sampling techniques and sampling documentation.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including the following specialized experience and/or education, as identified by grade level.

FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Knowledge/ experience of Organization for Economic Development (OECD) Seed Schemes or U.S. OECD Seed Schemes program activities.
• Experience communicating with domestic or international seed certification agencies.
• Knowledge/experience in conducting seed regulatory investigations.
• Knowledge of International Standards Organization (ISO) based quality management systems of seed laboratories, seed production, certification programs and seed sampling programs.
• Maintains quality management documents and SOP’s.
• Determines priorities and completes tasks with short established time frames.

(Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.)

Special Conditions:

• As a condition of employment, satisfactory completion and favorable adjudication of a background investigation and/or fingerprint check may be required for this position.
• This position is designated a public trust position and is subject to satisfactory completion and favorable adjudication of initial background investigation and reinvestigation as a condition of employment.
• Successful completion of a one-year probationary period (if new hire to the Federal service).
• Position may be eligible for telework.
• Work is generally sedentary; however, there is some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as books and files.  There is a significant amount of computer keyboard usage.  There will be a certain amount of both national and international travel.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures using category rating. 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 knowledge, skills, and abilities (or competencies):

• Communication Skills: Interpersonal, Oral and Written
• Project Management, Leadership, Supervisory and Decision Making
• General Agricultural Marketing Skills
• Regulatory Enforcement
• Marketing Programs
• Seed Commodity

The questionnaire will assess your qualifications for the job, and will be used to identify the best qualified applicants to be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. Your ratings in this Assessment Questionnaire are subject to evaluation and verification based on the documents and references you submit.

Later steps in the selection process are specifically designed to verify your ratings. Attempts to falsify information; inflate your qualifications or providing inaccurate information on federal documents may be grounds to adjust your rating or to not select you. Errors, omissions or providing inaccurate information on federal documents may affect your eligibility. If selected providing inaccurate information on federal documents could also be grounds for dismissing you from the position/agency. Please follow all instructions carefully.

To view the application form, visit: https://ams.usda.ntis.gov/cp/?event=jobs.previewApplication&jobid=f36e5a58-cb7c-423e-8c26-a45000eeaff4

BENEFITS:

You can review our benefits at: http://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/enrollment/new-federal-employee-enrollment/

OTHER INFORMATION:

• Career Transition Assistance Plan(CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, provide proof of eligibility to include your most recent performance appraisal, SF-50 showing the full performance level or career ladder of your current or previous position, and proof of eligibility such as a RIF separation notice or letter from OPM/your agency. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles will be considered well-qualified if achieving a rating of 85 or above. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is at: OPM's Career Transition Resources website.
• More than one selection may be made if another vacancy occurs within 90 days of the issuance of the certification of eligibles.
• Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc) should contact: USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
• Direct Deposit – Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.
• E-Verify: Federal law requires agencies to use the E-Verify system to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. If you are selected as a newly hired employee, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form 1-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS 'E-VERIFY' system. Under the system, the new hire is required to resolve any identified discrepancies as a condition of continued employment.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin.
The following instructions outline our application process.

• 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. 
• We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office during business hours well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be submitted no later than noon 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 us if you are requesting this.

Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.

Step 2: Create a resume with USAJOBS or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).

Step 3: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required.
You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application” to continue.
NOTE: Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system. Once in the Agency's staffing system you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX).

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

You must submit a complete Application Package, prior to 11:59, ET, on the closing date of this announcement. The following documents must be submitted for your application package to be considered complete. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents are received within the required timeframes. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, system failure or downtime, etc. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

• Resume that includes the following information: 1) job information for which you are applying; 2) personal information; 3) education; 4) work experience including the work schedule and hours worked per week as well as dates of employment; and title, series and grade if applicable; 5) supervisors phone number and e-mail address for each work period listed and whether or not we may contact them for reference checks; and, 6) other qualifications.
• College Transcripts if education is required for meeting basic qualifications and/or used as a substitute for specialized experience. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if selected, an official college transcript will be required prior to entering on duty. All education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. Foreign education must be evaluated by an approved organization. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
• DD-214 (Member 4 Copy) if claiming Veterans’ Preference. Veterans claiming 10 point preference must also submit a VA Letter and an SF-15 Application for 10-point Veteran Preference. Current active duty members must submit a certification that they are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted.
• Other required documents may include:
  • CTAP/ICTAP Required Documentation Reduction-In-Force: Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; AND most recent performance evaluation; AND SF-50 demonstrating your separation or the position you will be separated from.
  • 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.

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. 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 resumes must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX).

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:

Human Resources
Phone: 612-336-3345
Fax: 612-336-3560
Email: Mary.M.Buresh@aphis.usda.gov

Agency Information:
USDA APHIS MRPBS
100 N. 6th Street, Butler Sq Bldg, Suite 510C
Minneapolis, MN,
55403
United States
Fax: 612-336-3560

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

If you set up your USAJOBS account to send automatic email notifications, you will receive an email acknowledging: 1) the submission of your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume was successful, 2) if you were referred to the selecting official for consideration, and 3) if you were selected or not selected. If you choose not to set up automatic email notifications, you must check your USAJOBS account for the latest status of your application. Your application may be reviewed to verify that you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements for the position prior to issuing lists to a selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. We expect to make a final job offer within 40 days after the closing date of the announcement.

View original position description on the USAJOBS website