County Program Technician (2024)

Department of Agriculture

Farm Service Agency

Maryland

Apply

Print

Save

Summary

This is a County Program Technician position, located in the Washington FSA County Office, in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Applying to this vacancy constitutes your understanding that your resume, assessment and other application materials may be shared with hiring managers statewide for employment consideration.

Current location(s) will be filled upon closing of this Vacancy. Various locations may be determined at a later time.

Major responsibilities for this position can be found below.

Learn more about this agency

Help

Overview

  • Accepting applications
  • Open & closing dates

    04/17/2024 to 04/29/2024

  • Salary

    $40,351 - $72,703 per year

  • Pay scale & grade

    CO 4 - 7

  • Help

    Location

    1 vacancy in the following location:

    • Hagerstown, MD
  • Remote job

    No

  • Telework eligible

    Yes—as determined by the agency policy.

  • Travel Required

    Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

  • Relocation expenses reimbursed

    No

  • Appointment type

    Permanent -

  • Work schedule

    Full-time -

  • Service

    Competitive

  • Promotion potential

    7

  • Job family (Series)

    1101 General Business And Industry

  • Supervisory status

    No

  • Security clearance

    Not Required

  • Drug test

    No

  • Position sensitivity and risk

    Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

  • Trust determination process

    Credentialing

  • Announcement number

    FSACO-12391045-24-MD-RW

  • Control number

    787171000

Help

This job is open to

  • The public U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all US Citizens and US Nationals.

Videos

Help

Duties

  • Carrying out office activities and functions pertaining to one or more of the program areas administered in the county.
  • Interpreting and explaining procedures, program regulations and forms to producers and other agency personnel.
  • Utilizing various web-based software applications to maintain producer data and processing automated forms.
  • Using a high degree of initiative and judgment in planning and carrying out assigned tasks and resolving problems encountered.

Help

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.
  • Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • 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/.
  • Must be a high school graduate, or have a GED.
  • Must be 18 years of age, or 17 years of age for high school graduates.

Qualifications

Qualifications are in accordance with requirements in Handbook 27-PM.

* Experience is defined as experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and is typically in or related to the work of the position being filled. To be creditable, experience must have been equivalent to at least 1 year in the next lower grade level.

Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date in the announcement, including the following specialized experience and/or education, as identified below:

You may start at the CO-04 level if you have one of the following qualifications:

  • Successful completion of two years of education above high school in an accredited business, secretarial or technical, junior college, college or university in any field in which high school graduation or the equivalent is a prerequisite may be substituted for experience. OR
  • One year general experience related to office work, or equal background in the operations of a farm or ranch that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the duties of this position.
You may start at the CO-05 level if you have one of the following qualifications:
  • Successful completion of four years of education above high school in an accredited business, secretarial or technical, junior college, college or university in any field in which high school graduation or the equivalent is a prerequisite or Bachelors degree from such an accredited college or university. OR
  • One year of experience equivalent to the CO-4 level applying office methods and procedures to provide clerical and limited technical support to farm or agricultural programs carried out by respective agencies or institutions. (e.g. USDA Agencies, State Departments, State or Local and Extension Services, Vocational Agriculture Schools.)

*You may start at the CO-06 level if you have one of the following qualifications:

  • One year of experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the CO-5 level applying office methods and procedures to provide clerical and limited technical support to farm or agricultural programs carried out by respective agencies or institutions. (e.g. USDA Agencies, State Departments, State or Local and Extension Services, Vocational Agriculture Schools.)

*You may start at the CO-07 level if you have one of the following qualifications:

  • One year experience equivalent to grade CO-6 or GS-6 applying office methods and procedures to provide clerical and limited technical support to independently perform a full range of farm program processes. (e.g. USDA Agencies, State Departments, State or Local and Extension Services, Vocational Agriculture Schools.) Experience that shows your ability to perform progressively more complex, responsible, or difficult duties: and that shows your ability to learn the specific work of this position.

Education

College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit with your application package evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution was appropriately accredited by an accredited body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. Education standards. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process; however, if selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Please refer to the "How to Apply" section for instructions on submitting the transcript. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

Read more

  • Help

    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.

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet:

  1. Minimum qualification requirements and
  2. Your 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 meet qualifications 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, you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your qualifications. Providing inaccurate information on County and Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to and including removal from County and 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/12391045

  • Help

    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.

  • As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

    The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, 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; for current or previous Federal or FSA County employees, it should also include the Title, Pay Plan, Series and Grade and Step for each work experience entry.
    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 at the time of application; 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. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

    For current and former CO or GS employees, the following documents are encouraged but not required.

    • Performance Appraisal (Most Recent Signed) or a statement stating why you don't have a Performance Appraisal.
    • SF-50 (Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) or equivalent showing position title, series, grade and salary.)

    NOTE: If selected, applicant will be required to provide this documentation within 7 days of receipt of Tentative Job Offer. Failure to provide required documentation will jeopardize further consideration.

    You will not be contacted for additional information.

    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.

  • Agency contact information

    Terri Phillips

    Phone

    443-482-2763

    Fax

    855-401-6638

    Email

    terri.phillips@usda.gov

    Address
    Farm Service Agency - County Offices
    339 Buschs Frontage Road, Suite 104
    Annapolis, MD 21409
    US

    Learn more about this agency

    Next steps

  • The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

    • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
    • Reasonable accommodation policy
    • Financial suitability
    • Selective Service
    • New employee probationary period
    • Signature and false statements
    • Privacy Act
    • Social security number request

Help

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, 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; for current or previous Federal or FSA County employees, it should also include the Title, Pay Plan, Series and Grade and Step for each work experience entry.
  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 at the time of application; 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. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

For current and former CO or GS employees, the following documents are encouraged but not required.

  • Performance Appraisal (Most Recent Signed) or a statement stating why you don't have a Performance Appraisal.
  • SF-50 (Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) or equivalent showing position title, series, grade and salary.)

NOTE: If selected, applicant will be required to provide this documentation within 7 days of receipt of Tentative Job Offer. Failure to provide required documentation will jeopardize further consideration.

You will not be contacted for additional information.

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.

Help

How to Apply

Read more

Agency contact information

Terri Phillips

Phone

443-482-2763

Fax

855-401-6638

Email

terri.phillips@usda.gov

Address
Farm Service Agency - County Offices
339 Buschs Frontage Road, Suite 104
Annapolis, MD 21409
US

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Read more

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Financial suitability
  • Selective Service
  • New employee probationary period
  • Signature and false statements
  • Privacy Act
  • Social security number request

This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/787171000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.

County Program Technician (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Rob Wisoky

Last Updated:

Views: 6249

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rob Wisoky

Birthday: 1994-09-30

Address: 5789 Michel Vista, West Domenic, OR 80464-9452

Phone: +97313824072371

Job: Education Orchestrator

Hobby: Lockpicking, Crocheting, Baton twirling, Video gaming, Jogging, Whittling, Model building

Introduction: My name is Rob Wisoky, I am a smiling, helpful, encouraging, zealous, energetic, faithful, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.