Summary This position is located in the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), Office of Examination, Staff Development Division.
Our ideal candidate for the Associate FCA Examiner position is a recent graduate with a Finance, Accounting, or Agricultural Business degree with at least six credit hours in Finance and Accounting and a GPA above 3.0. Candidates with a Master's or in process of obtaining a Master's by June 2027 are encouraged to apply for the VH-34 and VH-35.Duties As an Associate FCA Examiner, you will perform analytical assignments and receive on-the-job and extensive formal training designed to provide practical experience in evaluating an institution's financial and lending operations, management, information technology, and compliance with federal regulations. You will:
- Work in a team environment to gather (research and investigate), organize, and analyze (draw conclusions and support the conclusions with facts) institution data (e.g., loan portfolio management, financial condition, policies and procedures).
- Determine institution compliance with laws and regulations as well as sound business practices, prepare written reports, and recommend corrective action.
- Conduct interviews with institution personnel to obtain relevant information.
- Monitor and analyze the financial condition and performance of assigned institutions for emerging risks and issues that could impact operations, condition, and performance.
- Use electronic and computer databases extensively.
- Participate in an intensive, four-year, on-the-job and formal classroom training to learn oversight and examination procedures and practices as well as knowledge of the Farm Credit System.
If selected, you will travel (during the weekday) up to 50% of the time and undertake a rigorous 4-5-year training program consisting of proficiency exams during the first 2 years and culminating with a Commissioning Test. You will spend the majority of the time analyzing the financial condition and performance of the financial institutions FCA regulates as well as evaluating individual credit risk, board governance, and management effectiveness. You will document all analytical work with supporting facts and write external reports and present examination findings and conclusions to external parties.
Qualifications
All qualification requirements, including completion of education, must be met by June 12, 2027.
- ELIGIBILITY FOR PATHWAYS RECENT GRADUATE PROGRAM
· To be eligible for this position, you must be a college graduate from a qualifying educational institution with an undergraduate and/or Master's degree (see required fields of study noted in 2 below), within 2 years of your application.
· Students scheduled to receive their qualifying degree (see required fields of study noted in 2 below) no later than spring 2027 are also eligible.
· Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, have as many as six years after degree completion to apply.
- DEGREES REQUIRED FOR APPLICATION
Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Your Undergraduate major field of study must be one of the following: Accounting, Agribusiness, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Finance, Agricultural Economics, Animal/Diary Science, Analytical Finance, Banking, Business Administration, Commercial or Banking Law, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Mathematics, - or areas of major study directly related to the position such as agricultural sciences, statistics, data analytics, management information systems, public policy.
If pursing a Master's degree, either your undergraduate or graduate major field of study must be one of the following noted above.
- QUALIFICATIONS
TO QUALIFY AT THE VH-34 BAND LEVEL (GS-07 equivalent), applicants must have ONE of the following:
A) One (1) full year (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours) of graduate level study education AND an undergraduate degree by June 12, 2027. Either your Undergraduate degree or Master's must be one of the following fields: Accounting, Agribusiness, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Finance, Agricultural Economics, Animal/Dairy Science, Banking, Business Administration, Commercial or Banking Law, Economics, Finance, Marketing, or Mathematics - or areas of major study directly related to the position such as agricultural sciences, statistics, data analytics, management information systems, public policy. (Must submit transcripts with application).
OR
B) A bachelor's degree in Accounting, Agribusiness, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Finance, Agricultural Economics, Animal/Dairy Science, Analytical Finance, Banking, Business Administration, Commercial or Banking Law, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Mathematics - or areas of major study directly related to the position such as agricultural sciences, statistics, data analytics, management information systems, public policy AND have superior academic achievement (SAA) by June 12, 2027. To qualify for SAA, applicants must have met one of the following:
i. A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study at the time of application.
ii. A grade-point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study at the time of application.
iii. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, University or major subdivision.
iv. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.
TO QUALIFY AT THE VH-35 BAND LEVEL (GS-09 equivalent), applicants must have ONE of the following:
A) One year of specialized experience equivalent to the VH-34 (GS-07) band level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position includes examining or auditing such financial institutions as savings and loan associations, savings or commercial banking institutions or trust companies, farm credit associations, or Federal or State credit unions.
OR
B) A master's or equivalent graduate degree in an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in one of the fields of study listed above; or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or possession of a LL.B. or J.D degree, if related. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position.
OR
C) A combination of education and experience as listed above. Education In addition, you must meet EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS to qualify for this internship. Your undergraduate or graduate-level education must be in one of the following major fields of study:
- Accounting
- Agribusiness
- Agricultural Business
- Agricultural Finance
- Agricultural Economics
- Animal/Dairy Science
- Analytical Finance
- Banking
- Business Administration
- Commercial or Banking Law
- Economics
- Finance
- Marketing
- Mathematics
- Other areas of major study directly related to the work of the position such as agricultural sciences, statistics, data analytics, management information systems, public policy
You MUST submit copies of your transcript(s) that include: your name, the name of the educational institution, course titles, number of semester/quarter hours, cumulative GPA, grade(s) earned and degree(s) awarded. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. Educational institutions must be accredited by one of the accrediting agencies or associations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditationHow you will be evaluated You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your résumé and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your résumé and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
All qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Your qualifications will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
- Conscientiousness/Work Motivation
- Interest and Willingness
- Learning
- Oral Communication
- Professionalism
- Researching and Investigating
In addition to an online assessment battery (once successfully passed the questionnaire):
- Accountability
- Attention to Detail
- Customer Service
- Flexibility
- Influencing/Negotiating
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Learning
- Reasoning
- Self-Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
- Writing
- Arithmetic
- Mathematical Reasoning
The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.
"This announcement uses the Rule of Many method under 5 CFR § 332.402. If set number/percentage: All applicants tied at the cut line will be referred.]
We will provide the selecting official a sufficient number of names, when available, to consider at least three candidates per vacancy. If fewer than three eligible and available candidates per vacancy result, we will expand the group in accordance with our pre-announced supplement strategy and OPM policy."
Simultaneous Listing:
"Candidates may be referred simultaneously on multiple certificates for which they are interested, eligible, and within reach."
How to apply To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
- Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/), all your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Division. Please contact FCA HR Division at Employment_Opportunities@fca.gov between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, at least two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement to obtain an alternative application. Other information
- Base Salary: Recent graduates starting salary:
VH-34 Starting base salary $53,909
VH-35: Starting base salary $58,871
Locality pay is added to base salaries using one the following locality rates: Bloomington, MN, 28.12%; Irving, TX, 27.76%; McLean, VA, 33.94%; Greenwood Village, CO, 31.02%; Sacramento, CA, 30.26%. Locality rates are subject to change.
- Recruitment Bonus: Selectees may be eligible for a $10,000 recruitment bonus.
- Promotion Potential and Conversion: These positions are being filled at the VH-34 (GS-07 equivalent) and VH-35 (GS-09 equivalent) band levels with promotion potential to the VH-39 band level (equivalent to the GS-13). If converted from the Recent Graduate program, you may be eligible for noncompetitive conversion to a term or permanent competitive service position.
- Current students who have a planned graduation date not earlier than August 2027 and no later than June 2028 are encouraged to apply to our Pathways Internship announcement. Please see vacancy announcement VA-26-0043-INT-TR.
- Trial Period: As a recent graduate, you will serve a two-year trial period, during which you will gain basic knowledge about the job, the Agency, and the Farm Credit System, and attend formal training and develop your knowledge and skills through on-the-job training. If your performance and conduct are satisfactory with competencies outlined at the start of employment, you may be eligible for permanent placement within the FCA. If not, your appointment may be terminated at any time during the trial period.
- All FCA employees are subject to the conflict-of-interest laws and Standards of Ethical Conduct imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report.
- FCA's supplemental ethics regulations restrict certain FCA employees concerning their direct or indirect interests in, or connections with, Farm Credit System institutions. These rules also require all employees to obtain approval for outside employment or business activities. Please contact the HR Division for additional information on these rules.
- FCA uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.
- This announcement may be used to fill similar vacancies.
The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019, with some exceptions, prohibits the Farm Credit Administration from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, visit our website at (Careers at FCA | Farm Credit Administration) for information on filing a complaint.