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(General) Subject: Program Specialist Vacancy Announcement

Posted Date:June 3, 2013

Author: Jeff Baker, Director, Policy Liaison and Implementation, Federal Student Aid

Subject: Program Specialist Vacancy Announcement

Summary: Vacancy Announcement for Program Specialist GS-0301 12/13 (All recruiting sources)

Department:Department Of Education
Agency:Federal Student Aid
Job Announcement Number: FSA-2013-0138
Position Title:Program Specialist, GS-0301-12/13 (All Sources)
Open Period:Monday, June 3, 2013 to Friday, June 21, 2013
Duty Location: 2 Vacancies in Washington, DC, US
Series/Grade:GS - 0301 12/13
Salary Range:$74872 - $115742

Who May Apply
This announcement is open to all U.S. citizens.

The area of consideration for this position is "All Recruiting Sources" for Non-status candidates. Announcement FSA-2013-0142 is open concurrently with an area of consideration of "Federal Agencies" for status candidates. Applicants with noncompetitive eligibility (i.e. VEOA, Sch. A, etc.) should also apply under announcement FSA-2013-0142.

Summary
How would you like to work for the largest organization within the Department of Education (ED) with approximately 1,200 employees located in Washington, DC and in 10 regional offices throughout the United States? That organization is the office of Federal Student Aid (FSA). FSA is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation, providing more than $150 billion each year in grants, loans, and work-study funds to 15 million students attending colleges and career schools. FSA is also responsible for managing or overseeing $948 billion in outstanding loans - representing 163 million student loans to more than 38 million borrowers. Just think: you will be working with a team of experts who are responsible for helping millions of students achieve their goals. At Federal Student Aid, we are proud to sponsor millions of American minds pursuing higher education. Every part of our team from student aid delivery and servicing operations to vendor and contract management to budgeting and cost control to policy implementation plays an essential role in achieving our mission.

This position is located in the Department of Education (ED), Federal Student Aid (FSA), Policy Liaison and Implementation Staff, which serves as the principal advisor to the Chief Operating Officer and to the FSA management team on all program policy issues. The position requires the performance of a variety of program-related assignments. The incumbent reviews, plans, analyzes and develops program requirements, establishes and revises operating procedures, reviews operations, aggregates and accesses program data, and provides technical assistance.

Major Duties
Serves as an agency expert on Title IV, Higher Education Act (HEA) programs. Provides authoritative advice and consultation to Department of Education officials and customers. Recommends new approaches and alternatives to address current or anticipated problems. Negotiates acceptable agreements to resolve conflicts and controversial disputes; elicits support of program officials, customers and other concerned parties. Provides leadership in formulating methods for getting results through cooperative efforts. Develops national guideline material for Title IV, HEA programs; develops and applies new methods and techniques to solve problems where existing guidelines are largely inapplicable. Studies new and proposed legislation and regulations to determine impact on the Title IV programs; edits Title IV, Federal Student Aid Handbook and other related written materials; plans and manages multiple projects and makes recommendations to senior leadership; drafts responses to inquiries, and adjusts to fluctuating assignments and workloads.

Key Requirements
You must be a U.S. citizen, must complete a Background Investigation and Fingerprint Check, and must complete a One-Year Probationary Period. Relocation Expenses will not be paid. Drug Testing (if applicable)

Education Requirements
APPLICANTS MUST MEET QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT.

Qualifications

(GS-12)

All qualified candidates must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal Service. Examples of such experience may include: application of legislation, regulations, policies and procedures to the administration of Title IV Student Financial Assistance Programs; comprehensive work with Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) programs; experience working in a financial aid office at a Title IV participating institution; applying and interpreting the requirements of Title IV, HEA student assistance programs, statutes, and regulations; facilitating the implementation of student aid policies within an organization; advising on regulatory and legal requirements concerning student financial assistance.

(GS-13)

All qualified candidates must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal Service. Examples of such experience may include: application of legislation, regulations, policies and procedures to the administration of Title IV Student Financial Assistance Programs; comprehensive work with Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) programs; experience working in a financial aid office at a Title IV participating institution; applying and interpreting the requirements of Title IV, HEA student assistance programs, statutes, and regulations; facilitating the implementation of student aid policies within an organization; advising on regulatory and legal requirements concerning student financial assistance.

How to Apply
Please carefully read the information provided under the link listed below. The section entitled "How to Apply" provides detailed instructions on faxing your supporting documentation. All required supporting documentation MUST be received by midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement. You are encouraged to thoroughly review the list of supplement documents required. It is critical to note that many documents may not pertain to you. You are only required to submit those that apply to you.

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/344766600

Required Documents
SF-50 (Current and Former Federal Employees): Submit a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current grade and competitive civil service status. If your current grade is not your highest permanent grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing your highest grade.

Veterans' Preference Documentation (DD214, VA letter, SF-15): Required from applicants if applying for an appointment under special veterans' appointing authority.

CTAP/ICTAP Documentation: Required from displaced Federal employees if meeting this criteria.

Noncompetitive Appointing Authority Documentation: Required from applicants applying for consideration under a noncompetitive authority.

No forms will be accepted after the closing date.

Evaluations
WARNING! High self-assessment in the vacancy questions that is not supported by information in your resume, and/or supporting documents may eliminate you from best-qualified status or result in a lowered score. Your responses to the vacancy questions must be substantiated by your on-line resume. Be sure that the experience/education as described on your resume contains accurate and sufficient information that clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing experience and education relevant to this position. If you exaggerate or falsify your experience, education and/or your responses to questions, your ratings can/will be changed, or you may be removed from employment consideration. You should make a fair and accurate assessment of your qualifications. Applicants who do not respond to the application questions will be rated ineligible.

Eligible candidates will be placed for selection consideration into three (3) categories as described below:

1 - Qualified Category

2 - Well Qualified Category

3 - Best Qualified Category

Do not overstate or understate your level of experience and capability. You should be aware that your ratings are subject to evaluation and verification.

Applicants are expected to possess the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) listed below to qualify for this position. These KSAs are addressed in the self-assessment questionnaire that you will complete for this announcement. You do not need to respond separately to the KSAs listed below. Your answers to the on-line experience questions will serve as responses to the KSAs.

Your application will be evaluated based on your ability to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities/competencies (KSAs):

  1. Comprehensive knowledge of the requirements of Title IV Higher Education Act (HEA) student assistance programs, statutes, and regulations.
  2. Skill in facilitating the implementation of student aid policies within an organization.
  3. Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
  4. Ability to prioritize and complete multiple assignments and work in a team environment.

What to Expect Next
We will inform you of the status of your application at four stages: (1) Upon receipt of your application; (2) Upon minimum qualification determinations; (3) Upon issuing the highly qualified candidates to the hiring official; and finally (4) once a selection is made. It is essential that you have a current e-mail address on file with USAJOBS. You will be notified of our application status by the servicing Human Resources Specialist via email. You may also check the status of your application at USA JOBS.

Benefits
The Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, offers a comprehensive benefits package including paid vacation and sick leave, federal holidays, health and life insurance, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), including the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Click on http://www.opm.gov/insure/index.aspx to find out more about federal benefits.

Why Work at ED?
The U.S. Department of Education (ED), Federal Student Aid (FSA), is a great place to work. For more detailed information regarding our various work sites, please click on the link below:

http://www.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/ed-locations.html

As an ED employee, you will benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a productive balance between work and home, we offer excused leave for parent/teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service. Other incentives such as telecommuting and alternative work schedules also may be available to you.

ED offers positions that are fair and competitive in compensation; developmental opportunities to exhibit teamwork and goal-oriented projects to enrich your federal career.

Other Information
The Federal Government is committed to expanding access to employment by hiring people with disabilities; providing technical assistance and information on reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities; and identifying and removing barriers to work. Persons with disabilities may apply for jobs filled either competitively (where qualified individuals compete with one another through a structured process), noncompetitively (where a qualified individual may be selected based on a special appointing authority), or through an excepted appointing authority for people with disabilities (i.e. Schedule A). People who are selected for a Federal job must meet the qualification requirements for the position and be able to perform the essential duties of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. For information on "People with Disabilities" please visit http://opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.asp
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)- Eligible federal employees who were in positions and who were displaced from their positions may be eligible for selective priority over other candidates, under the ICTAP or the CTAP. Information about these programs may be found at the following links. In order to qualify, your application must receive a score of 85 in comparison with the knowledge, skills and abilities criteria. If you believe you are eligible for this special consideration, it is critical that you read the information provided in the links below.

http://www.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/ctap.html

http://www.ed.gov/about/jobs/open/edhires/ctap.html

Student Loan Default
Applicants selected for positions are subject to a background check to verify that he or she has not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants found to be in default will be contacted to make arrangements for repayment prior to being made an official offer of employment.

"Veterans interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, may send an email to Iwork@ed.gov to schedule an appointment for a session. Veterans Counseling Session must be placed in the subject line of the email."

ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS MAY BE MADE WITHIN 90 DAYS OF THE OPENING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, SHOULD VACANCIES OCCUR.