Trainee Farm Ranch Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Loan Specialist (LS) will work as a member of the Loan Administration Value Stream. The incumbent will monitor performance of loan servicers/holders that service VA-guaranteed loans in accordance with Title 38, USC to protect the interests of the U.S. Government.Qualifications:To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:08/07/2026.Individual Occupational RequirementsEducation: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study - finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology. OR
Specialized Experience: Experience that demonstrated competence in agricultural, commercial, realty, or other types of loans. Experience may have been gained in such work as reviewing and passing upon applications for agricultural, commercial, bank or mortgage loans; servicing a loan portfolio of a bank or other loan association; performing financial analysis of commercial concerns for investment purposes; appraising real estate to determine property valuation; or similar work. AND
TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements (unless if in the commuting area and eligible for a non-competitive hiring authority such as Schedule A, VRA, or 30% or more disabled Veterans).

• For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level.
• For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level.
• For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level.
• If you are a current VBA employee outside of the commuting area seeking reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-07 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-11.

The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. These requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement and those applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
GS-07 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level during which you performed technical assignments that involved serving as a trainee studying and examining loan programs, the provisions and applications of regulations, decisions, procedures, legislation and other guidelines governing the various loan program functions in specific phases of loan program activities. Experience may have been gained in such work as collecting and verifying applications for agriculture, commercial, bank or mortgage loans; servicing a portfolio of a bank or other loan association; performing financial analysis of commercial concerns for investment purposes; appraising real estate to determine property valuation; or similar work.
• Education: 1 full year of graduate level education in an accredited college or university; such education must demonstrate the Knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (Please see the competencies under the "how you may be evaluated" section.) Course work must be in the following fields: finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology. OR
• Bachelors degree with Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) - S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing (upper third of the graduating class), (2) grade point average (3.0 or higher), or (3) honor society membership (Membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies); Course work must be in the following fields: finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology. OR
• Combination: Equivalent combinations of Specialized Experience (1) and Graduate level education (2). To compute, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify.

GS-09 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience with policies and regulations related to servicing and liquidating home loans. Experience must include performing financial audits and analyzing financial trends as they pertain to mortgage loans. Other qualifying experience includes performing financial audits and analyzing financial trends as they pertain to mortgage loans.
• Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B or J.D., if related. Course work must be in the following fields: finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology. OR
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have at least six months specialized experience at the GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the Federal service; and possess education beyond 18 semester hours of graduate level in with a major study in finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology.

GS-11 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience in all phases of servicing and liquidating loans to include reviewing and passing along applications for agricultural, commercial, bank or mortgage loans.
• Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. Course work must be in the following fields: finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology. OR
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of at least six months specialized experience at the GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the Federal service; and education beyond 27 semester hours of graduate level in with a major study in finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology.

Education:A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit.
Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information.
For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
Volunteer Experience: 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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week.
Physical Requirements: The work is predominantly sedentary, although there is some standing, walking, bending, stooping, and carrying of light items such as files, computer printouts, and other types of records. Must be able to carry on effective interviews and telephone conversations. The incumbentmust be available for travel and able to operate a motor vehicle in conjunction with fieldwork.Employment Type: OTHER