Housing Program Specialist

Summary This position is located at Department of Housing and Urban Development, Asst Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner. This opportunity is also open to Status Candidates under Announcement 26-HUD-12955644-MP. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply. Learn more about this agency Duties HUD's Mission The mission of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is to foster strong communities by supporting access to quality, affordable housing, expanding the housing supply, and unlocking homeownership opportunities for the American people. The Department is committed to furthering the promise of self-sufficiency in every American while promoting economic development to revitalize rural, tribal, and urban communities across the country. The Office of Housing provides vital public services through its nationally administered programs. It oversees the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the largest mortgage insurer in the world, and regulates important parts of the housing industry. The Office of Housing is committed to building and preserving healthy neighborhoods and communities through homeownership, rental housing and healthcare opportunities. The mission of HUD's Office of Housing Counseling is to provide individuals and families with the knowledge they need to obtain, sustain, and improve their housing. OHC accomplishes this mission by supporting a strong national network of HUD-approved housing counseling agencies and housing counselors. The following are the duties of this position at the GS-13. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position. As a/an Housing Program Specialist, you will: Develop and analyze program policies, reviewing and monitoring the effectiveness of housing counseling program policies and/or procedures, and direct participation in the Office's mission to increase the quality and availability of housing counseling opportunities. Develop, coordinate and oversee multimedia and print marketing education campaigns as mandated by statute. Communicate with industry regarding resources, model programs, research findings, and media opportunities. Analyze the need for housing counseling among different geographies and populations, and developments, implement and evaluate programmatic initiatives to efficiently and effectively meet the needs. Conduct outreach, education, training, and consultation services to housing counseling partners and local governments towards the Offices mission to increase the quality and availability of housing counseling opportunities. Plan, initiate, and conduct analytical studies to determine methods to expand the quality and availability of housing counseling expertise using various media and distribution channels. Conduct analytical studies of various issues related to housing counseling in order to evaluate the effectiveness of current national policies and procedures in meeting Office of Housing Counseling and Departmental objectives. Define problems and makes recommendations for more effective administration of housing counseling programs. Prepare reports on studies for use by senior officials. Reply to correspondence, audit findings, and respond to complex inquiries from the Congress, the White House, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and other Federal organizations, industry partners, special interest groups, consumers and FOIA requests. Contribute to grant and certification criteria in response to policy priorities, program effectiveness, counseling needs and results of oversight reviews. Participate in grant development and review, outreach and capacity building activities, and oversight reviews as needed. Requirements Conditions of employment Candidates will be selected for a job assigned to one of the official duty stations listed in this announcement. Failure to report to duty at the location for which the candidate is selected may be grounds for a disciplinary action, including removal. Key Requirements: Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. A one year probationary period may be required. Continued employment is contingent upon supervisory certification that continued employment will benefit the Federal Service; the certification will occur no less than 30 days before the end of the probationary/trial period. A one year supervisory or managerial probationary period may be required. Must successfully complete a background investigation. Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required. Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency. Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel. Please refer to "Additional Information Section for additional Conditions of Employment." Qualifications You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Specialized Experience: For the GS-13 grade level, you must have one year (52 full weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized Experience for this position includes: - Conducting, monitoring, and providing oversight of program participants for compliance with requirements and federal regulations relating to housing or housing counseling programs; AND - Evaluating program initiatives and providing feedback regarding analysis of effectiveness and recommendations for improvements; AND - Providing recommendations that impact pending legislation, regulations, or guidelines regarding city, county, state or federal low-income housing programs; AND - Developing standards, procedures or guidelines on assisted housing programs and communicating any changes to internal or external stakeholders. Specialized Experience: For the GS-12 grade level, you must have one year (52 full weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized Experience for this position includes: - Interpreting and implementing guidance and responses on assisted housing policies, regulations, and procedures; AND - Assisting in developing standards, procedures or guidelines on assisted housing programs; AND - Communicating changes to internal or external stakeholders regarding city, county, state or federal low-income housing programs. Specialized Experience: For the GS-11 grade level, you must have one year (52 full weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized Experience for this position includes: - Monitoring, review and oversight for program compliance, and policy review and development; for housing counseling program or major federal program or campaign; AND - Conducting, monitoring, and providing oversight of program participants for compliance with requirements and regulations relating to housing or housing counseling programs; AND - Evaluating program initiatives and providing feedback regarding analysis of effectiveness and recommendations for improvements. OR Education: You may substitute education for general or specialized experience as follows: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or an LL.M., in a related field. OR Combination: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education. To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the specialized experience requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the education requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education in excess of the first 2 years may be credited for education and combined with experience. The total percentage of education added to the total percentage of experience must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume. Education The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions. Additional information OTHER INFORMATION: We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Relocation expenses will not be paid. Relocation incentive will not be paid. Recruitment incentive will not be paid. This is a bargaining unit position. This position is Exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). HUD offers alternative and flexible work schedules. This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies for similar positions across HUD. During the online application process, you will be asked to specify if you would like your application information shared with other hiring managers in the Program Office listed in this announcement or in other HUD Program Offices. Opting to share your application information will not impact your application for this announcement, nor will it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (CONTINUED): HUD employees are subject to a number of government-wide and HUD specific ethics laws and regulations, including restrictions on working in a real estate related business, and having Section 8 tenants, along with other prohibited interests and activities. To review applicable ethics rules and HUD specific restrictions, please visit https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/general_counsel/ethics. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire Expand Hide  additional information Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits 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. Review our 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.