LOAN SPECIALIST (COMMERCIAL)

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. Applicants must meet one year at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade.

For the GS-9 level: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS- 07; or its non- Federal equivalent that demonstrate experience assisting higher graded specialists with loan underwriting, for example, experience processing single family loans up to the point of final approval by a specialist with loan approval authority, i.e., examining applications, credit reports and other supporting documents; or assisting loan specialists with servicing activities on commercial loans for small projects. OR Masters or equivalent graduate degree in a related field, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LLB or J.D., if related (see qualifying
fields of study below). OR a combination of education as described and specialized experience.

Education:

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.

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. Determine your qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required. Determine your education as a percentage of the education required. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11.

Superior academic achievement (S.A.A.) -- This provision covers advanced trainee positions that provide opportunities for advancement upon attaining required job skills and knowledge, require no prior experience, and have work classified at two-grade intervals. It recognizes students who have achieved superior academic standing as evidenced by one of the three methods described below. In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled.

S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.

1. Class standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on completed courses.
2. Grade-point average - Applicants must have a grade-point average of:
a. 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or
b. 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.
3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achshonor.org/)

NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards

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; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.