Agricultural Market Reporter (Specialty Crops Market Reporter)

Summary

This position is located in the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Specialty Crops Program (SCP), Specialty Crops Market News Division field office. The assigned office is responsible for collecting, analyzing, preparing, and releasing market news data for fresh fruits, vegetables, and specialty crops. In this position, the selectee will serve as a Market Reporter responsible for covering a large portion of assigned markets with increasing responsibility at each grade level.

Duties

• The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity.
• Collect, analyze and disseminate daily market information for fruits and vegetables.
• Contacts the many firms by face-to-face or telephone interviews, in collecting and analyzing information relative to general and specific market conditions.
• Reconciles each price quotation to the originating growing area by commodity unit of sale, size, variety, grade and other distinguishing factors.
• Studies daily and seasonal operations as well as market reports from various widely scattered and distant production areas.
• Prepares and disseminates a number of daily, weekly, monthly, and special market reports covering local sales on the wholesale market or information that may be of interest to the trade.
• Keeps abreast of general economic informational material and new developments and trends in the marketing of fruits, vegetables, and specialty crops.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. FOR THE GS-07 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level) that demonstrates: Assisting in reporting agricultural commodity markets by unit of sale, size, variety, and grade. Using information technology to compile and track data pertaining to agricultural commodity market reporting and analysis. Collecting and preparing market quotations for publication, radio, or news services; or marketing or commercial production. OR one (1) full year of graduate level education in Agriculture, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, Animal Science, Communications, Dairy, Horticulture, Marketing, or related field of study. OR Superior Academic Achievement: To qualify based on superior academic achievement, you must have completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution AND 1) have a class standing in the upper third of the graduating class, 2) membership in a national scholastic honor society (excluding Freshman honor societies), or 3) must meet certain GPA requirements. GPA requirements: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on official transcripts or as computed based on 4 years of education, or courses completed during the final 2 year of the curriculum; OR 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required course completed in the major field or courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum (GPA will be rounded to one decimal place, e.g., 2.95 rounds to 3.0 and 2.94 rounds to 2.9). FOR THE GS-09 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Utilizing database systems to enter, analyze, and generate reports on agricultural commodity market data. Reporting agricultural commodity markets by identifying and documenting products based on unit of sale, size, variety, and grade. Recommending new or revised policies, methods, and techniques to improve the collection and dissemination of market information. OR master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in Agriculture, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, Animal Science, Communications, Dairy, Horticulture, Marketing, or related field of study. FOR THE GS-11 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-09 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Conducting analysis or research on production and market conditions to report markets and advise on issues. Developing new policies, methods, and techniques in the collection and dissemination of market information. Analyzing, evaluating, and reconciling data to accurately identify market developments and shifts in marketing patterns. OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in Agriculture, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, Animal Science, Communications, Dairy, Horticulture, Marketing, Meat Science, Poultry Science or related field of study. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for the GS-07/09/11 grade levels. TRANSCRIPTS are required if: -You are qualifying for the position based on education. -You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education. -You are qualifying for this position based on Superior Academic Achievement. -This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-07/09/11 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. 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.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information. How You Will Be Evaluated

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. This means you will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13089687 Other Information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected. Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee. Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection. Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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, based on your adjudication decision. 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 RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here. This position involves Mobile Work: Mobile work is characterized by routine and regular travel to conduct work in customer or other worksites as opposed to a single authorized alternative worksite. Examples of mobile work include site audits, site inspections, investigations, property management, and work performed while commuting, traveling between worksites, or on Temporary Duty (TDY). **PLEASE NOTE: Mobile work is applicable in these locations only: Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Boston, MA; Atlanta, GA