Description

Financial Institution Specialists participate in the assessment of financial institutions to ensure consumers and depositors are treated fairly and operate in compliance with federal consumer protection, anti-discrimination, and community reinvestment laws; and promoting economic inclusion by helping to build and strengthen positive connections between insured financial institutions and consumers, depositors, small businesses, and communities. Financial Institution Specialists also:

• Evaluate compliance with applicable consumer protection, fair lending and civil rights laws and regulations, Community Reinvestment Act, and related enforcement responsibilities, through targeted compliance examination reviews.
• Research, compile, manipulate, and/or evaluate data to prepare a variety of documents, management reports and presentations.
• Identify and report unusual transactions, irregularities, weaknesses or deficiencies to a higher-graded specialist/examiner and/or supervisor.
• Utilize computer software programs to perform analysis and generate applicable reports and documents.
• Attend meetings with FDIC officials, attorneys, representatives of financial institutions or other private sector representatives, and/or other federal and state regulatory agency officials to discuss issues of mutual concern when applicable, and under the guidance of higher-graded specialists/examiners and/or supervisors.
• Meet with and conduct interviews of institution personnel of various levels to determine their awareness of current laws and regulations, obtain information and documents, and provide feedback regarding examination activities.
• Prepare examination reports and related documents (examination scope memoranda, work papers, compliance examination reports, CRA performance evaluations, visitation reports, and consultation memoranda when applicable).
• Participate as members of the compliance examination team by ensuring that their portion of an examination is completed timely; communication with co-workers regarding work performed on an examination; and, sharing information with co-workers.

Requirements

Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector. 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, 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.

Applicants may qualify based on education, work experience, or a combination of both, as defined below:

A. Has received within the last two years, or if not already graduated, will receive by June 30, 2024, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university that included the following: (a) completion of a major course of study in accounting, banking, business administration, commercial or banking law, economics, finance, marketing or other related fields; (b) completion of at least 24 semester hours of combined course work in business administration, accounting, finance, marketing, mathematics, statistics, or economics that included at least 6 semester hours in accounting; and (c) fulfillment of one or more of the requirements listed below for Superior Academic Achievement (SAA).

Superior Academic Achievement (SAA):

To qualify for SAA, applicants must have met one of the following:
a. A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study.
b. A grade-point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study.
c. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision.
d. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. OR

B. Has completed within the last two years, or will complete by June 30, 2024, one academic year of graduate study at an accredited college or university in accounting, banking, business administration, commercial or banking law, economics, finance, marketing or other related fields. In addition, has completed or if not already graduated, will complete by June 30, 2024, at least 24 semester hours of combined undergraduate and graduate course work at accredited colleges or universities in business administration, accounting, finance, marketing, mathematics, statistics, or economics that included at least 6 semester hours in accounting.  OR

C. If the candidate did not complete an undergraduate or graduate major in accounting, banking, business administration, commercial or banking law, economics, finance, marketing, or other related field and/or at least 24 semester hours (or equivalent) of undergraduate and/or graduate course work in accounting, business administration, economics, finance, mathematics, statistics, and marketing that included at least 6 semester hours (or equivalent) of course work in accounting, equivalent qualifying experience may be substituted for the major and some or all of the required course work. To be creditable, experience must be at the next lower grade, i.e. at the CG-5 for the CG-7, and must demonstrate skill in gathering and analyzing financial data and interpreting balance sheets and income statements. 

OR   

D. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the CG-07 position, as long as the education and experience demonstrates skill in gathering and analyzing financial data and interpreting balance sheets and income statements. 

The competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) you will be assessed on are listed below:

1. Knowledge of banking theory, banking operations, banking and commercial law, economics, business administration, accounting, and the functions, procedures and practices of financial institutions sufficient to permit independent performance of recurring assignments.
2. Skill in fact-finding, analysis, and problem solving.
3. Ability to communicate orally.
4. Ability to communicate in writing to prepare a variety of reports.
5. Ability to effectively deal with institution representatives, co-workers, and the general public.

You do not need to respond separately to these KSAs.  Your answers to the online questionnaire and resume will serve as responses to the KSAs.

AND

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR:  In addition to meeting the qualification requirements as described above, this position has the following Selective Placement Factor:

Ability to effectively communicate in writing as evidenced by using proper grammar to compose written documents which are clear, concise, thorough, and free of spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors.  

Automated Writing Assessment:  Candidates must demonstrate that they meet the Selective Placement Factor by passing an automated writing assessment. Candidates who self-assess at 85 or above on the vacancy announcement assessment questionnaire will receive notification with a link via e-mail within two weeks from the closing date of the announcement to take the automated writing assessment. Candidates will be allotted twenty-five (25) minutes to complete the assessment after clicking on the “Begin Assessment” button.  Candidates will have three days to complete the assessment.  The completion deadline will be indicated in the notification e-mail. Candidates must complete and pass the automated writing assessment in order to receive further consideration for this position. Candidates who fail will be deemed not qualified for failure to meet the Selective Placement Factor and will receive no further consideration for this position.

If you PASS the writing assessment, your score is valid for twelve (12) months for the entry-level FIS position within the FDIC only.  If you FAIL the writing assessment, your score is valid for (6) months for the entry-level FIS position within the FDIC only. You will not be able to retake the assessment for a period of 6 months if you FAIL the assessment or 12 months if you PASS the assessment from the date you complete the assessment. You will be notified of your assessment results and your assessment retake eligibility date.  Your assessment results will be used for this entry-level FIS placement opportunity and reused for future entry-level FIS job opportunities for 6 or 12 months, depending on the outcome of your assessment as previously explained.  Disclaimer: This does not restrict your ability to apply to other FDIC entry-level FIS job opportunity announcements within this 6 or 12 month window; however, if you previously failed the assessment you will be found ineligible during your 6-month retake period.