This position is located at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), National Design, Construction, and Soil Mechanics Center (NDCSMC), Soil Mechanics Laboratory. The Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Mission Area is USDA's focal point for the nation's farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners for crop insurance, conservation programs and credit and commodity programs, and disaster programs

Duties

Serves as an Engineering Technician (Civil) responsible for performing complex and index soil and rock mechanics testing. Conduct tests consisting of but are not limited to triaxial shears, direct shears, consolidations with and without permeability measured, constant head perms, flex-wall perms with and without soil additives, and falling head perms. Conduct Index tests consisting of but are not limited to pinhole dispersion, hydrometer analysis, Atterberg limits, soluble salts, fine specific gravity, coarse specific gravity, crumb test, slaking test, ignition loss for organic soils. Work as a team leader to develop and implement ways to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of the products and/or services provided to internal and external customers. Coordinates with engineers when appropriate in providing interpretations of test data obtained from laboratory tests.

Requirements

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. If selected you will be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are not able to reimburse any fees incurred for fingerprints.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Must possess and maintain a valid state motor vehicle operator's license for the type of vehicle(s) operated to perform the duties of this position.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying: GS-08 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: 1) Performing index and experimental tests required for engineering projects; 2) Performing equipment maintenance and calibration on technical equipment; and 3) Coordinating with engineers in providing interpretations of test data obtained from laboratory tests. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in engineering. (Must submit transcripts.) OR Combination: Combination of the education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education beyond the first year (18 semester hours) may be used when combining education and experience for this option. (Must submit transcripts.) GS-09 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-08 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: 1) Performing index and experimental tests required for engineering projects; 2) Performing equipment maintenance and calibration on laboratory equipment; 3) Coordinating with engineers in providing interpretations of test data obtained from laboratory tests; 4) Assisting engineers in conducting formal and informal training sessions within a laboratory; and 5) Providing guidance to employees who perform laboratory testing such as triaxial shears, direct shears, consolidations with and without permeability (perms) measured, constant head perms, flex-wall perms with and without soil additives, and falling head perms. Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in engineering. (Must submit transcripts.) OR Combination: Combination of the education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education beyond the first year (18 semester hours) may be used when combining education and experience for this option. (Must submit transcripts.) IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). 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. The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/engineering-technical-series-0802/

Education

You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify all education requirements (i.e. substitution of education and/or basic education requirement). If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement. You must document all requirements on every vacancy; we cannot use previous determinations as a basis for rating. All required information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. This information must be received by the closing date of this announcement. Non-submission of these documents will result in non-consideration. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Midwest Services Branch
• Phone: 8164265706
• Email: [email protected]