This position will serve as an interdisciplinary botanist/plant ecologist performing professional work related to natural resource management, management of plants, and conservation measures. These positions are located in located in New Mexico: Carlsbad (Carlsbad Field Office), Farmington (Farmington Field Office), Las Cruces (Las Cruces District Office), and Taos (Taos Field Office). This position is concurrently open to all U.S. Citizens under Announcement Number BLM-NM-23-12064282-DE-OPM.

Duties

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Coordinates various actions dealing with the management of native plants, with other offices, resource specialists, professionals, and other interested groups. Serves as an expert in ecological functions, processes, and restoration ecology. Performs various scientific duties requiring analysis of problems and issues related to the botany/plant ecology/restoration ecology program. Develops strategies or restoration projects to overcome significant resource problems involved with resources management. Conducts plant inventories for threatened and endangered plants and special status species plants, serving as a data steward or curator for all botanical, ecological, and vegetative data.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required
• May be required to complete background investigation and drug screening.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males
• Must provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents).
• You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
• If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain a valid state driver's license if selected for Carlsbad NM.
• You will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• You will be required to successfully complete a physical examination.
• You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the Bureau of Land Management uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
• Taos, NM Location: This is a bargaining unit position represented by the National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 340.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application. Basic Requirements for the Ecologist series, GS-0408 A. Must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree, or have a bachelor's or higher degree in biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences. Basic Requirements for the Botanist series, GS-0430 A. Must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree, or have a bachelor's or higher degree in botany; or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany. Courses in basic botany, plant anatomy or morphology, cytology, histology, genetics, taxonomy or systematics, algology, mycology, ethnobotany, and those dealing with specific problems of a botanical nature or with specific groups of plants are qualifying. OR B. Have a combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major in botany or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. Creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation. Additional Qualification Requirements In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement(s) listed above, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying: To qualify for the grade GS-07: A. Have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service performing duties in a developmental capacity such as: 1) Collecting and reviewing botany, plant ecology, and/or restoration ecology data for accuracy and any discrepancies; 2) Reviewing requests for access and use of public lands and assisting with the processing of permit applications to ensure compliance with appropriate Federal law; 3) Providing assistance to specialists and senior staff in the analysis or computation of data in support of botany, soils, watershed, rangeland, or wildlife programs. OR B. Successfully completed 1 year of graduate-level education which included major study in fields such as botany, related plant sciences, ecology, biological sciences, physical sciences, or directly related fields which demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position. OR C. Have an equivalent combination of education and experience as described in A and B above that, when converted to percentages, equal at least 100% of the total requirement. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your graduate education as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. OR D. Meet the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement by earning a bachelor's degree with at least one of the following (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher based on a 4.0 scale; (2) a 3.5 GPA or higher for required courses completed in a major field of study during junior and senior year of a 4-year college or university; (3) class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or a major subdivision of the college, based on completed courses; or (4) membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College Honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies. In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position being filled. To qualify for the grade GS-09: A. Have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: 1) Conducting inventories or surveys of plant communities and sites of rare species; 2) Monitoring land management programs to identify impacts on various ecosystem components; 3) Working with other offices, resource specialists, professionals, and other interested groups in planning and accomplishing plant species monitoring, conservation project implementation and management; 4) Analyzing and synthesizing scientific information for inclusion in reports and planning/environmental documents. OR B. Successfully completed 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree, or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position. Such fields include botany, related plant sciences, ecology, biological sciences, physical sciences, or directly related fields. OR C. Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above. To calculate, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 18 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. To qualify for the grade GS-11, you must meet one of the following: A. Have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: 1) Developing and conducting investigations or studies of botanical/plant ecology related projects and activities affecting natural resource management; 2) Analyzing problems or issues which may be affecting botany, plant ecology, and/or restoration ecology programs to identify source and develop solutions; 3) Providing consultation on development of strategies for overcoming botanical, plant ecology resources or environmental issues, conditions or problems; 4) Providing technical advice on proper collection and preservation of specimens; performance of tests and non-routine procedures; and organization of field data. OR B. Successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, in a field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position. Such fields include botany, related plant sciences, ecology, biological sciences, physical sciences, or directly related fields. OR C. Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above. To calculate, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 36 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your 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.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-05 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-07 level. One year at the GS-07 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level.One year at the GS-09 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. (Must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted).

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

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).

Volunteer Experience: 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.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

Contacts

• Address BLM New Mexico State Office BLM New Mexico, NM-951 301 Dinosaur Trail Santa Fe, NM 87508 US
• Name: San Antonio Services Branch
• Phone: 816-541-8101
• Email: [email protected]