This is an interdisciplinary position description for the following occupations/series; Soil Conservationist (0457), Rangeland Management (454), Ecology (0408) and Forestry (0460), located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Mission Area, Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO), Soil and Plant Science Division (SPSD), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Duties

Provides regional or multi-regional leadership for quality assurance in the development and application of the Ecological Site Inventory principles for plant communities across a variety of land uses. Writes and publishes papers, e.g., in local newspapers, NRCS publications, and professional journals. Provides supervision to members of subordinate staff in Soil Survey Offices in the Region including Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) Soil Survey Leaders performing a full range of supervisory functions. Identifies analytical tools and methods to correlate and coordinate Ecological Site information with soils information contained in the NASIS database. Works with individuals to generate new information and interpretations on areas with inventory and classification technologies applicable within the region, organizes soil-vegetation information, and encourages access by a wide variety of users.

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.
• Subject to one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
• 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.
• This position is designated for random drug testing under Departmental?Regulation DR 4430-7922-2 dated April 2011. This position must complete and pass Pre-Employment Drug Testing before entrance on duty (EOD).
• Incumbents of this position will be required to submit to a pre-employment or pre-assignment urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use and on an ongoing basis after appointment, as directed.
• In addition, the applicant will be notified that appointment to the position will be contingent upon a negative drug test result.
• Drug testing required
• Weapons qualification required annually

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This is an interdisciplinary position and applicants must meet one of the following educational requirements stated below to meet the Basic Requirements under the series in which they apply for this position to be considered. (You must submit supporting academic transcripts.) Basic Education Requirement for 0408 series: Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in biology, or a closely 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 Education Requirement for 0454 series: Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in range management; or a related discipline that included at least 42 semester hours in a combination of the plant, animal, and soil sciences, and natural resources management, as follows: 1) Range Management -- At least 18 semester hours of course work in range management, including courses in such areas as basic principles of range management, range plants, range ecology, range inventories and studies, range improvements, and ranch or rangeland planning. 2) Directly Related Plant, Animal, and Soil Sciences -- At least 15 semester hours of directly related courses in the plant, animal, and soil sciences, including at least one course in each of these three scientific areas, i.e., plant, animal, and soil sciences. Courses in such areas as plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant ecology, animal nutrition, livestock production, and soil morphology or soil classification are acceptable. 3) Related Resource Management Studies -- At least 9 semester hours of course work in related resource management subjects, including courses in such areas as wildlife management, watershed management, natural resource or agricultural economics, forestry, agronomy, forages, and outdoor recreation management. OR Combination of Education and Experience: at least 42 semester hours of course work in the combination of plant, animal, and soil sciences and natural resources management shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Basic Education Requirement for 0457 series: Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering. The study must have included 30 semester hours in a natural resource or agricultural field, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. OR Combination of Education and Experience: at least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines as shown above, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. Basic Education Requirement for 0460 series: Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in forestry; or a related subject-matter field that included a total of at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours of course work were in forestry. The curriculum must have been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas: 1) Management of Renewable Resources -- study of the science and art of managing renewable resources to attain desired results. Examples of creditable courses in this area include silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, and wildlife or range habitat management. 2) Forest Biology -- study of the classification, distribution, characteristics, and identification of forest vegetation, and the interrelationships of living organisms to the forest environment. Examples of creditable courses in this area include dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, and forest pathology. 3) Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory -- sampling, inventory, measurement, and analysis techniques as applied to a variety of forest resources. Examples of creditable courses include forest biometrics, forest mensuration, forest valuation, statistical analysis of forest resource data, renewable natural resources inventories and analysis, and photogrammetry or remote sensing. OR Combination of Education and Experience: courses equivalent to a major in forestry, or at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours were in forestry. The requirements for diversification of the 24 semester hours in forestry are the same as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: GS-12 Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-12 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Perform data collection, analysis, and interpretation related to the inventory and classification of ecological sites within context of soil surveys; Assist in reviewing other's soil interpretations for quality assurance on soil survey information; AND Participate in development or editing of procedures, manuals, technical standards, handbooks, and guidelines on various topics associated with land inventory and soil classification technologies. GS-13 Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-13 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Provide guidance on quality assurance processes in the development and application of ecological site inventory principles; Lead or be in charge of a team providing quality assurance on soil survey information; AND Give presentations to agency leadership on various topics associated with land inventory and soil classification technologies. Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12 and GS-13 levels. 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 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

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]