The incumbent provides professional services in range management, and soil and water conservation activities while assisting in the planning of conservation practices on ranches and farms.

Duties

Develop resource management plans with ranch operators and other land and resource decision-makers. These duties involve working with the operators and ranchers in making range site and condition inventories, analyzing ranch resources, recommending varieties of crops and grasses, locating stock water developments, and irrigation water management. Follow-up with cooperators to implement the plans, determine successes or failure of established practices. This includes collecting cost/return data on range practices and range conservation plans. Provide assistance in the establishment of supplemental practices; monitors and documents changes in plant communities, rangeland, vegetative cover, and production and soil surface condition resulting from applied grazing management systems; and assist with the calculation of an adequate livestock feed and forage balance for the ranch. As directed, attends meetings of various rural, urban, and tribal groups to explain NRCS programs, program measures, and to develop competence and confidence in working with people. Participates in all appropriate administrative activities of the office, including preparation of news releases on range conservation topics of local interest.

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.
• Incumbent is required to obtain Conservation Planning Level certification.

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. Basic Education Requirement: Degree: 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: 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. 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. 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 comparable to a 4-year degree. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: Minimum Qualifcation Requirements for GS-5 level: Applicants who meet the Basic Education Requirement meet the minimum qualification requirement for the GS-5 level. Minimum Qualification Requirements for GS-7 level:To qualify for the GS-7 grade level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level or higher, or comparable experience not gained through federal service. For this position, examples of specialized experience include entry-level or trainee level experience such as: Assisting in the development of grazing management systems on grazing lands (i.e. rangelands, pasturelands); Assisting with forage inventories; Assisting in the implementation of vegetative management practices; Experience working with livestock operations; OR Superior Academic Achievement in a bachelor's degree curriculum directly related to the work of the position. To qualify for superior academic achievement, you must have ONE of the following: (1) standing in the upper third of your college class or major subdivision at the time you apply; (2) grade point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed, either (a) at the time of application or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum; (3) B+ (3.5 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed in a related discipline, either (a) at the time of application or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum; OR (4) election to membership in one of the national honorary scholastic societies that meets the requirements of the Association of College Honor Society; OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-07 level: 1 or more years of graduate level education in range management or a directly related discipline; OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. Minimum Qualification Requirements for GS-9 level: To qualify for the GS-9 grade level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level or higher, or comparable experience not gained through federal service. For this position, examples of specialized experience include advanced-trainee level experience such as: Developing and implementing grazing management systems on grazing lands (i.e. rangelands, pasturelands); Independently conducting forage inventories; Planning vegetative management practices; Experience working with livestock operations; OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-9 level: 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in range management or a directly related discipline; OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PROF 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. Applicants must, therefore, only report attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation via this link. All education claimed by applicants will be verified accordingly. Important: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Click on this link for more information.

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Nicole Bell
• Phone: 202-692-5310
• Email: [email protected]