The Recent Graduates Program affords developmental experiences in the Federal Government intended to promote possible careers in the civil service to individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs. Current students who are scheduled to graduate within nine months may also apply to these positions. However, these students cannot be appointed until after graduation and the official degree has been awarded and conferred.

Duties

Responsibilities listed are at the GS-09 Level. Determine sale boundaries, proper location of logging roads, acceptable marking and cutting methods, stumpage prices, and the requirements for brush disposal, erosion control, and stand improvement in accordance with agency directives Make plantation and natural regeneration survival examinations to determine results meet accepted standard. Make silviculture prescriptions and action plans for TSI and reforestation work necessary to attain timber management objectives Prepare summary of all records acceptable for final appraisal, sale contract preparation, as part of subsequent timber management activities. Complete environmental assessment reports and environmental impact statements in accordance with National Environmental Policy Act. Prepare and ensure quality documentation such as detailed maps, advertisements, prospectus, and sample contracts in support of timber sale and harvest activities. Arrange for interviews of prospective purchasers and explain contract clauses, road development, and cutting practices in support of business operations. Discuss technical requirements of contracts to resolve problems concerning contract stipulations and to reach agreement in accordance with agency contracting practices. Provide direction and guidance to employees to ensure project work is completed in adherence with work requirements and timelines.

Requirements

• Must be at least 16 years of age and meet education requirements.
• Must be suitable for Federal employment as determined by a background investigation.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National or be lawfully permitted to the U.S. as a permanent resident or otherwise authorized to be employed.
• Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.
• The incumbents of Recent Graduate positions may be reassigned/relocated to any geographical location where the employee's services are needed as determined by management. Mobility agreement may be required.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period.
• A signed participant agreement is required for employment under Pathways.

Qualifications

You are required to meet the eligibility requirements of the Recent Graduate program, as described below in order to be considered for this position. You must meet all the eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, go to: Forestry Series 0460 (opm.gov) The minimum qualification requirements for each grade level of this vacancy announcement are described below: RECENT GRADUATES PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY To be eligible, you must meet one of the following requirements: Completed all requirements for an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous two years of the closing date of this announcement; OR If you are a current student who is in the process of completing your degree, academic documentation must accompany your application package to validate your upcoming graduation date (you must complete all degree requirements within nine months of the application closing date to be considered a Recent Graduate); OR Due to military service obligation, you were precluded from applying to the Recent Graduate Program during any portion of the two-year eligibility period described above. This eligibility period cannot extend more than six years from the date on which the requirement for the academic degree or certificate was received. You must possess the qualifications requirements identified below to be considered qualified for this position. Your application or resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. Basic Requirement: Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study 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: 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. 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. 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. Specialized Experience Requirement: 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. For the GS-07: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as two or more of the following: forestry management; or a related subject-matter field. Qualifying examples of specialized experience include two or more of the following: Assisted higher grade foresters or worked as a team member in accomplishing selected portions of forestry projects such as: laying out unit boundaries, cruising and marking timber, assisting with studies of wildlife use, collected and analyzed data pertaining to soil and water activities, conducted studies of forest resources or studies of timber stand improvement problems, participated in fire suppression activities, inspected range allotments, identified recreation improvement, and/or prepared recommendation for specific treatment or action needed related to various forest management programs. OR, one full year of graduate level education. OR Superior Academic Achievement (SAA). To determine if you are eligible for SAA, go to: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Please note that Superior Academic Achievement cannot be applied unless you have graduated and have been awarded the degree (the final GPA is required). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. For the GS-09: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 in the Federal service OR a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related; OR an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education (only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Qualifying specialized experience includes meeting two or more of the following: Assisted with timber sale contracts, ensuring that all contract provisions were developed in accordance with contract objectives; Conducted cruises of timber stands to determine volume of merchantable timber, species composition, accessibility, and environmental constraints; Performed related timber sale preparation, timber stand improvement, and reforestation duties; Collected timber compartment and stand prescription, or presale information data.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement, as outlined above under basic qualifications. The term positive education requirement refers to an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) determination that the duties of a scientific, technical, or professional position cannot be performed by an individual that does not have the prescribed minimum education. For additional information on the qualification standards for the 0454 series, visit the OPM Qualifications Standard found at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/forestry-series-0460/.

Education completed in foreign colleges and universities may be used if it has been accredited or evaluated by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

Note regarding certificate programs: A certificate program is defined as a post-secondary education, in a qualifying education institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum. While recently graduating from a certificate program may afford you Recent Graduate Program eligibility, it may not be sufficient in terms of qualification standards for the series and/or the grade level.

Position Information
This announcement is associated with the 2023 Society of American Foresters Conference (SAF) recruitment event. The targeted start date for these positions is Spring 2024.

Forest Service information about this hiring event is located here: Forestry and Timber Career Opportunities | US Forest Service (usda.gov)

Information about the Society of American Foresters (SAF) convention can be found at: SAF National Convention (eforester.org)

For position details, work schedule, and contact information please download a list of available positions and view the Available Positions By Location Map at USFS Society of American Foresters Hiring Event Fall - 2023 (arcgis.com)

For additional information, please email: [email protected].

This position is being concurrently announced under Merit Promotion procedures as announcement number 24-NPT-SAF-460-79-FS-CAB. Current federal employees may apply to both announcements.

This position may be filled at the GS-05 or GS-07 grade level with promotion potential to the GS-09.

Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.

Positions in Alaska may have a firearm requirement. If selected for a firearm bearing position, there will be additional requirements upon conversion into the firearm position.

Selecting the "Location Negotiable after Selection" option in addition to selecting your preferred specific duty locations, implies your willingness to accept positions to alternative duty locations that may or may not have been indicated in this announcement. Final determination of duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of job offer.

The duty locations listed in this announcement include primary and alternate locations for available positions. You must select all duty locations for which you wish to be considered; final duty location for each position will be determined at the time of selection.

Contacts

• Address USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT. Albuquerque, NM 87109 US
• Name: HRM Contact Center
• Phone: 1-877-372-7248 X2
• Email: [email protected]