This position is being concurrently announced under Pathways Recent Graduate program as announcement number 24-NPT-SAF-460-79-RG. Current federal employees may apply to both announcements. This position will be filled at the GS-07 or GS-09 grade level with promotion potential to the GS-11. See Position Information section below for additional details on the positions being filled through this announcement.

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 standards 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 a U.S. Citizen or 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.
• Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
• 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.gov

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. You must possess the Basic Requirements identified below to be considered qualified for this position, which includes all positive education requirements if applicable. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. When using previous work experience to qualify for the position, your resume must clearly detail the appropriate experience requirements Your application and 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 for the 0460 Series: For GS-07 and GS-09 applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement as defined below. For more information on the qualifications for this position, go to: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/group-stds/gs-admin.asp. 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 in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below. 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: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level; OR one full year of graduate level education; OR an appropriate combination of graduate level education and specialized experience; 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. Qualifying specialized experience includes meeting 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. For the GS-09: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level; 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 examples of specialized experience include 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. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

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 0460 series, visit the OPM Qualifications Standard found at: Forestry Series 0460.

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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

POSITION INFORMATION:
This announcement is associated with the 2023 Society of Foresters (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 announcement may be used to fill positions with a full-time work schedule.

This position will be filled at the GS-07 or GS-09 grade level with promotion potential to the GS-11.

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

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 station for these positions will be at one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Final determination of duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of job offer.

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]