The Forest Service is committed to recruiting and employing qualified veterans. We value the experience, commitment, and work ethic that veterans bring to the job, as well as their significant skills and abilities. To see where each position is being filled, click here.

Duties

Your application will be placed into a pool of eligible veterans for notification of available opportunities in your selected areas of interest or selection via a non-competitive hiring authority for veterans. You MAY be contacted by interested selecting officials and asked to interview. We will not be able to provide status updates other than the receipt of your application via an acknowledgement email from [email protected]. You may update your application at any time until the closing date. This announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies at any time without notification at any grade level. Duties listed are examples at the full performance level. Plan a comprehensive public affairs program for the unit. Anticipate the views of organized groups and recommend presentation of the agency's position on controversial issues. Respond to requests for information by special interest groups and the general public which may involve controversial issues. Conduct public meetings, workshops, field trips or other forums designed to foster public participation. Write the layout and other informational material used in the public affairs program. Coordinate the public participation program which is designed to involve interested publics about the decision-making process. Inform interested publics, including other agencies, organizations, and individuals, of activities and programs. Develop and maintain effective working relationships with media representatives in the unit's zone of influence.

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
• Subject to one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period (unless prior service is creditable) for supervisory positions.
• New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required new supervisory training program before the end of their probationary period.

Qualifications

YOU MUST MEET THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE VETERANS RECRUITMENT APPOINTMENT (VRA) OR 30 PERCENT OR MORE DISABLED VETERANS AUTHORITIES TO BE CONSIDERED. For the GS-05: Applicants must have 3 years of general experience, including 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level. Examples of general experience include: experience that may have been gained in administrative, professional, technical, investigative, or other responsible work and demonstrated the ability to: analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; plan and organize work; and communicate effectively orally and in writing. Examples of specialized experience include: obtain, clarify, or gather information to assist others in projects of limited difficulty. Provide information to the public in support of a program. Conduct presentations on varies topics to groups. For the GS-07: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: Preparing information releases, articles, brochures, pamphlets, and presentations for the public. Presenting audio-visual programs and operating related equipment. Assisting higher graded specialists by performing specific and clearly defined tasks as part of a complete public affairs assignment. For the GS-09: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: Preparing and presenting speeches for special interests groups, schools, and the general public. Answering routine requests for information about a large organizations programs. Developing written materials, feature stories, news releases and magazine articles to disseminate organizational activities for internal and external use. Advising management on the probable public reaction to specific proposals, policies and actions. For the GS-11: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: Planned, facilitated, and executed public engagement activities on a unit that incorporated the senior level official's intent and direction, using innovative and effective techniques to engage diverse groups. Responded orally and in writing to requests for information by determining the nature of the data required and collecting and assembling the material using the appropriate format and style based on needs and organization practices. Assisted in evaluation and analysis of public comments on management issues. Identified areas to be addressed, characteristics and needs of the target audience, and communication techniques most appropriate. Developed recommended approaches and drafting material for supervisor's approval. Developed and presented informational audio-visual material using new technologies and social media. Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) Authority: The VRA is a special authority by which agencies can, if they wish, appoint eligible veterans without competition to positions at any grade level through General Schedule (GS) 11 or equivalent. (The promotion potential of the position is not a factor.) VRA appointees are hired under excepted appointments to positions that are otherwise in the competitive service. There is no limitation to the number of VRA appointments an individual may receive, provided the individual is otherwise eligible. After two years of satisfactory service, the agency must convert the veteran to a career or career-conditional appointment, as appropriate. Eligibility Criteria: Disabled veterans; or Veterans who served in active duty in the Armed Forces during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized; or Veterans who, while serving on active duty in the armed forces, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces Service Medal was awarded; or Recently separated veterans (within 3 years). Veterans claiming eligibility on the basis of service in a campaign or expedition for which a medal was awarded must be in receipt of the campaign badge or medal. In addition to meeting the criteria above, eligible veterans must have been separated under honorable conditions (i.e., the individual must have received either an honorable or general discharge). AND You must meet any specific requirements that may be required by the job type and may include the following: education, experience, maximum entry age, physical qualifications, medical qualifications, drug testing, bilingual requirements, typing requirements, etc. 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans An agency may give a noncompetitive temporary appointment of more than 60 days or a term appointment to any veteran: retired from active military service with a disability rating of 30 percent or more; or rated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) since 1991 or later to include disability determinations from a branch of the Armed Forces at any time, as having a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more. There is no grade level limitation for this authority, but the appointee must meet all qualification requirements, including any written test requirement. The agency may convert the employee, without a break in service, to a career or career-conditional appointment at any time during the employee's temporary or term appointment. This announcement is only accepting applications from Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) eligibles and 30 percent or More Disabled Veterans.

Education

For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

• Note: If substituting Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) for experience at the GS-07 grade level, please note that grade-point averages are rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click here for Foreign Education Credentialing instructions.

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]