This position is located within the Natural Resources Conservation Services Area on the Assistant State Conservationist Field Operations, Conservation Delivery Unit, or other State Conservationist staff units. The incumbent provides wildlife and biological support to all activities and all Farm Bill Programs.

Duties

Provides support to Field Offices in carrying out the responsibilities of the Wetland conservation. Provides biological guidance and leadership to NRCS personnel on the implementation of wetland restoration, wetland mitigation, wetland banking and all other wetland conservation measures; and policy and procedures of Farm Bill Programs. Works directly with public and private landowners to develop and implement natural resource conservation plans addressing soil, water, air, plant, animal and human resource issues. Provides direct technical guidance and support to partners in their special wildlife and biological initiatives to the Area Office level. Conducts quality assurance and follow up training on both technical and administrative matters regarding field level planning and implementation of biological and wildlife related conservation practices.

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.

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: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. (YOU MUST UPLOAD A COPY OF YOUR TRANSCRIPTS). OR Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Evaluation of Experience: Experience that included the application of techniques, principles, and methods from a variety of agricultural and natural resource fields is appropriate, given the interdisciplinary character of the occupation. For example, experience gained in a specialized field such as soil science, biology, forestry, or agronomy is as fully acceptable as experience. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: To qualify at the GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience include: Assists with Farm Bill Program applications. Effectively communicate with landowners, agency employees, and biologists in other agencies to clearly present technical soil and water conservation objectives and goals and to respond to technical inquiries with substantive information. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: You must possess two (2) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent to a graduate degree in biological science, soil science, agriculture, natural resources management or related discipline. To qualify at the GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include providing wildlife and biological support to all activities and all Farm Bill Programs. Examples of specialized experience include: Ability to research, interpret, and apply written guidelines, research data, evaluate facts and suggest alternative solutions. Ability to make decisions in order to correlate and evaluate the development and implementation of wetland restoration and wildlife life habitat management plans and make recommendations to improve management strategies. Independently plan and carry out work with other field staff as necessary and interprets policy and regulations. Evaluating complex wildlife resource concerns, as well as conservation and natural resources problems/issues and reconcile conflicting environmental issues. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: You must possess three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent to a doctoral degree in biological science, soil science, agriculture, natural resources management or 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: Professional and Scientific Positions. 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

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
You must submit a copy of your transcripts to include course number, title, completion and grade. 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. 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.

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.

Failure to provide all of the required documents/information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Diane Desipio
• Phone: (484) 786-7305
• Email: [email protected]