This position is on a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist Staff, located in a NRCS State Office, and is supervised by the Assistant State Conservationist-Water Resources and Easements.

Duties

Analyze problems associated with program delivery and recommend alternative solutions to the program manager and state leadership. Provide leadership and tracking of easement program applications, eligibility, deeds, monitoring, compatible use agreements, appraisals, obligations, and fund integrity. Manage contracts for outside services for the completion of Market Analyses and surveys of WRE areas of interest to determine appropriate easement compensation rates. Maintain and update Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) agency manuals, handbooks, amendments, bulletins, and other supporting policy related to easement programs. Lead for the implementation of the Easement Programs tracking tool, including migration of older easements and management of future easements in accordance with National Office instructions. Conduct outreach activities for easement program opportunities.

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 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 time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. (e.g., one year at the GS-09 grade level for consideration for the GS-11 grade level AND one year at the GS-11 grade level for consideration for the GS-12 grade level). Basic Education Requirement:0401 Natural Resources Specialist 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 in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR Combination of Education and Experience: courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, you must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: To qualify for the GS-11 grade level: 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. The specialized experience is defined as: providing guidance, assistance, and evaluation to easement management plans assisting with tracking easement program applications, eligibility, deeds, and monitoring compatible use agreements, appraisals, obligations and fund integrity utilizing various agency information systems, interfaces, and databases Education: You must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited college or university with a major field of study in dairy science, agricultural marketing, domestic agricultural development, farm management, agronomy, or other agricultural specialty areas. 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. To qualify for the GS-12 grade level: Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. The specialized experience is defined as: providing guidance, assistance, and evaluation to easement management plans assisting with tracking easement program applications, eligibility, deeds, and monitoring compatible use agreements, appraisals, obligations and fund integrity gathering natural resources data and evaluating the effectiveness of conservation programs and policy utilizing various agency information systems, interfaces, and databases Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12 level. 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 experiences, 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: Molly Throop
• Email: [email protected]