This position is located in Iowa Field Office and serves as a Wetland Conservationist in the provision of direct wetland determination assistance to Field Offices and Producers. The purpose of this position is to support the mission of providing resources to farmers and landowners to aid them with conservation. Vacancies: 1 - Albia, Iowa 1 - Audubon, Iowa 1 - Creston, Iowa 1 - Denison or Malvern, Iowa 1 - Rock Rapids, Iowa 1 - Vinton, Iowa 1 - Williamsburg, Iowa

Duties

Services Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification requests, quality assurance of wetland determinations, review and oversight of consultant provided documentation. Reviews reports of possible wetland non-compliance. Serves as a Wetland Specialist explaining applicable statutes, rules, regulations, policy, and providing guidance to employees and others. Gathers the necessary date and works in the field with producers, producer-contracted consultants, and other personnel, to conduct on-site/off site investigations for certified wetland determinations and wetland restoration/mitigation. Ensures that the wetland determination tracking database is accurate and current for work assigned to the position and to staff. Maintains regular and effective communication with designated supervisor and staff.

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 motor vehicle operators license for the type of vehicle(s) operated to perform the duties of this position. This will require the operation of a motor vehicle on both public and private roads during daylight hours.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including Basic Requirements and Specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Basic Requirement: Degree: 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 Qualification Requirements listed above, applicants must have the specialized experience and/or directly related education below: Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-07 level: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level or higher in the Federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service that has equipped you with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. For this position, specialized experience is defined as: Assisting with field determinations, including observing the describing of soils, and observing the collection of vegetation data; OR working with others issuing wetland determinations. OR; Superior Academic Achievement in a bachelor's degree curriculum directly related to the work of the position. To qualify for superior academic achievement, you must have ONE of the following: (1) standing in the upper third of your college class or major subdivision at the time you apply; (2) grade point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed, either (a) at the time of application or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum; (3) B+ (3.5 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed in a related discipline, either (a) at the time of application or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum; OR (4) election to membership in one of the national honorary scholastic societies that meets the requirements of the Association of College Honor Society. OR; Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-07 level: Possess one (1) year of progressively higher-level graduate education in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. 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. Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-09 level: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level or higher in the Federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service that has equipped you with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. For this position, specialized experience is defined as: Conducting on-site wetland investigations to provide reconsideration of previous technical decisions; Reviewing plans and/or proposals for environmental conservation to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of various products and services; and entering research and/or operational data into an automated system. OR; Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-09 level: Possess (two) 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. 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. Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-11 level: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level or higher in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through federal service. This experience must include knowledge of the principles and theories of soil and water conservation and related sciences in identifying conservation related problems. Examples of specialized experience include: Providing technical assistance to producers and field offices on Wetland Conservation Compliance, wetland restoration, water management, and/or wetland identification; Servicing Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification requests; Servicing informal appeals of wetland determinations. OR; Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; 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: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/general-natural-resources-management-and-biological-sciences-series-0401/ 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: Katrina Walker
• Phone: 919-873-2184
• Email: [email protected]