This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit in Beltsville, MD. In this position, you will be involved in the Woody Landscape Plant Germplasm Repository, which is responsible for maintaining, characterizing, and distributing temperate tree and shrub germplasm. This position will provide field, greenhouse, and laboratory support for living plant and seed collections.

Duties

Horticulturally maintain outdoor tree and shrub collections including planting, pruning, spraying, and removal. Process seed samples for preparation in cold storage, viability testing, germination trials, and packaging/shipping in fulfilment of germplasm distribution requests. Use and maintenance of agricultural equipment including tractors, sprayers, and chainsaws. Collect, summarize, tabulate, and enter data using personal computers and database software. Perform controlled pollinations of trees and shrubs with live insect colonies.

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.
• 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/

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. GS-07: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-06 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in a research project related to plants and seeds; statistically analyzing or summarizing data; and maintaining equipment and automated systems used for test and evaluation procedures. OR Education: One full year of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related courses may include plant science, biology, botany, agricultural science, or environmental science, horticulture, ecology. OR A combination of graduate level education and experience as described above. GS-08: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-08 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in one or more phases of a plant and seed research process; collecting and analyzing plant and seed samples; and operating, maintaining, calibrating, or modifying specialized equipment. OR Education: Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related courses may include plant science, biology, botany, agricultural science, or environmental science, horticulture, ecology. OR A combination of graduate level education and experience as described above. Physical Demands The work requires some physical exertion, such as regular and recurring walking or bending. In many situations the duration of the activity (such as most of a work day) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. In other situations, there may be special requirements for agility or dexterity such as exceptional hand/eye coordination. 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.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 10300 Baltimore Avenue Beltsville, MD 20705 US
• Name: Chirag Patel
• Phone: 5716693542
• Email: [email protected]