The incumbent provides technical conservation assistance to the assigned field office. The technician works with landowners to apply and maintain conservation practices and reviews financial assistance requests under federal, state and possibly local agriculture programs.

Duties

Gather and compile planning data on rural and/or urban sites, including physical features such as soil limitations, erosion, surface drainage, sedimentation, and other natural resource data. Prepare basic natural resources conservation plans where soil survey information is available. Schedule follow up with landowners or operators to check progress of conservation practices that are under construction. Reviews and makes simple adjustments when necessary to practices according to NRCS Practice Standards and specification. Presents material on practice application and specifications at community or contractor meetings. Assist with public information activities providing Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) guidance and policy. Provides information to farmers, ranchers and other rural residents on the kinds of assistance available from NRCS and other United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies.

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

Minimum Qualification Requirement: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying: NOTE TO APPLICANTS: The GS-0458 Soil Conservation Technician series is a technical position. Education is not a requirement for this position; however, this series allows individuals without experience in this field to substitute education in lieu of experience. 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-05 Specialized Experience: One year (12-months) of specialized experience. Examples of specialized experience at this level include: Installing and maintaining soil and water conservation measures on public or privately owned land including parks, farms, ranches, agricultural land; or general experience working and advising on conservation methods, animal, and/or crop care as a farm/ranch hand; or 12 months of any general experience that demonstrates experience with soil erosion, conservation, and agriculture. OR; Education: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 3 semester hours in mathematics is creditable. Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-06 level: To qualify for the GS-06 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level or higher in Federal service which includes:1.) Installing and maintaining agricultural land soil and water conservation measures on farms and ranches; Participates in efforts to implement conservation practices in conjunction with cropping, irrigation, and grazing systems and wildlife habitat management; OR2.) Participation with an NRCS co-op organization such as a Municipal Conservation District, State Conservation Agency, Conservation Nonprofit organization, or Conservation Non-Governmental Organization. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-06 level: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable. (Must submit transcripts as proof of any claimed education.) OR Combination of experience and education: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education beyond two years (total semester hours minus 60) by 60. Add the two percentages. (Must provide transcripts). Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-07 level: To qualify for the GS-07 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level or higher in Federal service which includes: Advising landowners on the use of one or several single alternative practices such as nutrient management, roof runoff structures, contour cultivation, grassed waterways, or terracing; Installing and maintaining soil and water conservation measures on farms, ranches, or agricultural land; Assist higher graded technicians performing in surveying work; OR Education: Successful completion of one full year of graduate education from an accredited college or university leading to a master's degree with a major course of study in Soil Conservation, Soil Science, Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering/Construction Technology (Auto CAD/Drafting, Surveying, GIS), Agronomy, Agri-Business/Economics. OR Combination of experience and education: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 9. Add the two percentages. Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-08 level: To qualify for the GS-08 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level or higher in Federal service which includes: Maintaining a variety of non-routine conservation measures on public and privately owned land including farms, parks, shoreline, dams and reservoir areas, forests, and/or wildlife habitats; Advising property holders on the effectiveness of applying soil and water conservation practices; Conducting basic research in support of conservation planning efforts; Performing surveying work; OR Education: Two full years of graduate education from an accredited college or university leading to a master's degree with a major course of study in Soil Conservation, Soil Science, Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering/Construction Technology (Auto CAD/Drafting, Surveying, GIS), Agronomy, Agri-Business/Economics. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. 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/soil-conservation-technician-series-0458/ 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: Tamika DeJesus
• Email: [email protected]