This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory in Kimberly, Idaho. In this position, you will actively participate in one or more phases of the research process related to plants by performing a variety of technical duties in a field or laboratory environment.

Duties

Collect, prepare, evaluate, and verify samples and supporting records. Prepare pesticides and fertilizers for use in the field and safely dispose of waste material. Operate, maintain, and repair complex field machinery including tractors, planters, cultivators, sprayers, combines, or plot harvesters. Use Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for precision Tractor guidance in research plots. Keep detailed records of experimental data.

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-05: 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-05 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-04 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 assisting in one or more phases of the research process; and operating basic farm or irrigation equipment. OR Education: A full 4-year course of study above the high school level leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position being filled. Related courses may include Agronomy, Environmental Sciences, Agriculture, Farm Management, Horticulture, or Botany. OR A combination of experience and education as described above. GS-06: 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-06 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-05 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 assisting higher level technicians in one or more phases of the research process in a laboratory or field setting; keeping detailed records; and operating common field equipment. OR Education: One full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Agronomy, Environmental Sciences, Agriculture, Farm Management, Horticulture, or Botany. OR A combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described above. 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 scheduling and carrying out irrigation of farm field or research plots; statistically analyzing or summarizing field plot 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 degrees may include Agronomy, Environmental Sciences, Agriculture, Farm Management, Horticulture, or Botany. OR A combination of graduate 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 successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience raising field crops including tilling, planting, irrigating, cultivating, harvesting, or weeding; setting up or maintaining a field plot for research; and operating and maintaining farm or irrigation equipment. OR Education: Two full years of graduate level education or a Master's degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include Agronomy, Environmental Sciences, Agriculture, Farm Management, Horticulture, or Botany. OR A combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above. 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 800 Buchanan Street Albany, CA 94710 US
• Name: Ehila Melton
• Phone: 5716694043
• Email: [email protected]