This position serves as a Rangeland Management Specialist in a BLM office, typically at the state office or equivalent organizational level. Work assignments frequently stem from senior managers related to bureau and/or state/center priorities.

Duties

Major Duties of the Position (GS-7/9/11) RMS - GS7: The position is considered to be an advanced trainee. Major duties include: assisting in preparation, evaluation and conducting biological analysis of public rangeland projects; learning to develop more complex allotment management plans while working independently on less complex allotment management plans; independently conducts monitoring of smaller on-going rangeland management construction and development projects; participates in monitoring and surveying activities that may impact sensitive shrub and pasture-lands, and evaluates and reports any change in status of the rangeland. Learns to authorize livestock use, process crossing permits and transfers, perform case file updates and execute unauthorized use actions; and independently process range use adjustments and exchange of use authorizations. RMS - GS9: The position is responsible for assisting in preparing, evaluating and conducting biological analysis of public rangelands. Major duties include: development of consideration plans, review of range permit applications to ensure compliance with appropriate federal law; ensuring impacts to rangeland ecosystems are properly mitigated; develops and implements allotment management plans; conducts related monitoring studies and determine need for changes in management; provides basic input to interdisciplinary reports, environmental assessments, and protective stipulations for rangeland ecosystems; evaluates and reports any changes in the status of the rangeland; develops, implements and maintains resource management plans for the Field Office. RMS - GS11: This position is a journeyman-level rangeland resource consultant and advisor to the Field and/or District management team, land users, and interested publics. The specialist acts as the principal contact and negotiator for multiple use management within the field office. Plans, manages, produces, and implements allotment evaluations for assigned allotments. Employee could be responsible for grazing administration and allotment monitoring for approximately +/- 900,000 acres of public land. Duties include: use authorizations, detecting and resolving unauthorized use, and range improvement planning. Serves as the principal investigator and negotiator on livestock grazing unauthorized use cases and makes recommendations for case settlement and closure. The RMS reviews range permit applications to ensure compliance with appropriate federal law. The position must ensure that impacts to the range and grassland ecosystem are properly mitigated. The specialist serves as principal specialist for development and revision of allotment management plans, author of NEPA analysis related to grazing management, soils, vegetation, and watershed function. The position provides input to interdisciplinary reports, environmental assessments, and protective stipulations for rangeland and grass-like ecosystems.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• May be required to complete background investigation.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
• Must provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents) prior to the closing date of this announcement.
• You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
• If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• Status applicants must meet time-in-grade requirements.
• You may be required to occasionally travel overnight away from home. You must be eligible to obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
• Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating.
• BLM may use certain incentives, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract high quality applicants.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience and/or education requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application. BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RANGELAND MANAGEMENT SERIES, GS-0454 You must meet at least one of the following: A. Bachelor's or higher degree in range management; or a related discipline that included at least 42 semester hours in a combination of the plant, animal, and soil sciences, and natural resources management, as follows: Range Management -- At least 18 semester hours of course work in range management, including courses in such areas as basic principles of range management, range plants, range ecology, range inventories and studies, range improvements, and ranch or rangeland planning. Directly Related Plant, Animal, and Soil Sciences -- At least 15 semester hours of directly related courses in the plant, animal, and soil sciences, including at least one course in each of these three scientific areas, i.e., plant, animal, and soil sciences. Courses in such areas as plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant ecology, animal nutrition, livestock production, and soil morphology or soil classification are acceptable. Related Resource Management Studies -- At least 9 semester hours of course work in related resource management subjects, including courses in such areas as wildlife management, watershed management, natural resource or agricultural economics, forestry, agronomy, forages, and outdoor recreation management. OR B. Have a combination of education and experience consisting of at least 42 semester hours of course work in the combination of plant, animal, and soil sciences and natural resources management shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement listed above, you must meet experience and/or education requirements for the respective grade level(s) for which applying. To qualify for the grade GS-7, you must meet one of the following: A. Have at least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-5 grade level in the Federal service performing duties in a developmental capacity such as: 1) Assisting in preparing, evaluating, or conducting biological analyses of public rangeland projects; 2) Participating in monitoring activities that may impact sensitive shrubs and pasturelands; 3) Working with others in the development, implementation, and maintenance of resource management plans; and 4) Reviewing livestock use authorizations, crossing permits and transfers for validity, and executing unauthorized use actions if necessary. OR B. Have successfully completed 1 year of graduate-level education which included major study in range management or a directly related discipline that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position. OR C. Have a combination of education and experience as described in A and B above that, when converted to percentages, equals at least 100% of the total requirement. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your graduate education as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. OR D. Meet the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement by earning a bachelor's degree with at least one of the following (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher based on a 4.0 scale; (2) a 3.5 GPA or higher for required courses completed in a major field of study during junior and senior year of a 4-year college or university; (3) class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or a major subdivision of the college, based on completed courses; or (4) membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College Honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies. In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position being filled. To qualify for the grade GS-9, you must meet one of the following: A. Have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: 1) Conducting scientific and natural resources management tasks to measure range conditions or ecological status; 2) Gathering data, analyzing, interpreting and/or evaluating results to prepare recommendations for management action; 3) Providing support to senior specialists in coordinating and conducting studies on range and grassland ecosystems; and 4) Utilizing automated equipment and computers to enter and retrieve data, produce reports and/or prepare written documents. OR B. Successful completion of at least 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in rangeland management or a directly related field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position. OR C. Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above. To calculate, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 18 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. To qualify for the grade GS-11, you must meet one of the following: A. Have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: 1) Conducting scientific and natural resources management tasks utilizing knowledge of the ecological behavior of grasslands, pasture lands, savannas, shrub lands, riparian properties, deserts, meadows and/or coast marshes to develop technical recommendations on rangeland restoration and protection; 2) Consulting with other professionals on protection and conservation of rangeland ecosystems and the rangeland evaluation process; 3) Analyzing and making technical recommendations on rangeland restoration, construction, and/or program management issues that adversely impact livestock grazing; 4) Creating and maintaining lines of communication with individuals or groups internal/external to an organization; and 5) Utilizing automated equipment and computers to research, gather, analyze and monitor data, produce reports and/or prepare written documents. OR B. Successful completion of at least 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or LL.M., in rangeland management or a directly related field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position. OR C. Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above. To calculate, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 36 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.

Education

NOTE: Your resume must indicate how you meet any specialized experience requirement, and you must submit copies of your college transcripts (official or unofficial) as proof of any claimed education.

Status merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-5 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-7 level. One year at the GS-7 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-9 level. One year at the GS-9 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. (Must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted).

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Volunteer Experience: 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position.





EDUCATION
To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

Contacts

• Address BLM Oregon State Office BLM Oregon State Office, OR-953 1220 SW Third Portland, OR 97204 US
• Name: San Antonio Services Branch
• Phone: 816-541-8101
• Email: [email protected]