This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Range and Meadow Forage Management Research Unit in Burns, OR. In this position, you will actively participate in one or more phases of the research process related to soil and vegetation by performing a variety of technical duties in a field or laboratory environment.

Duties

Contribute to the planning and implementation of research projects related to plants, soils and management in grassland and shrubland environments. Collect, prepare, and process plant and/or soil samples and datasets. Perform research tasks using a variety of specialized equipment and resources including field vehicles, dataloggers, sensors, GPS devices, GIS, and taxonomic keys. Assist with elements of study design such as researching methods, developing protocols, and literature reviews.

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 https://www.e-verify.gov/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time-in-grade restrictions apply for all candidates considered under merit promotion procedures and must be met by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this vacancy announcement. 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 successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience assisting higher level technicians in one or more phases of a research process in a laboratory or field setting; and operating common scientific equipment. OR Education: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study 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 to be filled. Directly related courses include biology, ecology, botany, plant biology, plant physiology, soil science, wildlife ecology and conservation, forestry, crop science, and agronomy. OR A combination of education and specialized experience 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 successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience collecting or evaluating biological samples; keeping detailed records of experimental data; and performing routine and recurring techniques using a variety of specialized 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 biology, ecology, botany, plant biology, plant physiology, soil science, wildlife ecology and conservation, forestry, crop science, and agronomy. OR A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience 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 participating in research project related to plant ecology; 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 degrees may include biology, ecology, botany, plant biology, plant physiology, soil science, wildlife ecology and conservation, forestry, crop science, and agronomy. 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 participating in one or more phases of a plant ecology research process; collecting and analyzing plant or soil 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 degrees may include biology, ecology, botany, plant biology, plant physiology, soil science, wildlife ecology and conservation, forestry, crop science, and agronomy. OR A combination of graduate level education and experience as described above. GS-09 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-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-08 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 setting up and conducting an experiment or research project related to plant ecology and summarizing research results for preparation in scientific reports or manuscripts. OR Education: Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include biology, ecology, botany, plant biology, plant physiology, soil science, wildlife ecology and conservation, forestry, crop science, and agronomy. OR A combination of graduate level education and 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: Chirag Patel
• Phone: 5716693542
• Email: [email protected]