This position is located in the Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Field Office, in Salisbury, MD. The incumbent services wildlife and wetland habitat site evaluation, planning, and implementation requests, gathers necessary data and works in the field with producers and other staff, and assists in facilitating accurate and efficient production of wildlife and wetland habitat planning and implementation products.

Duties

Provide assistance to producers and field offices on wetland and wildlife habitat planning activities Conducts site investigations to evaluate whether wetlands and wildlife habitat meet certain criteria. Prepares wetland and wildlife habitat restoration and management plans based on NRCS practice standards and specifications, and in line with landowner objective. Assists NRCS staff and landowners with developing applications for NRCS financial assistance to implement wetland and wildlife habitat projects. Assists landowners with implementation of wetland and wildlife habitat restoration and management plans. Works with partners and NRCS staff to ensure requests for assistance are addressed in a timely and effective manner.

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.
• Physical Demands: Field work requires physical exertion related to wetland work such as walking over rough terrain, jumping ditches, or climbing steep banks to make observations for making wetland determinations and evaluating maintenance requests.
• Physical Demands: Work may require frequent lifting and carrying of equipment weighing 45 pounds.
• Work Environment: Field work involves exposure to all types of weather conditions and insects. Exposure to discomfort from such extremes as heat, cold, rain, snow, and other inclement weather is encountered when performing the field work.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Degree: Must have a Bachelor's or higher degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. (You must submit transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 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: GS-07 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Assisting with gathering or reviewing data for wildlife habitats and/or wetlands; Providing technical support to staff related to wildlife habitats and/or wetlands; AND Collaborating with various stakeholders on conservation and/or habitat restoration activities to achieve goals. OR Education: Must have successfully completed at least one full year of graduate level education in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. One full year is generally equivalent to 18 semester hours. (You must submit transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: Must have a percentage of the education and experience which when combined totals 100% of the necessary education and experience to qualify for this position. (You must submit transcripts.) OR Superior Academic Achievement: Must meet the qualifications for Superior Academic Achievement, which include a bachelor's degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position and one of the following methods: A grade point average of B (3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for your completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; A grade-point average of B+ (3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in the major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision; or Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. Note: If more than 10 percent of your courses were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an honorary society. (You must submit transcripts.) GS-09 Specialized Experience: To qualify for this GS-09 position, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level or higher in Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: Assisting with gathering or reviewing data for wildlife habitats and/or wetlands; Providing technical support to staff related to wildlife habitats and/or wetlands; Collaborating with various stakeholders on conservation and/or habitat restoration activities to achieve goals; AND Writing documents such as plans and specifications for habitat restoration plans. OR Education: Must havetwo years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Master's degree or Master's or equivalent graduate degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. Two full years is generally equivalent to 36 semester hours. (You must submit transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: Combination of the above described education and specialized experience such that they total 100% when combined. To determine your combination, first compute your experience as a percentage of the experience listed above; then determine your education as a percentage of the education listed above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent. (Note: Only graduate level education beyond the first year or 18 semester hours may be combined with specialized experience. You must submit transcripts. 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). 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. The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

Education

You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify all education requirements (i.e. substitution of education and/or basic education requirement). 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. You must document all requirements on every vacancy; we cannot use previous determinations as a basis for rating. All required information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. This information must be received by the closing date of this announcement. Non-submission of these documents will result in non-consideration. 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.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the 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. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Midwest Services Branch
• Phone: 8164265706
• Email: [email protected]