The incumbent will serve as the Soil Scientist, responsible for maintenance, interpretation, and distribution of soil survey information and supporting conservation planning objectives by assisting the State Soil Scientist in administering the technical soil services program statewide.

Duties

Provide technical expertise in program appeals serving as a technical soil specialist for highly erodible land, wetland conservation and conservation compliance. Provide expert soil data and interpretation assistance across interagency programs. Develop interpretations and reports through NASIS or other available means to meet the needs of users statewide supporting the operations of the Conservation Assessment, Ranking Tool (CART) and Conservation Desktop (CD). Participate in progress reviews, field reviews, and general discussions with the Regional and MLRA staff. Train agency technical specialists and the public in the application of soil reports and interpretations.

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

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: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled (GS 9 for GS11 position and GS11 for GS12 position). Basic Education Requirement: Degree: soil science or a closely related discipline that included 30 semester hours or equivalent in biological, physical, or earth science, with a minimum of 15 semester hours in such subjects as soil genesis, pedology, soil chemistry, soil physics, and soil fertility; OR Combination of Education and Experience: courses equivalent to a major in soil science or a related discipline that included at least 30 semester hours in the biological, physical, or earth sciences. At least 15 of these semester hours must have been in the areas specified above, plus appropriate or additional education. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-11 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the Federal GS-09 level or higher, that has equipped you with the necessary competencies to successfully perform the duties of this position. For this position, examples of specialized experience include: Providing direct support as a resource soil scientist to field offices for technical soil services Processing Farm Bill program assessments and working collaboratively with Soil Survey offices. Responsible for maintenance, interpretation, and distribution of soil survey information. Providing soil data and interpretation assistance across interagency programs. Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-11 level: Three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in soil science or a closely related discipline; OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. Specialized Experience for the GS-12: To qualify for the GS-12 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the Federal GS-11 level or higher, that has equipped you with the necessary competencies to successfully perform the duties of this position. For this position, examples of specialized experience include: Leading interdisciplinary teams to develop or review ranking systems, eligibility criteria, program specific policy and data for CRP, GRP, EQIP, WRP and other Farm Bill programs. Providing expert technical support in appeals of highly erodible land /wetland determinations. Administering state protocol for interacting with MLRA offices for the development of projects, reviews, and prioritization. Providing training in soil science and the use of soil survey information to NRCS and non-NRCS users and technical specialists. Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12 level. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classificationqualifications/ generalschedulequalification- standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series 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

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. Applicants must, therefore, only report attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation via this link. All education claimed by applicants will be verified accordingly. 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.

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Tamika DeJesus
• Email: [email protected]