This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southeast Area, Crop Production Systems Research Unit located in Stoneville, MS. In this position, you will actively participate in one or more phases of the research process related to crops by performing a variety of complex technical duties, in a laboratory, field, or greenhouse environment and contribute ideas towards the planning and sequencing of technical aspects of the research.

Duties

Collect, prepare, evaluate, and verify samples and supporting records. Maintain inventory of chemicals, stock solutions, etc., prepares solutions and reagents for use in the laboratory, field, or greenhouse. Adapt, modify, or develop new techniques and/or procedures to satisfy the needs of the research project. Maintain, calibrate, and modify complex/specialized equipment and automated systems used for test and evaluation procedures. Perform all field tasks involved in agronomic crop production through land preparation, planting, management, harvest, and post-harvest operations. Operate and maintain a variety of specialized equipment (i.e. tractors, sprayers, corn and soybean combine, cotton picker, cotton module builder, ATVs). Operate GPS, RTK, yield monitoring, and computer controlled farm equipment.

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-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 collecting and analyzing samples related to crops and soils; maintaining and operating laboratory equipment and farm equipment; operating GPS, RTK, and computer-controlled farm equipment; compiling and keeping records of scientific data related to crop production. OR Education: Successful completion of one full year of graduate level education leading to a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include Agronomy, Agricultural Science, Plant Science, Horticulture, or Crop Science. 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 experience participating in one or more phases of a research process related to agronomic crops; collecting and analyzing crop and soil samples; and operating, maintaining, calibrating, or modifying specialized farm 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 Agronomy, Agricultural Science, Plant Science, Horticulture, or Crop Science. 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.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 141 Experimental Station Road Stoneville, MS 38776 US
• Name: Sydney Teague
• Phone: 703-259-9455
• Email: [email protected]