This position is located on the State Resource Conservationist Staff, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in Bangor, ME. The incumbent of this position is to provide leadership for the technical quality of the agronomic (cropland management, erosion control, vegetation establishment, and livestock/grazing management) program throughout the State.

Duties

Provides technical leadership throughout the state on agronomic phases of the conservation program. Develop agronomic techniques and standards for carrying out a program to reduce erosion, improve soil structure and fertility, replenish, and maintain supplies of organic matter, establish vegetation, and manage livestock. Provide on-site assistance to area and district conservationists and other technicians throughout the state on the more difficult problems and overall conservation planning phases. Analyze difficult and complex agronomic problems and suggest solutions to field staff. Provides training on NRCS erosion prediction tools and techniques; Highly Erodible Land Conservation provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985, as amended; vegetation establishment; grazing management; and other agronomic topics.

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.
• IF APPLICABLE, please enter statement regarding warrant(s), license(s), certification(s) to obtain within (timeframe) and/or maintain to perform the duties of this position.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Basic Education Requirement: This is an interdisciplinary position and applicants must meet one of the following educational requirements stated below to meet the Basic Requirement(s) under the series in which they apply for this position to be considered. (You must submit supporting academic transcripts.) Soil Conservationist - 0457 Series Requirement: Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in soil conservation or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, agricultural engineering or a closely related discipline that included 30 semester hours in natural resource or agricultural field, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. (You must submit transcripts) OR Combination of Education and Experience: at least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, agricultural engineering or a closely related, including at least 12 semester hours in combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. (You must submit transcripts) Agronomy - 0471 Series Requirement: Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in agronomy; or related discipline of science that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in the basic plant sciences, including at least 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, such as those dealing with plant breeding, crop production, and soil and crop management. (You must submit transcripts) OR Combination of Education and Experience: at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, including a minimum of 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. (You must submit transcripts) In addition to meeting 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: To qualify at the GS-11 grade level, you must meet the following: Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Assisting with the development of agronomic techniques and standards to improve soil structure and fertility of soil; Assisting in reviewing and evaluating agronomic work completed on agricultural lands for adequacy and compliance with standards; and Assisting in analyzing agronomic issues and providing solutions. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Substitution of Education in Lieu of Specialized Experience: Must have successfully completed at least three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or leading to such as agronomy or soil conservation or natural resource discipline such as, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering or in a closely related field. Major course of study must be in a field directly related to the work of this position. (You must submit transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: Must have a percentage of the education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify an applicant for that grade level. (Note: Only education in excess of two years (36 semester hours) is qualifying when calculating education percentage). (You must submit transcripts.) To qualify at the GS-12 grade level, you must meet the following: Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Providing assistance with training staff on agronomic techniques and standards for carrying out a program to improve soil structure and fertility, reduce erosion, and mange vegetation and livestock; Reviewing and evaluating agronomic work completed on agricultural land for adequacy and compliance with standards; and Assisting in analyzing agronomic issues and providing solutions. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) 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

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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov)

Contacts

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