This position is located in a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), state, area, or field office. The incumbent provides engineering assistance working with landowners, groups, and units of government to apply and maintain a variety of conservation practices in their area of assigned responsibility.

Duties

Provide technical assistance to other agencies, such as, the Forestry Commission, Extension Service, Farm Service Agency, etc., on soil conservation practices. Performs construction inspections on simple and complex structures for conservation systems. Coordinate with engineering specialists in performing USDA quality reviews of conservation practices. Check engineering work of field office personnel and makes recommendations to next level technician or engineer on individual job approval authorities. Direct collection of field data and assures adequacy of collected data. Ensure procedures and products conform to current service policy and standards. Computes quantities associated with projects designed in the field office. Exercises judgment in selecting and applying standard methods of computation for quantities such as concrete, earth fill, and excavation. Assembles complete packages of drawings and specifications for jobs.

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 requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-07 level: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. examples of specialized experience include: Performing a variety of assignments with direction from the engineer in charge or a senior technician including performing material testing. Compiling, computing, plotting, and checking a variety of data for projects that demonstrates knowledge in engineering surveying and investigation, and design practices and structures. Using CADD to prepare sketches, drawings, diagrams and charts for excavation, embankment, structures, triangulation, profiles and traverses, etc., assisting field engineering staff in staking out work. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-7 level: one full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's in engineering, construction, or industrial technology. OR Combination of Education and Experience:A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-08 level: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as performing routine assignments of substantial variety and complexity with minimal supervision. Examples of specialized experience include: Performing material testing; determining investigation, survey and site data needs to include working with landowners to determine suitable alternatives to solve natural resource problems. Designing engineering practices and structures; compiling, computing, plotting and checking a wide variety of data for natural resource-related conservation projects (earthen dams, agriculture waste management systems, filter strips, water and sediment control basins, rock riprap, slope protection, etc.). Using CADD and manual techniques prepare sketches, drawings, diagrams and charts for several phases of projects such as excavation, embankment, structures, triangulation, profiles and traverses, etc. and assisting field engineering staff in staking out work. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-8 level: One and a half years of graduate level education in a field directly related to the work of the position, such as engineering, construction, or industrial technology Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total semester hours minus 18) by 9. Add the two percentages Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-09 level: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-8 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. examples of specialized experience include: Designing engineering practices; Preparing engineering drawings, computing quantities, inspecting applied projects; Preparing cost estimates and provides technical assistance on initial planning, design and construction inspection. Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-9 level: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Engineering, or related discipline; OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of 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. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-TECH-NOTE 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

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

You must submit a copy of your transcripts to include course number, title, completion and grade. 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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 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.

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.

Failure to provide all of the required documents/information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Contacts

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