The primary purpose of the position is to provide leadership for the technical quality of the agronomic program throughout Montana serving as the State Agronomist. The selectee may receive an incentive payment up to 25% of their base salary for 1 year. The position may be remote (virtual) only within the state of Montana for highly qualified candidates, otherwise the duty station is the Montana NRCS state office in Bozeman, MT. The remote duty location will be determined upon selection.

Duties

Provide technical leadership on agronomic phases of the conservation planning and program delivery process. Assists on other vegetative and management practices and formulates and recommends policies and procedures with respect to assigned agronomic work. Develop agronomic techniques and standards for carrying out a program to improve soil structure and fertility. Assist conservationists and landowners with soil resource actions that replenish and maintain supplies of organic matter, secure proper application of irrigation water; implement nutrient management and design integrated pest management applications. Provide guidance and training to field staff on soil erosion, pesticide mitigation, and other agronomic principles through use of tools and models. Assist with educational and information activities needed to further the agronomic, soil, and plant management phases of soil and water conservation program. Represent the agency by collaborating with Agricultural Experiment Stations, Universities, the Agricultural Research Service, and other entities in developing techniques, standards, and recommendations for treatment and use of agricultural lands.

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/.
• 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. 0471 Basic Education Requirement: Degree: 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; 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 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. 0457 Basic Education Requirement: Degree: soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering. The study must have included 30 semester hours in a 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; OR Combination of Education and Experience: at least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines as shown above, including at least 12 semester hours in a 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. 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 GS-09 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service, that has equipped you with the necessary competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, examples of specialized experience include: collaborating in developing improved irrigated and dryland pasture mixtures; applying knowledge of applicable research data to field problems; providing technical assistance on topics such as soil interpretations, and plant, crop and soil management; communicating and sharing general information and explaining general issues related to natural resources conservation problems and solutions; OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-11 level: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in agronomy, soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as plant physiology, crop science, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering; 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 to qualify for the GS-12 level: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service, that has equipped you with the necessary competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, examples of specialized experience include: assisting in the development of agronomic techniques and standards for carrying out a program to improve soil structure and fertility, replenish and maintain supplies of organic matter, and secure proper application of irrigation water, nutrient management, and integrated pest management/pest management; providing input on the analysis of difficult and complex agronomic problems; providing technical guidance and assistance on topics such as soil interpretations, and plant, crop and soil management, soil erosion, sedimentation, and certified nutrient management plans; expertise in the use of agronomy technology transfer tools 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/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PROF 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: Adriane Boyd
• Email: [email protected]