The incumbent serves as the State Soil Health Coordinator on the State Soil Scientist Staff. The primary purpose of the position is to provide leadership of soil health management systems throughout the State; develop and provide training to NRCS and other technical staff and partners. Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized: $20,000 with 3-year service agreement; $10,000 first year and $10,000 second year.

Duties

Provide soil expertise (e.g., assignment of soil erodibility factors, soil health assessments, and identification of hydric soils) to technical and non-technical audiences. Conduct on-site soil and soil health investigations to resolve complex problems and provide advice, guidance, and leadership to others in delivering products and services that meet requestor's needs. Serve as a technical soil specialist for highly erodible land, wetland conservation, conservation compliance, and soil health management systems. Develop and provide training in soil health, interpreting lab results, soil science, and the use of soil survey information to NRCS and non-NRCS audiences. Provide leadership and guidance in soil survey data (dynamic soil properties) in National Soil Information System (NASIS), monitors and updates soil survey data to meet current needs, and provides leadership in accessing soil survey data. Integrate soils, soil health, soil health assessments, and soil survey information with overall program activities. Provide guidance to field offices and/or assist in the preparation of area-wide plans of operation, business plans, budget plans, long range plans, and training plans related to soil survey technical soil services and soil health management systems. Review field office use of soils information and soil health assessments in the application of conservation practices and programs.

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. 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 in A above, plus appropriate experience 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 for the GS-11 level: 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. This experience must include Providing technical guidance and assistance on routine topics pertaining to: soil genesis, geomorphology, classification, correlations, interpretations, soil-landscape relations, soil climate, and soil health management systems; Conducting on-site soil and soil health investigations and/or mapping to collect and analyze data on soil characteristics (physical, chemical, and biological), geology, and geomorphology to assist farm bill customers address soil and soil health resource concerns; (3) Collaborating and/or assisting in the development and delivery of soil and soil health training to technical and non-technical audiences in collecting soil samples, interpreting soil data, and interpreting/explaining soil lab analyzes on soil properties (chemical, physical, and biological) to address soil and soil health resource concerns. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-11 level: Three year(s) of progressively higher level graduate educationleading to a 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 level: 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. This experience must include: Providing technical guidance and assistance on complex topics pertaining to: soil genesis, geomorphology, classification, correlations, interpretations, soil-landscape relations, soil climate, and soil health management systems to address complex issues in soil health management systems; Leading on-site soil and soil health investigations/assessments and/or mapping to collect and analyze data on soil characteristics (physical, chemical, and biological), geology, and geomorphology to assist farm bill customers address soil and soil health resource concerns; Developing and delivering soil and soil health management training to technical and non-technical audiences in collecting soil samples, interpreting soil data, and interpreting/explaining soil lab analyses on soil properties (chemical, physical, and biological) to address soil and soil health resource concerns; Expertise in the use of soil technology transfer tools (e.g., NASIS, Web Soil Survey, Soil Data Access, R Studio, Survey123, or similar systems). Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12 level. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: ???????Soil Science Series 0470 (opm.gov) 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: Darleen Vaterlaus
• Phone: 503-273-2427
• Email: [email protected]