This position serves as a Ecologist/Botanist in a BLM office, Vale District Office, Malheur Field Office.

Duties

As the Ecologist/Botanist in this position, you will: The incumbent serves as an interdisciplinary botanist/plant ecologist in a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) office. The incumbent performs professional work in the botany/plant ecology/restoration ecology programs within the framework of BLM's multiple use mission. The incumbent applies professional knowledge of botany/plant ecology/restoration ecology principles, theories, concepts, methods, and techniques to perform recurring, well-precedented projects and assignments using standard methods and techniques. The incumbent provides program leadership for the development, implementation and accomplishment of the special status plants, RNAs, ACECs, native plant materials, and noxious weed programs. Functions as the authoritative source of information in support of managing above mentioned programs to ensure compliance with policy and laws. Provides technical advice and guidelines, communicating clear and concise interpretations of policy and guidelines to managers and other district personnel to assure district wide understanding and uniform application. Communicates and exchanges information between the State Office and Field Office (Resource Area) botanists regarding the special status, special areas, native plant material, and noxious weed programs. Participates in interdisciplinary teams as needed and conducts consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for district-wide projects. Develops project proposals for district-wide plant conservation, special areas, native plant material, and noxious weed work through the annual budget process. Monitors program activities to ensure that targets and accomplishments are in accordance with applicable plans, policies and program objectives. Reports accomplishments to the State Office. Conducts or directs botanical inventories which support the Resource Management Planning process and activity planning process. Acts in capacity of COR/PO for the district on contracts and agreements. Develops partnerships with other agencies and community entities and participates in cooperative efforts for plant conservation, habitat enhancement and improvement, and noxious weed control. Supervises temporary employees and coordinates volunteer services as necessary. Develops planning and implementation priorities for recovery actions for Threatened and Endangered species and conservation management of Bureau Sensitive species. Designs and implements baseline and project monitoring programs for the District. Identifies appropriate parameters to be monitored and ensures monitoring data is stored for ready retrieval and analysis. Oversees development of the District native plant material program, including creating priority species lists, seed collection, seed increase, plant propagation, and species mix recommendations for restoration projects.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• May be required to complete background investigation.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
• Must provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents) prior to the closing date of this announcement.
• You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
• If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• Status applicants must meet time-in-grade requirements.
• You may be required to occasionally travel overnight away from home. You must be eligible to obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
• Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating.
• The State Director may approve up to a maximum of 25% of the employee's annual rate of basic pay, including any special rate or locality payment. Approval must be obtained prior to the effective date of the employee's entry on duty date.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain a valid state driver's license.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience and/or education requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application. Basic Requirements for the Ecologist series, GS-0408 A. Must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree, or have a bachelor's or higher degree in biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences. Basic Requirements for the Botanist series, GS-0430 A. Must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree, or have a bachelor's or higher degree in botany; or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany. Courses in basic botany, plant anatomy or morphology, cytology, histology, genetics, taxonomy or systematics, algology, mycology, ethnobotany, and those dealing with specific problems of a botanical nature or with specific groups of plants are qualifying. OR B. Have a combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major in botany or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. Creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation. Additional Qualification Requirements In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement(s) listed above, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying: GS-05:. Applicants who meet one of the Basic Requirements for the Ecologist Series 0408 or Botanist Series 0430, described above are fully qualified for the GS-5 grade level. To qualify for the grade GS-07: A. Have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service performing duties in a developmental capacity such as: 1) Collecting and reviewing botany, plant ecology, and/or restoration ecology data for accuracy and any discrepancies; 2) Using dichotomous identification keys to confirm plant identifications; 3) Providing assistance to specialists and/or senior staff in the analysis and/or computation of data in support of botany, soils, watershed, rangeland, or wildlife programs. OR B. Successfully completed 1 year of graduate-level education which included major study in fields such as botany, related plant sciences, ecology, biological sciences, physical sciences, or directly related fields which demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position. OR C. Have an equivalent combination of education and experience as described in A and B above that, when converted to percentages, equal at least 100% of the total requirement. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your graduate education as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. OR D. Meet the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement by earning a bachelor's degree with at least one of the following (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher based on a 4.0 scale; (2) a 3.5 GPA or higher for required courses completed in a major field of study during junior and senior year of a 4-year college or university; (3) class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or a major subdivision of the college, based on completed courses; or (4) membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College Honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies. In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position being filled. To qualify for the grade GS-09: A. Have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing 3 or more of the following: 1) Conducting inventories or surveys of plant communities and/or sites of rare species; 2) Monitoring land management programs to identify impacts on various ecosystem components; 3) Working with other offices, resource specialists, professionals, and other interested groups in accomplishing plant species monitoring, conservation project implementation and management; 4) Analyzing and synthesizing scientific information for inclusion in reports and/or planning/environmental documents. OR B. Successfully completed 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree, or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position. Such fields include botany, related plant sciences, ecology, biological sciences, physical sciences, or directly related fields. OR C. Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above. To calculate, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 18 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Status merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. (Must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted). One year at the GS-07 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level. One year at the GS-09 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. 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). Volunteer Experience: 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, knowledge, and skills 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

Qualifications: Continued

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position.

Education:

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your 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.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

Contacts

• Address BLM Oregon State Office BLM Oregon State Office, OR-953 1220 SW Third Portland, OR 97204 US
• Name: San Antonio Services Branch
• Phone: 816-541-8101
• Email: [email protected]