This position is located in a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) state, area, or field office within a designated state. The incumbent will work with landowners to apply and maintain a number of conservation practices and review of financial assistance requests under the provision of federal, state, and possibly local agriculture programs.

Duties

Provides information to farmers, ranchers and other rural residents on the kind of assistance available from NRCS and other USDA agencies. Assists with conducting engineer surveys to design mechanical practices to be utilized in conservation planning. Advises landowners on eligibility prerequisites and conditions that must be satisfied to qualify for program acceptance and payments. Provides technical support to conservation planners in resource planning by utilizing survey tools and planning software.

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, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: To qualify for the GS-04 level: Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-03 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include: Providing information to the public regarding conservation practices at events. Assisting landowners with completing applications. Collecting date to be used for developing conservation plans. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 3 semester hours in mathematics is creditable. 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 your semester hours of education by 60. Add the two percentages. To qualify for the GS-05 level: Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include: Providing information about conservation programs to landowners. Meeting with landowners to review complete conservation plans. Compiling data for conservation plans such as soil erosion, surface drainage and sedimentation. conservation plans such as soil erosion, surface drainage and sedimentation. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above For GS-4. No more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable. 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 your semester hours of education by 60. Add the two percentages. To qualify for the GS-06 level: Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include: Assist with tentative design plans by recording field notes. Make presentation to external stakeholders to promote conservation plans. Meeting with landowners to review completed conservation plans. Assist staff to develop natural resource conservation plans by compiling date for physical features such as soil erosion, surface drainage and sedimentation. Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-06 level. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: Soil Conservation Technician Series 0458. 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 experiences, 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: Andrea Crittendon
• Email: [email protected]