Position is located in a Snow Survey Data Collection Office in the US Department of Agriculture. Incumbent provides electronic and hydrologic technician support to the Snow Survey Program. This is a time-limited appointment not to exceed 3 years with possibility for extension of an additional 2 years upon approval. We have Return Rights/Tour Renewal Travel with the merit announcement if a current federal employee hired from the 48 contiguous states. See Additional Information for more text.

Duties

Configure, install, maintain, and service a wide variety of sensing, recording, and Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL)equipment and instrumentation. Train and provide guidance on troubleshooting procedures to ensure equipment is performing at optimum standards. Coordinate the collection of environmental data through equipment monitoring and measurements collected by a variety of sources. Perform and review statistical and/or technical analyses of a wide variety of hydrologic data collected in the field. Determine appropriate methods for measurements, adapting equipment, and techniques as needed to accommodate unusual environmental conditions. Ensure all vehicle maintenance is conducted per guidelines, and semi-annual safety inspections performed. Procure all supplies necessary for efficient program management, abiding by all purchasing guidelines and regulations.

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.
• This position is designated for random drug testing under Departmental—Regulation DR 4430-7922-2 dated April 2011. This position must complete and pass Pre-Employment Drug Testing before entrance on duty (EOD).
• Incumbents of this position will be required to submit to a pre-employment or pre-assignment urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use and on an ongoing basis after appointment, as directed.
• In addition, the applicant will be notified that appointment to the position will be contingent upon a negative drug test result.
• Successful completion of snow survey physical and survival training course is a requirement for this position.
• This position requires field work in areas where bears and other dangerous wildlife are common. Passing a course in bear safety and firearms handling skills on an annual basis, and legal ability to carry a firearm, are required for this position.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical exam prior to entrance on duty and pass subsequent physicals according to the requirements of the NRCS and Snow Survey guidelines and regulations in order to remain in the 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. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Please note that this job opportunity announcement is only open to current Career/Career-Conditional employees of the NRCS. If you do not possess this status, you will not receive consideration. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-08 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level. One year at the GS-09 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-10 level. One year at the GS-10 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No Award or General Adjustment SF-50's will be accepted). MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying: GS-09 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-08 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties, if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Specialized Experience may include work performing the following: Assisting with hydrologic data collection and measurement within a data monitoring system; Performing statistical or technical analyses of hydrologic data within a snow or precipitation telemetry system; and Assisting with the coordination and planning of field or laboratory work. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Education: Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree in a field directly related to this position. (You must submit transcripts) OR Combination of Specialized Experience and Education: Graduate education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify. Only graduate education beyond one year (18 semester hours) may be used when combining education and experience for the GS-09 grade level. (You must submit transcripts) GS-10 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties, if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Specialized Experience may include work performing the following: Monitoring hydrologic data sensors and performing collection of information in a data monitoring system; Performing statistical or technical analyses of hydrologic data within a snow or precipitation telemetry system; Troubleshooting common technical or procedural problems with environmental telemetry and data collection; and Coordinating and planning phases of field work assignments. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Education: At least three full years of graduate education or a Ph.D. degree in a field directly related to this position. (You must submit transcripts) OR Combination of Specialized Experience and Education: Graduate education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify. Only graduate education beyond two years (36 semester hours) may be used when combining education and experience for the GS-10 grade level. (You must submit transcripts) GS-11 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-10 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties, if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Specialized Experience may include work performing the following: Monitoring hydrologic data sensors and performing collection of information in a data monitoring system; Performing statistical or technical analyses of hydrologic data; Providing training and technical guidance to staff for environmental telemetry equipment and sensors; Managing and schedule work for environmental telemetry maintenance; and Utilizing computer software to develop summaries, spreadsheets, and databases. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Education: At least three full years of graduate education or a Ph.D. degree in a field directly related to this position. (You must submit transcripts) OR Combination of Specialized Experience and Education: Graduate education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify. Only graduate education beyond two years (36 semester hours) may be used when combining education and experience for the GS-11 grade level. (You must submit transcripts) 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). 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. The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series

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. Please check out this link for more information Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov)

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Midwest Services Branch
• Phone: 8164265706
• Email: [email protected]