This position is located within a USDA Natural Resources Conservation - Nebraska. The incumbent provides technical conservation assistance to the assigned field office. The purpose of the position is: To 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

Gather and compile planning data on rural and/or urban sites, including physical features such as soil limitations, erosion, surface drainage, sedimentation, and other natural resource data. Prepare basic natural resources conservation plans where soil survey information is available. Schedule follow up with landowners or operators to check progress of conservation practices that are under construction. Reviews and makes simple adjustments when necessary to practices according to NRCS Practice Standards and specification. Presents material on practice application and specifications at community or contractor meetings. Assist with public information activities providing Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) guidance and policy. Provides information to farmers, ranchers and other rural residents on the kinds of assistance available from NRCS and other United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies.

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

Minimum Qualification Requirement: 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(s) in which you are applying: NOTE TO APPLICANTS: The GS-0458 Soil Conservation Technician series is a technical position. Education is not a requirement for this position, however, this series does allows individuals without experience in this field to substitute education in lieu of experience. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. GS-07 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Designing, installing and maintaining a variety of complex and/or nonroutine conservation measures on public and privately owned land including farms, ranches, parks, shoreline, dams and reservoir areas, forests, and/or wildlife habitats; advising property holders, land managers, and partners on the effectiveness of applying soil and water conservation practices; Conducting basic inventory and evaluation activities in support of conservation planning efforts; Performing complex engineering surveys, processing survey data, preparing engineering designs, approving engineering designs, and conducting construction inspection activities for various soil erosion stabilization, water diversion practices, wildlife habitat development, streambank stabilization, and grade stabilization practices; Providing advice on the function of comprehensive conservation systems to treat multiple resource problems/concerns using established client objectives; Developing and maintaining constructive relationships with clients, partners, practice installation vendors, construction contractors, and Conservation Districts. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Education: One full year of graduate education from an accredited college or university leading to a master's degree with a major course of study in Soil Conservation, Soil Science, Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering/Construction Technology (Auto CAD/Drafting, Surveying, GIS), Agronomy, Agri-Business/Economics. 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 the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. GS-08 To qualify for the GS-08 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level or higher in Federal service which includes: Designing, installing and maintaining a variety of non-routine conservation measures on public and privately owned land including farms, parks, shoreline, dams and reservoir areas, forests, and/or wildlife habitats; Advising property holders on the effectiveness of applying soil and water conservation practices; conducting basic research in support of conservation planning efforts; Performing surveying work, reducing notes and drafting specifications for various stabilization or diversion practices; providing advice on merging conservation practices using established objectives; Developing and maintaining constructive relationships with clients, partners, and Conservation Districts; Assisting in conducting field investigations, surveys, and assembly of data needed in the development of conservation practices for structural solutions to problems with water quality, erosion, drainage, and irrigation. OR Education: One and a half year of graduate education from an accredited college or university leading to a master's degree with a major course of study in Soil Conservation, Soil Science, Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering/Construction Technology (Auto CAD/Drafting, Surveying, GIS), Agronomy, Agri-Business/Economics. 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 the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total semester hours minus 18) by 9. Add the two percentages. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/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 experience, including volunteer experience. If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the 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. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Kendra Miller
• Phone: 816-926-6601
• Email: [email protected]