This position is located in a Natural Resource Conservation Service state, area, or field office in Louisiana. The incumbent provides professional services in the planning and application of soil, water, and resource conservation and development activities in ranches and farms. Assist landowners to make resource inventories, to obtain planning information, and to identify conservation opportunities consistent with the needs of their land and the objectives of their operations.

Duties

Develop resource management plans with ranch operators and other land and resource decision-makers. Assist ranchers and farmers in making resource inventories, obtaining planning information, and identifying conservation opportunities. Work with cooperators to implement the plans, determine successes or failure of established practices, and give assistance in establishment of supplemental practices. Collect cost and return data on range practices and range conservation plans. Attend meetings of various rural, urban, and tribal groups to explain NRCS programs, program measures, and to develop competence and confidence in working with people.

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.
• The incumbent is required to obtain Conservation Planning Certification in accordance with the guidelines in General Manual 180 Part 409.3. State specific supplement requirements, if issued, will apply.
• Safety and Health: The employee exercises caution and maintains all safety requirements when exposed to dangerous objects, chemicals, and extreme temperatures.
• Physical Demands: The work involves recurring physical exertion related to conservation work requiring walking on rough terrain, jumping ditches and furrows, or climbing steep banks.
• Work Environment: The work involves regular and recurring exposure to operating agricultural equipment or earthmoving operations, adverse weather and unimproved roads. Protective equipment is necessary on construction sites.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Basic Requirement: Degree: Applicants must have a bachelor's or higher degree in range management; or a related discipline that included at least 42 semester hours in a combination of the plant, animal, and soil sciences, and natural resources management, as follows: Range Management -- At least 18 semester hours of course work in range management, including courses in such areas as basic principles of range management, range plants, range ecology, range inventories and studies, range improvements, and ranch or rangeland planning. Directly Related Plant, Animal, and Soil Sciences -- At least 15 semester hours of directly related courses in the plant, animal, and soil sciences, including at least one course in each of these three scientific areas, i.e., plant, animal, and soil sciences. Courses in such areas as plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant ecology, animal nutrition, livestock production, and soil morphology or soil classification are acceptable. Related Resource Management Studies -- At least 9 semester hours of course work in related resource management subjects, including courses in such areas as wildlife management, watershed management, natural resource or agricultural economics, forestry, agronomy, forages, and outdoor recreation management. OR Combination: At least 42 semester hours of course work in the combination of plant, animal, and soil sciences and natural resources management shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation. (You must submit transcripts.) In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: 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(s) in which you are applying: GS-5: Must meet the basic requirement as described above and therefore, meet minimum qualifications at the GS-05 grade level. (You must submit transcripts.) GS-7 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Assisting staff and landowners to conduct condition inventories needed for resource management planning; Making recommendations to landowners regarding resource management planning; Assisting with the development of conservation plans based on scientific and engineering techniques; Communicating about conservation methods and programs with groups or individuals. OR Education: Must have successfully completed at least one full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree for which the major course of study must be in a field directly related to the work of this position. One full year is generally equivalent to 18 semester hours. (You must submit transcripts.) OR Combination: Combination of the above-described education and specialized experience such that they total 100% when combined. To determine your combination, first compute your experience as a percentage of the experience listed above; then determine your education as a percentage of the education listed above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent. (You must submit transcripts.) OR Superior Academic Achievement: Must meet the qualifications for Superior Academic Achievement, which include a bachelor's degree in range management or related field AND meet one of the following Superior Academic Achievement Provisions: Maintained a grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 3.0 or higher) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. Maintained a grade-point average "B+" (a GPA of 3.5 or higher) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision. Be a member of a national honor (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. Please submit a college transcript(s) showing your grade point average for all four years of undergraduate study, including all transferred courses. NOTE: GPA's are rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an honor society. (You must submit transcripts.) GS-09 Specialized Experience: Must have one or more years of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service performing duties such as: Working with ranchers, farmers, or operators to conduct condition inventories needed for resource management planning; Making recommendations to landowners regarding resource management planning; Developing conservation plans based on scientific and engineering techniques; Communicating about conservation methods and programs with a range of stakeholders such as groups, individuals, or community leaders. OR Education: Must have successfully completed at least two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree for which the major course of study must be in a field directly related to the work of this position. Two full years is generally equivalent to 36 semester hours. (You must submit transcripts.) OR Combination:Combination of the above described education and specialized experience such that they total 100% when combined. To determine your combination, first compute your experience as a percentage of the experience listed above; then determine your education as a percentage of the education listed above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent. Note: Only graduate level education beyond 1 year or 18 semester hours may be combined with specialized experience. (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.

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.

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: 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]