Job opening: Biological Science Technician (Soils)
Salary: $23 per hour
Published at: Aug 02 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
This is a temporary position located on a Forest Service unit. The incumbent is assigned a variety of complex and recurring technical duties, individually, or as a crew member or designated crew leader in support of the soil resource.
Duties
Organizes and performs a variety of routine and moderately complex tasks involving techniques and practices relating to soil resources in order to support field projects and program planning activities.
Evaluate soil physical conditions in the field based on established protocols, assessing wetland conditions and prescribed burn severity, and suggesting the implementation of restoration/conservation practices, improvements, or techniques.
Measures, observes, and records soil pedogenic (processes occurring in soil or leading to the formation of soil) resource data.
Generates maps for field work and analysis of data using ArcGIS. Organizes field data and equipment; conducts quality control on entered data.
Compiles and summarizes data obtained from field surveys into summary reports to explain purpose and significance.
Assists in field technique training and development of less experienced crew members. As a designated crew leader, delegates responsibility where necessary and provides work crew direction.
Conducts standard forest and rangeland soil resource inventories and watershed restoration needs inventories of assigned areas.
Collects soil samples for laboratory analysis to determine physical, chemical, and morphological characteristics. Selects, describes, and classifies soil properties.
May assist with the development of complex water quality program procedures, soil mapping, landslide mapping, slope stability assessments, wetland delineation, and detrimental soil disturbance monitoring.
Assists in layout of field experiments, pilot projects, and specific soils projects. Leads discrete tasks and projects. Trains other employees in those procedures.
Makes timely resource data, process, and productivity improvement recommendations to supervisor.
Uses personal computer systems, field computers, and associated software including GIS software for recording, maintaining and analyzing data.
Work is performed under moderate to strenuous physical exertion in a forest environment where terrain may be uneven, rocky, or covered with dense vegetation, and where there is exposure to weather and temperature extremes.
Is fully responsible for compliance with safety rules and regulations.
Requirements
- You must be a US Citizen or US National.
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
- Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
- Direct Deposit Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.
- Must be 18 years of age.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-Verify.
Qualifications
In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.
Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.
GS-07: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-6); OR one full year (18 semester/27 quarter hours) of successfully completed graduate level coursework that is directly related to the work of the position (such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture); OR combinations of graduate level education that is directly related to the position and specialized experience. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.
Examples of specialized experience include: Participated in soil related projects using established methods, techniques, and procedures. Identified and used basic principles of soil resources to assess readings and measurements taken, tests executed, observations made, work completed, samples collected, etc. to understand and relate the significance of the results to the resource program objective, Participated in field work projects related to soil resources such as the processes, methods and techniques associated with work in soil resources to resolve the full range of irregular or problem situations when performing a wide variety of either highly interrelated tasks or nonstandard assignments. Applying skill to use a variety of field instruments and equipment to collect soil resource data and information that can be used for further analysis.
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.
To receive consideration for this position, you must meet all qualification requirements on the closing date of this announcement.
Contacts
- Address USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US
- Name: HRM Contact Center
- Phone: 1-877-372-7248 X2
- Email: [email protected]