This position is located with the USDA, Pacific West Area, Crop Improvement & Protection Research Unit in Salinas, CA. In this position, you will be responsible for maintenance of celery and lettuce plants in greenhouses, cold rooms, isolator greenhouses, growth chambers and fields, including trimming, watering, and weekly pesticide and fungicide applications. This is a term, time-limited appointment with an initial duration no less than 13 months and can be extended up to a total of 10 years.

Duties

Assists in one or more phases of the research process by performing a variety of technical duties, in a laboratory, field, or greenhouse environment, common to the research of plants or crops. Safely disposes of waste material (both chemical and biological). Keeps detailed records of experimental data for biological research. Performs routine and recurring techniques and studies using a variety of specialized equipment while keeping detailed records in support of plant research.

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.
• Successful completion of one-year trial 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/

Qualifications

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-05 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-05 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-04 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in a research project related to plant breeding or plant pathology; collecting or analyzing data from an experiment or research; and operating and maintaining laboratory equipment. OR Education: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study above the high school level leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position being filled. Related courses may include biology, horticulture, agronomy, physiology, botany, plant biology, agriculture, plant pathology, entomology. OR A combination of education and specialized experience as described above. 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

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 800 Buchanan Street Albany, CA 94710 US
• Name: Juliana Hensley
• Phone: (571) 669-3483
• Email: [email protected]