This position is located in a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office within State of Michigan: 4 vacancies to be filled in Grand Rapids, MI 1 vacancy to be filled in one of the following locations: Traverse City, Cadillac, or Reed City, MI The incumbent is responsible for engineering aspects of natural resources conservation practices and supports NRCS mission results and program delivery with technical guidance and training.

Duties

Plan, design, and manage construction of engineering projects to address resource concerns related to livestock water; irrigation water; wetlands, lakes, and streams; agricultural waste; soil erosion; and flood prevention. Complete designs may include engineering design analysis(s) including hydrological, hydraulic, structural, soil/water/plant relationships, and geotechnical analysis. Direct and/or conduct calculations of earthwork, concrete, steel, water control structures, and other materials, and prepares construction estimates and bills of materials. Coordinate and conduct necessary quality assurance reviews of planned, designed, and constructed engineering projects in the assigned area. Work in a team setting consisting of internal and external partners to plan and implement conservation plans projects.

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.
• Physical Demands: Some physical exertion such as long periods of standing, traversing steep slopes and rough construction sites, recurring bending, jumping across ditches, and lifting and carrying equipment that weigh up to 50 pounds.
• Work Environment: Field sites involve exposure to construction equipment and the environment and extreme temperatures of hot and cold. Protective gear/clothing (hard hat, boots, gloves) may be needed at field sites and in areas of moving machinery.
• This position may be eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position. Current USDA policy includes telework for an 8-hour workday, 4 days per week. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor.
• Work Environment: Exposure to noise levels common to construction sites with large earthmoving equipment can be expected. There will be exposure to disease carrying insects and irritating plants.

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 USDA. 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-07 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-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). In order to be qualified for this position, you must meet the basic requirement AND minimum qualification requirements for the grade level(s) in which you apply. *See Basic Education Requirement in Education section.* 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: You must meet ONE of the following: A. Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Assisting with designs, drawings, and specifications on engineering practices with natural resources conservation; Collecting field data to ensure adequacy of the data; and Participating in meetings regarding engineering projects in collaboration with other personnel. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) B. Must have 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Master's degree or Master's or equivalent graduate degree in engineering or a closely related field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully complete the work of the position. C. A combination of specialized experience as described in A and graduate level education as described in B that, when combined, equal 100% of the total requirement. (Please note that only graduate education in excess of the first 18 semester hours may be used in this calculation.) D. A Bachelor's degree in engineering with Superior Academic Achievement and have one year of professional engineering experience. Professional engineering experience is defined as non-routine engineering work that required professional knowledge of engineering; professional ability to apply such knowledge to engineering problems; and positive and continuing development of professional knowledge and ability. 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. E. Completed a 5-year program of study of at least 160 semester hours leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering and have one year of professional engineering experience. Professional engineering experience is defined as non-routine engineering work that required professional knowledge of engineering; professional ability to apply such knowledge to engineering problems; and positive and continuing development of professional knowledge and ability. GS-11: You must meet ONE of the following: A. 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: Preparing designs, drawings, and specifications on engineering practices within natural resources conservation; Collecting and processing field data to ensure adequacy of the data; Assisting with on-the-job training to field office staff to improve engineering skillset and performance; Collaborating with team members to develop ways to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of engineering products and services; and Assisting with the quality review of conservation engineering projects. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) B. Must have 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in engineering or agricultural engineering or other engineering field which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. C. Combination of graduate level education and specialized experience as described above that totals 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 2 years or 36 semester hours may be combined with specialized experience. (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

Basic Requirement: You must meet one of the following:
A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. (You must submit licensure or registration.)
2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. (You must submit documentation)
3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

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 the following 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]