This position is located with the USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Plains Area, Cotton Gin Research Unit in Las Cruces, NM. In this position, you will serve as a Research Agricultural Engineer, Research Mechanical Engineer, Research Electrical Engineer, or Research Physicist and will conduct leading applied research to develop systems-level concepts and tools to guide agrivoltaics efforts in croplands, rangelands, and agricultural processing systems of the Southwest.

Duties

Lead and collaborate on personal research to design and develop optimized agrivoltaic installations, best management practices, and decision support tools for simultaneous renewable power generation and agricultural and rangeland production. Lead collaborative research to design and develop best management practices and decision support tools for improved energy utilization and efficiency for agricultural processing systems. Develop a stakeholder base and collaborations with scientists and industry professionals to understand stakeholder needs and enhance the research program Develop research plans and conduct tests in the laboratory, in the field, and at commercial facilities, and transfer technical solutions to meet stakeholder needs. Properly collect, analyze, and interpret scientific research and information to develop new knowledge, devices, and processes of direct value to stakeholders; and to report that information at technical conferences and industry meetings. Prepare written manuscripts to document scientific research for review and publication in professional articles and peer-reviewed journals.

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.
• 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/.
• Successful completion of a three year probationary period.

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. Basic Requirements for Physics Series, 1310: Degree: physics; or related degree that included at least 24 semester hours in physics. OR Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in physics totaling at least 24 semester hours, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In either above, the courses must have included a fundamental course in general physics and, in addition, courses in any two of the following: electricity and magnetism, heat, light, mechanics, modern physics, and sound. Additional Requirements In addition to meeting the basic requirements described above, applicants must also meet additional qualification requirements as stated below. GS-11: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service or possess a Masters or equivalent graduate degree or possess an equivalent combination of graduate level education and experience. Graduate education must be directly related to the work of the position and must have equipped applicants with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-11 level of this position are: Experience participating in basic and applied research related to engineering or physical science; evaluating and interpreting research results; and preparing reports of research results in the form of manuscripts for publication in peer reviewed journals or technical presentations. GS-12: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service or possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or possess an equivalent combination of graduate level education and experience. Graduate education must be directly related to the work of the position and must have equipped applicants with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-12 level of this position are: Experience conducting basic and applied research related to engineering or physical science; evaluating and interpreting research results; publishing independent research findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals; and collaborating with other scientific personnel of complimentary disciplines on research projects. GS-13: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-13 level of this position are: Experience planning and conducting research to develop new techniques, technologies, or knowledge in engineering or physical science; analyzing experimental data and publishing research findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals; and presenting research at local and national scientific meetings. GS-14: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-14 level of this position are:Experience planning, conducting, and leading collaborative team research to develop new techniques, technologies, or new knowledge in engineering or physical science; publishing research findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals as the primary author; presenting research results at national and international scientific meetings; and developing products or tools that solve important scientific problems related to Agricultural or Energy Systems. GS-15: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-15 level of this position are: Experience coordinating multidisciplinary collaborative research efforts; publishing research findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals as the primary author; presenting research findings at national and international meetings; designing and developing optimized tools and methods related to developing and managing Agricultural or Energy Systems; developing collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders; and serving as Principal Investigator on a collaborative research grants. 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. To further support your qualifications, it is strongly recommended that you submit a one-page abstract of your MS thesis and/or Ph.D. dissertation. Failure to do so could result in loss of your consideration/referral. Also, please submit a list of names, addresses, and phone numbers of persons familiar with your stature, contributions, recognition; any honors or awards received; memberships in professional or honor societies; invitations to make presentations at scientific/technical meetings; scientific society office and committee assignments; presentations (other than invitation); and publications. Applicants must be available to report for duty at the time a selection is made. Selections are typically made within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Education

Basic Requirements for Mechanical/Electrical/Agricultural Engineering Series, 0830/0850/0890:
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
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. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
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.
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.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 2150 Centre Avenue Building D, Suite 300 Fort Collins, CO 80526 US
• Name: Sydney Teague
• Phone: 703-259-9455
• Email: [email protected]