This position is located at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), State Office. The mission is to provide farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners with crop insurance, conservation programs and technical assistance and credit and commodity programs, and disaster programs.

Duties

Provide technical guidance and assistance for the agronomic phases of all NRCS programs in State/Field offices. Explain and demonstrate new and enhanced natural resources management practices to farmers and ranchers to secure the greatest possible understanding, acceptance, and application on the land. Conduct on-the-job and formal training in agronomy for field office personnel and producers. Promote conservation tillage, cover crops, crop rotations and nutrient and pest management through tours, conferences, and direct assistance to field office personnel and producers. Work to develop and Implement ways to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of the products or services provided to internal and external customers.

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.
• 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.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in agronomy; or related discipline of science that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in the basic plant sciences, including at least 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, such as those dealing with plant breeding, crop production, and soil and crop management. OR Combination of Education and Experience: at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, including a minimum of 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, as 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. 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-7 Specialized Experience: One full-time year of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Provides technical guidance and assistance to field office personnel and producers, to carry out natural resources? conservation planning and application for all agronomic practices; Assists with vegetative and management practices to secure a balanced program of soil and moisture conservation; and Participates in evaluating cropping systems from an economic, environmental and agronomic standpoint. OR Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field such as agronomy plant physiology, soils, or plant genetics, or other directly related field of study that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Combination of the education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify an applicant for that grade level. OR Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): A bachelor's degree in a field such as agronomy plant physiology, soils, or plant genetics, or other directly related field of study and meet one of the following: A grade point average of "B" (3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for your completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. A grade-point average of "B+" (3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in the major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; *Grade point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. Note: If more than 10 percent of your courses were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an honorary society. GS-9 Specialized Experience: One full-time year of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Assist land users in the implementation of soil health, water quality, and other agronomic and/or conservation projects; Assist in preparing quantitative reports and assist in conducting data analyses; Discuss and explain natural resources, water quality projects, conservation measures, plans, and objectives to land users and conservation leaders and representatives; and Prepare correspondence, progress reports, training materials, and informational materials for agronomic or conservation projects. OR Education: Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field such as agronomy plant physiology, soils, or plant genetics, or other directly related field of study that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR Combination: Combination of the education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education beyond the first year (18 semester hours) may be used when combining education and experience for this option. GS-11 Specialized Experience: One full-time year of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Utilize agronomic models and equations to quantify resource conditions and assess physical or economic impacts of conservation treatments; Recommend agronomic treatment techniques for standard water quality plans and recurring agronomic resource projects; Utilize conservation planning software (i.e., Toolkit, ArcGIS) to develop natural resources conservation plans; Interpret land use and potential land deficiencies to advise landowners or operators of erosion control, drainage techniques, or other conservation measures; and Present oral or written proposals and recommendations to staff, landowners, or other conservations specialists. OR Education: Three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a field such as agronomy, plant physiology, soils, or plant genetics, or other directly related field of study that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR Combination: Combination of the education and experience as described above that totals 100% when combined. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education beyond two years (36 semester hours) may be used when combining education and experience for this option. 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).

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)

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-Serie

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Staff Acquisition
• Email: [email protected]