The incumbent serves as State Conservationist and shares fully in the responsibility for the management, leadership, and direction of all administrative and technical functions involved in planning, organizing, and implementing a comprehensive soil, water and resource conservation, applied engineering technology to the land and other technical conservation programs for the NRCS state level operations

Duties

Establish state policy, standards, and procedures, and direct all phases of a complete soil, water, and resource conservation program. Serve as a technical program consultant and advisor. Responsible for coordinating activities and issues with state technical staff as it relates to soil erosion, water quality, conservation operations, watershed flood prevention protection, soil survey implementation, agricultural waste management. Responsible for coordinating activities and issues with state technical staff as it relates to natural resources inventory, municipal, industrial, and agricultural water supply, and other environmental soil and water conservation concerns. Coordinate service programs with other Federal agencies, State and local government officials, public and private agencies, and other groups and individuals. Oversee an administrative program including financial planning and management, equipment and property management, construction contracting, procurement and supply, space management, records management, and communications. Ensure subordinate supervisors carry out policies to achieve management objectives in areas such as labor-management relations and equal employment opportunity.

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.
• Subject to one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
• 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.
• Position has a Confidential Financial Disclosure (Form OGE-450) requirement. If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions and specialized experience, as defined below. Time-in-grade: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade (e.g., one year at the GS-13 grade level for consideration for the GS-14 grade level; one year at the GS-14 grade level for consideration for the GS-15 grade level). Basic Education Requirement: 0401 Series Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. 0457 Series Degree: soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering. The study must have included 30 semester hours in a natural resource or agricultural field, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. OR Combination of Education and Experience: At least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines as shown above, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience or additional education comparable to a 4 year degree. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. Evaluation of Education: Education that provided specialized knowledge and skills in soil and water conservation is more valuable than education that imparted broad but general knowledge and skills. Courses in soil fertility, soil chemistry, soil genesis, plant physiology, plant science, and field crops are examples of specialized courses that contribute towards meeting the required 12 semester hours as described above. Courses in the physical sciences or engineering such as geology, civil engineering, and hydrology also meet the soils, crops, or plant science course requirements where such courses included a complete introduction to the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils. Evaluation of Experience: Experience that included the application of techniques, principles, and methods from a variety of agricultural and natural resource fields is appropriate, given the interdisciplinary character of the soil conservation occupation. For example, experience gained in a specialized field such as soil science, forestry, or agronomy is as fully acceptable as experience directly obtained in soil conservation work. 0801/ 0810 / 0890 Series Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree be in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) http://main.abet.org/aps/accreditedprogramsearch.aspx; 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 professional 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: Professional registration or licensure Written Test Specified academic courses Related curriculum For more detailed information on the 800 series please click Individual Occupational Requirements for Professional Engineering Positions. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-14 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience include: Identifying and resolving complex natural resources management issues; providing leadership and direction of administrative and technical functions involved in planning, organizing, and implementing comprehensive soil, water and resource conservation planning, and related agricultural problems; providing technical advice, recommendations, and justifications for natural resource management and conservation strategies; developing and implementing multiple-use resource management plans or covering diverse resource management issues; and modifying or adapting standard processes and procedures. Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-15 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience include: Providing guidance and direction in administrative and technical functions involved in planning, organizing, and implementing comprehensive soil, water and resource conservation programs and other technical conservation programs for state level operations; directing all phases of a complete soil, water, and resource conservation program; managing the implementation of a system of quality control including program and functional inspections and reviews to evaluate effectiveness of programs; establishing state policies, standards, and procedures; coordinating various tasks with state technical staff as it relates to soil erosion, water quality, conservation operations, watershed flood prevention protection, soil survey implementation, agricultural waste management, natural resources inventory, municipal, industrial, and agricultural water supply, and other environmental soil and water conservation concerns; and serving as a technical program consultant and advisor in developing and improving service-wide policies and procedures. Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-14 or GS-15 level. 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

For more information on the qualifications for this position, please follow the below links:
0401 Series
0457 Series
0800 Series

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: You must submit a copy of your transcripts to include course number, title, completion and grade. 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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 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.

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. Click on this link for more information.

Failure to provide all of the required documents/information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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. Click on this link for more information.

Contacts

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