The incumbent will serve as an Urban Conservationist assisting the field offices and staff in developing and implementing a comprehensive natural resource conservation program throughout the geographical area of responsibility. The incumbent will provide technical guidance, assistance, and evaluation on matters related to Farm Bill Programs and Conservation Program contracting and implementation.

Duties

Serve as the NRCS representative in working with other agencies and organizations that are interested in urban resource conservation programs. Serve on review panels for urban agricultural issues and proposals. Provide technical assistance to landowners, groups, and units of government to develop and apply diverse and complex resource urban conservation programs. Identify resources needed to support operations such as funding, staff, or equipment. Assist the field with contract extensions including modifications and completions. Provide one-on-one conservation planning guidance and offers alternatives to solving resource concerns. Coordinate with other program managers to ensure program integrity. Work with the NRCS State Technical Committee and Leadership Team in the development of program priorities and guidelines which focus on urban areas.

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 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.

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. Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. Basic Education Requirement: Degree: 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 comparable to a 4-year degree. Note: For a degree in a related discipline to be acceptable for consideration, it must include 24 semester hours in subject areas described above. In addition to meeting on of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: GS-09 SpecializedExperience: To qualify for the GS-09 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the Federal GS-07 level or higher, which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience must include: applying the principles and theories of soil and water conservation and related sciences such as biology, agronomy, and forestry, in identifying conservation related problems and providing technical guidance and assistance to groups and individuals on topics such as soil interpretation, pest and invasive species, water quality, livestock, crop production, food systems and logistics, and wildlife habitat. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: Successful completion of two (2) full years of progressively high graduate education or Master's or equivalent graduate degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. GS-11 Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-11 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the Federal GS-09 level or higher, which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience must include: providing technical and administrative guidance in the development of annual work plans, scheduling activities, maintaining records, preparing reports of plans/contracting, accomplishments, and maintaining efficient program operations related to urban conservation to field office staff; reviewing partnership cooperative or contribution agreements as well as other competitive technical assistance contracts to ensure proper and timely execution of such agreements administered in the area; and providing program coordination, support, and technical review for the program. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: For the GS-11 level: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: General Schedule Qualification Standards (opm.gov) 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

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. Click on this link for more information.

Contacts

• Address Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Lyndsey Levetzow
• Phone: 000-000-0000
• Email: [email protected]