This position is located in Wapato, WA. *This Position is being filled through OPM's government-wide Direct-Hire Authority for this occupation and is open to all U.S. Citizens. Your application will be evaluated for basic eligibility and to determine if your experience and/or education meet the minimum qualification requirements described in this announcement. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and other basic requirements will be referred and are eligible for selection. *

Duties

Research objectives are to develop and implement new integrated pest management strategies based on sound knowledge of pest ecology, behavior, host-plant relations, and current horticultural practices. Incumbent leads research to : 1) develop effective recommendations for pest monitoring, and 2) develop and evaluate horticultural and areawide management of leafhopper vectors of X-disease and other tree fruit pests. Incumbent collaborates in research to develop new monitoring tools such as novel trap designs, lures, and field-based detection of diseased plants and insect vectors. Incumbent also collaborates in research to develop novel gene or protein targeting technologies, under laboratory conditions and effectively implement these technologies under field conditions or orchard-level scales.

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/

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 GS-0414 - Entomology Degree: entomology; or a related discipline of the biological or physical sciences that included at least 16 semester hours in entomology. OR Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major that included course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. PLUS Minimum Qualification Requirements GS-12 Grade Level Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled and which provided the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Experience: The qualification requirements for this position at the GS-12 grade level includes one-year specialized experience at the GS-11 grade level or its non-federal equivalent, analyzing insect and plant samples to develop control strategies for insect pests in orchards and evaluating and interpreting research results; and assisting in preparing reports of research results in the form of manuscripts for publication in peer reviewed journals and presentations at scientific meetings. OR Education: Successful completion of three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include entomology. OR Combination of Education & Experience: A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience as described above. 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

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 800 Buchanan Street Albany, CA 94710 US
• Name: Melissa Smith
• Phone: 510-559-6312
• Email: [email protected]