Overview

  • Accepting applications
  • Open & closing dates

    05/21/2021 to 05/31/2021

  • Service

    Competitive

  • Pay scale & grade

    GS 12 – 13

Salary

$66,829 to $103,309 per year

Salary range is an approximation and dependent upon location.

  • Appointment type

Permanent

Duties

Summary

This position is located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Mission Area, Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO), Soil and Plant Science Division (SPSD), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

The incumbent serves as Ecological Site Manager, providing regional leadership for quality assurance of data collection for the development, maintenance, and use of Ecological Sites.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

  • Serves as primary lead for correlation by Soil Survey Region of ecological sites developed by others and ensures NRCS policy and standards are followed.
  • Writes and publishes papers, e.g., in local newspapers, agency publications, and professional journals.
  • Evaluates employee performance, recommends appropriate performance awards, inventories training needs, develops appropriate training plans, and makes recommendations for personnel actions.
  • Determines workload of staff by conducting workload analysis, develops and implements work plans, and uses other management tools as needed to ensure effective soil survey operations.
  • Identifies analytical tools and methods to correlate and coordinate Ecological Site information with soils information contained in the NASIS database.
  • Assists the Soil Quality and Ecosystems Branch staff in developing procedures, manuals, technical standards, handbooks, and guidelines in coordination with existing discipline handbooks and manuals.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • 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.
  • 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.

Qualifications

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-11 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-12 level. One year at the GS-12 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-13 level. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No Award or General Adjustment SF-50’s will be accepted).

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This is an interdisciplinary position and applicants must meet one of the following educational requirements stated below to meet the Basic Requirements under the series in which they apply to be considered for this position.

Ecology (0408): Bachelor’s or higher degree in Biology or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours include at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences.

Rangeland Management (0454): Bachelor’s or higher degree in range management; or a related discipline that included at least 42 semester hours in a combination of the plant, animal, and soil sciences, and natural resources management, as follows:

  • Range Management– At least 18 semester hours of course work in range management, including courses in such areas as basic principles of range management, range plants, range ecology, range inventories and studies, range improvements, and ranch or rangeland planning;
  • Directly Related to Plant, Animal, and Soil Sciences– At least 15 semester hours of directly related courses in the plant, animal, and soil sciences, including at least one course in each of these three scientific area, i.e., plant, animal, and soil sciences. Courses in such areas as plan taxonomy, plant physiology, plan ecology, animal nutrition, livestock production, and soil morphology or soil classification are acceptable;
  • Related Resources Management Studies– At least 9 semester hours of course work in related resource management subjects, including course in such areas as wildlife management, watershed management, natural resources or agricultural economics, forestry, agronomy, forages, and outdoor recreation management.

OR

Combination of education and experience that included at least 42 semester hours of course work in the combination of plant, animal, and soil science and natural resources management shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Soil Conservation (0457): Bachelor’s or higher degree in 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 that included at least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines as shown in A above, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience that included the application of techniques, principles, and methods from a variety of agricultural and natural resource fields or additional education. 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.

Forestry (0460): Bachelor’s or higher degree in forestry; or a related subject-matter field that included a total of at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, or which at least 24 semester hours of course work were in forestry. The curriculum must have been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas:

  • Management of Renewable Resources– study of the science and art of managing renewable resources to attain desired results. Examples of creditable courses in this area include silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, and wildlife or range habitat management.
  • Forest Biology– study of the classification, distribution, characteristics, and identification of forest vegetation, and the interrelationships of living organisms to the forest environment. Examples of creditable courses in this area include dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, and forest pathology.
  • Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory– sampling, inventory, measurement, and analysis techniques as applied to a variety of forest resources. Examples of creditable courses include forest biometrics, forest mensuration, forest valuation, statistical analysis of forest resource data, renewable natural resources inventories and analysis, and photogrammetry or remote sensing.

OR

Combination of education and experience that included courses equivalent to a major in forestry, or at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours were in forestry. The requirements for diversification of the 24 semester hours in forestry are the same as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements above, applicants must have the below specialized experience for the grade level(s) in which they apply.

Specialized Experience GS-12: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service that included:

  • Assists in providing quality control reviews in the application of the Ecological Site Inventory principles for plant communities across a variety of land uses;
  • Identifies analytical tools and methods to correlate and coordinate Ecological Site information with soils information contained in the National Soil Information System (NASIS) database;
  • Assists staff in developing procedures, manuals, technical standards, handbooks, and guidelines in coordination with existing discipline handbooks and manuals; and
  • Writes and publishes papers, e.g., NRCS publications, and professional journals.

Specialized Experience GS-13: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service that included:

  • Develops and provides support and training in data collection, analysis, and interpretation related to the inventory and classification of Ecological Sites within the framework of the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS), National Soil Information System (NASIS), and Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool (EDIT) databases;
  • Provides leadership in the assimilation, adaptation, integration, and transfer of new inventory and classification techniques from research to Soil Survey Regional, State, Area, and District Office staffs;
  • Provides quality control reviews in the application of the Ecological Site Inventory principles for plant communities across a variety of land uses; and
  • Assists in supervision of staff and determines workload of staff by conducting workload analysis, develops and implements work plans, and uses other management tools as needed to ensure effective soil survey operations.

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

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.

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:https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html