Overview

  • Open & closing dates

     11/23/2020 to 12/02/2020

  • Service

    Competitive

  • Pay scale & grade

    GS 11 – 12

  • Salary

    $68,309 to $106,442 per year

  • Appointment type

    Permanent

  • Work schedule

    Full-Time

Apply here: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/585319200

Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

  • Portland, OR1 vacancy
Relocation expenses reimbursed

Yes Relocation expenses may be authorized as allowable by Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and USDA policy.

Duties

Summary

This position is located on in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), State Conservationist’s Office, State Resource Conservationist’s Staff. The Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Mission Area is USDA’s focal point for the nation’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners for crop insurance, conservation programs and technical assistance and credit and commodity programs, and disaster programs.

Responsibilities

  • Provides professional support for managing plant communities especially within pastures and other grasslands, and development and use of ecological site descriptions on range land.
  • Serves on the Ecological Sciences staff and supports the immediate staff, area offices, technical offices and field offices in all technical aspects of range, pasture, forage, livestock and the development of ecological site descriptions.
  • Develops methods and procedures for the application of sound management techniques within the state; and recommends improvements.
  • Leads the Grazing Land and Pastureland NRI program.
  • Assists with the development, interpretation, and use of Ecological Site Descriptions in the State

Travel Required

Occasional travel – You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

12

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.
  • 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: 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-09 grade level for consideration for the GS-11 grade level).

Basic Education Requirement – 0401:
Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.; OR
Combination of Education and Experience: Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above plus appropriate experience or additional education such as biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

Basic Education Requirement – 0454:
Degree: 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 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 areas, i.e., plant, animal, and soil sciences. Courses in such areas as plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant ecology, animal nutrition, livestock production, and soil morphology or soil classification are acceptable; Related Resource Management Studies — At least 9 semester hours of course work in related resource management subjects, including courses in such areas as wildlife management, watershed management, natural resource or agricultural economics, forestry, agronomy, forages, and outdoor recreation management; OR
Combination of Education and Experience: Combination of education and experience: at least 42 semester hours of course work in the combination of plant, animal, and soil sciences and natural resources management shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Applicants who meet the Basic Education Requirement meet the minimum qualification requirement for the GS-05 level.

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-11 level,you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience include:

  • Under close supervision, applying knowledge of the theories, principles, methods and practices of a broad range of soil conservation, range management, grazing management, and related science including agronomy, biology, animal science, hydrology, and forestry in order to analyze and develop long and short term range and grazing management plans, work with diverse groups of producers, and recommend optimum and alternative natural resources development strategies; OR

Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-11 level: three (3) year(s) of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (coursework directly related to position being filled); OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A 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.

Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-12 level,you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience include:

  • Independently applying knowledge of the theories, principles, methods and practices of a broad range of soil conservation, range management, grazing management, and related science including agronomy, biology, animal science, hydrology, and forestry in order to analyze and develop long and short term range and grazing management plans, work with diverse groups of producers, and recommend optimum and alternative natural resources development strategies.

Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12 level.

For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/general-natural-resources-management-and-biological-sciences-series-0401/ or https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/rangeland-management-series-0454/

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

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.