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Forester

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located at the RMRS Southwestern Forestry Science Laboratory in Flagstaff, AZ.

This position provides management for the day-to-day operations of the Fort Valley Experimental Forest (FVEF) and will assist Scientist-in-charge with silviculture and forest ecology research.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact W. Keith Moser, Research Forester and Scientist-in-charge, FVEF, at 928-556-2046 or by email at

warren.k.moser@usda.gov

.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/06/2020 to 04/10/2020
Salary
$45,627 - $59,316 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Flagstaff, AZ
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 3-4 times per year to other Forest Service offices or field locations and attend other professional meetings.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Entitlement for payment of basic moving expenses, as required by the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) §302-3.101, are authorized for eligible applicants changing duty station when the change meets the distance tests as provided in FTR §302-1.1 and §302-2.6.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
20-RES-10780301-G-DK
Control number
564643800

Duties

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  • Collects data on understory plant species composition, production, and cover in forest and woodland stands subject to a variety of cultural treatments and environmental impacts. Install, maintain, and calibrate automated sampling equipment
  • Measure and describe stands and trees in terms of species composition, diameter, height, crown dimensions, canopy structure and cover, fire damage, leaf area, regeneration, growth and mortality rates, down woody material, and decomposition rates.
  • Prepare graphs, maps, presentations, and reports on experimental methods and data analyses; manage databases by organizing, documenting, and archiving data files
  • Provides database support duties: locate and survey plot centers and boundaries; interpret aerial photographs, maps, and GIS layers to locate study sites and field plots and to record GPS plot locations for permanent records.
  • Performs administrative duties including maintaining project records, budgets and expenditures.
  • As Site Manager, oversees, performs, and/or coordinates maintenance needs on the buildings and grounds of the Forest Service experimental forest.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or 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.
  • 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.gov

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.

Basic Requirement: GS-09 Successfully completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in forestry; or related field that included 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 curriculum must have been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas:
(1) Management of Renewable Resources (i.e., silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, wildlife or range habitat management);
(2) Forest Biology (i.e., dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, or forest pathology);
(3) Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory (i.e., forest biometrics, forest mensuration, forest valuation, statistical analysis, inventories and analysis, photogrammetry or remote sensing.)
OR
Combination of education and experience - at least 30 semester hours of course work in the 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 described above, plus appropriate experience or additional education sufficient to demonstrate that I possess the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform work in the occupation of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field needed to perform the work of the occupation.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below.

Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GS-09 grade level applicant must have one year of specialized experience to at least the GS-7 grade level in federal service. To qualify, your resume must reflect 2 out of 4 of the following:

  • Provide advice to scientists on study site locations for environmental and natural resource studies.
  • Act as a liaison to the public and organizations to ensure coordination and integration of research activities.
  • Install, maintain, calibrate, and troubleshoot automated sampling equipment for studies of environmental conditions and processes.
  • Prepare progress reports on field and laboratory activities for a natural resource program.
    OR
    completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or have received a master's or equivalent graduate degree in forestry or directly related coursework.
    OR
    combination of graduate level education (beyond 18 semester hours) and specialized experience that is directly related to this position that together meets the qualification requirements for this position

    TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status (such as LWOP) is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website

Selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97. Questions should be directed to the Travel help Desk, 877-372-7248, Option 1, or email asc_tos@fs.fed.us.

This is a bargaining unit position represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees, IAMAW.

Government Housing is not available

Daycare facilities are not available.

This position is eligible for telework.

Must possess and maintain a valid state driver's license.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the competencies listed below:

  • Data Management
  • Oral Communication
  • Research
  • Writing
Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10630021

Forest Service

A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation's most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Products Laboratory, and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies.

It's an awesome responsibility - but the rewards are as limitless as the views.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center
Phone
1-877-372-7248 X2
Email
SM.FS.FSJobs@usda.gov
Address
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US

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