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Natural Resource Specialist, ZP-0401-3 (Direct Hire)

Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This is a Direct Hire Public Notice. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.

Category Rating, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this Public Notice.

This position is located in National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Habitat Conservation (OHC), NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO) with one vacancy in Annapolis, MD.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
03/26/2019 to 04/01/2019
Salary
$68,036 to - $106,012 per year
Pay scale & grade
ZP 3
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Annapolis, MD
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Up to 10% of domestic travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
3
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
NMFS-HC-2019-0015
Control number
528460300

Duties

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO) is a division of the National Marine Fisheries' (NMFS) Office of Habitat Conservation, which works to protect and restore coastal and marine habitats.  NCBO applies NOAA assets and resources to advance priorities in four goal areas of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement: Sustainable Fisheries, Vital Habitats, Environmental Literacy, and Climate Resiliency. NOAA also supports monitoring and research.

As a Natural Resource Specialist, you will perform the following duties:

  • Serve as the Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership Climate Change Liaison. Provide leadership and coordination of the major scientific work, research, and natural resource management actions of the Partnership’s Climate Resiliency Workgroup. This includes strategic planning, meeting coordination, and project development and implementation.
  • Develop and foster a strong working relationship with scientific researchers, natural resource managers and policy makers, academia and officials of other federal, state, regional and local agencies to advance and promote the Partnerships' climate change resiliency goal and outcomes.
  • Represent the Partnership’s position on policies and programs to public interest groups through various task forces, panels, committees, and initiatives related to climate change.
  • Lead and coordinate efforts to develop policy and programmatic mechanisms necessary for proactively building consideration of climate change into the Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership’s collaborative decision making processes.
  • Organize efforts to analyze and monitor climate trends and impacts, assess vulnerability and to identify, prioritize, and implement adaptation response strategies, including assessing the accuracy and reliability of results.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply.
  • Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
  • Must be suitable for Federal employment.
  • Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
  • Qualification Requirements must be met by closing date of announcement.

** Category Rating, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this Public Notice.

This position requires a Public Trust Security Clearance.

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). This system replaced the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band.

The ZP-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12.  

* A one year probationary period may be required.

* Payment of relocation incentive may be authorized.

* Payment of recruitment incentive may be authorized.

* This position is not in the bargaining unit.

College Transcript:  If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume.   You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.

Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work.  An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.

Applicants must meet ALL application requirements, to include a complete online resume, by 11:59 p.m. EASTERN TIME (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: This position requires the operation of a Federal motor vehicle. Incumbent must possess a valid driver’s license to drive a federal motor vehicle on a regular and recurring basis.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards.  This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of specialized experience OR substitution of education for experience OR combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified. You MUST meet one of the following basic education requirements:

EDUCATION:

A. Degree: Biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

-AND-

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: 

Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.  Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. 

This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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; knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.  You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

To qualify at the ZP-3 or GS-11 level:  

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-2 or GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: 

  • Coordinating a diverse set of stakeholders to develop the implementation of projects related to climate change or ocean, estuarine, or coastal environments;
  • Analyzing trends and impacts related to climate change or ocean, estuarine, or coastal environment;
  • Assisting with the development of strategic plans, workplans, or similar planning documents.

OR

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

OR

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of related graduate level education and specialized experience as described above.

NOTE: Only graduate education in excess of two full years is qualifying for a combination of education and experience.

Additional information

CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have met the minimum qualifications for the position.  Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management’s Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Career Transition Guide.

CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

  1. A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice).
  2. A copy of your SF-50 “Notification of Personnel Action”, noting current position, grade level, and duty location;
  3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:                   

  1. A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
  2. A copy of your SF-50 “Notification of Personnel Action” documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc;
  3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

NOAA participates in e-Verify.  E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position.

Veteran’s Preference does not apply to direct hire recruitment procedures.

Any selections made under this notice will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current Federal employees would, therefore, be given new appointments to the civil service.

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