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Natural Resources Specialist

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on his or her expertise as a Natural Resource Specialist. Make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.

Here is an opportunity to join a great organization with excellent growth potential!

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/01/2019 to 08/15/2019
Salary
$74,596 to - $96,978 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
Boise, ID
2 vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - This is a FULL TIME position.
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
BR-PN-DE-RS-19-212
Control number
541424000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All United States Citizens and Nationals.

Duties

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  • Leads interdisciplinary teams conducting environmental analyses and ensuring compliance with environmental laws (including the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act), regulations, and policies.
  • Determines the environmental effects of Reclamation actions and project operations.
  • Prepares categorical exclusion checklists, environmental assessments, Findings of No Significant Impact, environmental impact statements, records of decision, and biological assessments.
  • Provides technical analyses and guidance, and makes policy recommendations, for assuring that environmental requirements are appropriately integrated with Regional programs and activities which affect biological, land, and water resources.
  • Collaborates with specialists in a wide range of disciplines, including engineers, hydrologists, soil scientists, economists, and other professionals.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship or National
  • Suitability for Federal employment determined by a background investigation
  • Must submit a resume and supporting documentation - See How to Apply
  • Must meet specialized experience requirements - See Qualifications
  • Submit transcripts, if required, to verify education requirements
  • For veterans consideration, submit documents under Required Documents

Applicants must meet all qualification requirements and any selective factors, by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

Basic Education Requirements:

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

    OR

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

Specialized Experience Requirements:

In addition to the basic education requirement, in order to be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that the applicant meets the specialized experience requirement - this information must be included in the resume.

To qualify at the GS-12 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 in Federal service. Specialized experience at this level is defined as experience interpreting and applying environmental laws, rules, regulations, and policies to complex water storage facilities or land management projects; experience leading technical teams responsible for evaluating environmental effects and/or impacts of complex projects; and experience writing and reviewing environmental compliance documents such as environmental assessments, environmental impact statements, biological assessments, or biological opinions.

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. Applicants will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

If selected, the selectee will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications. An official transcript bears the University Seal and a signature certifying its authenticity and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer.  

Education

This position has a mandatory education requirement. Applicants must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. Non-submission will result in being rated not-qualified for the position.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, applicants must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs.

Additional information

Position is being advertised concurrently under BR-PN-VA-RS-19-211 for for current Federal employees serving under a competitive service career or career-conditional appointment or reinstatement eligible. Applicants interested in applying under both announcement numbers, must submit application packages for each.

Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval. 

Location – Boise, Idaho http://www.usbr.gov/pn/about/hr/area-information.html

Payment of travel and relocation expenses will be the responsibility of the selectee.

At the present time, we have 2 vacancies; however, this announcement may be used to fill additional, equivalent positions at this duty location.

Applicants initially appointed to a career-conditional position must serve a 1-year probationary period.

Current permanent Federal employees who are selected from this announcement may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period.

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.

Selective Service: Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: http://www.sss.gov

How you will be evaluated

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

Category rating and selection procedures will be used to evaluate applications from this announcement. If an applicant meets the basic qualification requirements, his/her on-line responses to the vacancy assessment questionnaire will be used to determine the quality and extent of his/her experience, education, training, etc., for placement in one of the following categories: 1) Best Qualified, 2) Well Qualified, and 3) Qualified. Qualified candidates will be assigned a numerical score on a scale of 70-100 and veterans with preference will be placed at the top of the respective category. The assessment questionnaire will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.

Applicants will be further evaluated on the following “Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)” through his/her resume and responses to the online questions.

KSA 1:  Extensive professional knowledge of the principles, practices, and concepts of the life sciences (e.g. wildlife biology, general biology, botany, ecology, forestry, ecology, forestry, and watershed management).

KSA 2:  Thorough knowledge and experience with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act (ESA) and other environmental laws and regulations.

KSA 3:  Knowledge of complex, multi-purpose water storage, diversion, and distribution facilities.

KSA 4:  Strong coordination and collaboration, verbal and written communication, and analytical skills.

Applicant’s answers to questions will be verified against information provided in their online resume. Be sure that the resume clearly supports the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. Applicants must make a fair and accurate assessment of their qualifications. If a determination is made that an applicant has rated themselves higher than is apparent in his/her description of experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training OR that his/her resume/application is incomplete, the applicant may be rated ineligible or his/her score may be lowered.


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