Skip to main content
U.S. flag

Rangeland Technician

Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Univ with one vacancy in Nunn, Colorado.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open date: 10/28/2019
Closed date: 11/01/2019
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$37,069 - $53,722 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 6
Promotion potential
7
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-Time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
ARS-S19Y-10638516-SL
Control number
549972100

Duties

Help
  • Gathers, works, sorts and handles range cattle, including moving to and from pastures, rotating among pastures, sorting, weighing, and loading/unloading cattle using low-stress animal handling techniques.
  • Collects fecal and other samples from range cattle using established methods, assists in the use of GPS collars and other sensors for determining livestock behavior and dietary intake.
  • Performs basic ranch construction and maintenance work and repair such as barbed-wire fence, continuous panel fence, livestock animal handling corrals, livestock waterers (bottomless tanks, pipeline, solar pumps, hydrants and windmills).

Requirements

Help

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/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

At the GS-05:

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are:

Qualifying experience for GS-5 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-4 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience assisting in assisting in conducting rangeland research studies by collecting plant or cattle samples or data; operating field machinery used for rangeland research; and working with range cattle or plants.

OR

Education: Completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable.

OR

A combination of education and specialized experience as described above

At the GS-06:

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are:

Qualifying experience for GS-6 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-5 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience conducting rangeland research studies by collecting and preparing plant or cattle samples and data; operating and maintaining field machinery used for rangeland research; and working with range cattle or plants.

OR

Education: One full year of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position.

OR

A combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above


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.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. 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.

Physical Demands:
Sufficient agility and stamina are required to repeatedly lift 50-pound weights; repeatedly kneel and rise during vegetational survey work; move rapidly around cattle and machinery; and spend most of the day working or standing.

Work Environment:
Work is primarily performed in field with considerable exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals, equipment, animals, and weather (70%). Other time is spent in laboratory and shop (15%) and office (15%).

How you will be evaluated

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

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:

  • Applies Technology to Tasks
  • Livestock Management
  • Rangeland Research


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. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. 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 up to including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10638516

Agricultural Research Service

Find Solutions to Agricultural Problems that Affect Americans Every Day, From Field to Table.

Agency contact information

Sindy Leon
Phone
703-259-9356
Email
sindy.leon@usda.gov
Address
Agricultural Research Service
2150 Centre Avenue
Building D, Suite 300
Fort Collins, CO 80526
US

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.