All current or former federal employees with competitive/reinstatement eligibility; CTAP and ICTAP eligibles within the local commuting area; and Veterans' Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) Eligibles.; Persons eligible under Special Hiring Authorities; All former PLC members who within the past 2 years have completed all requirements of a creditable PLC project; Current or former time-limited employees eligible under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) .
This position is located in the Klamath Falls Field Office of the Lakeview District. The incumbent provides district wide leadership and technical guidance for the Soil Resources Program. The incumbent is responsible for advising on soil properties, productivity, suitability, and limitations for use in a variety of land use activities. This position also serves as a Geospatial Ecologist for the Klamath Falls Field Office responsible for providing GIS services and implementing geospatial technological applications, assessments, and projects for the Field Office.
Work Environment: Work is performed in an office and field locations under a variety of topographic and climatic conditions. Work in the field involves exposure to normal risks of forests, grasslands, rangeland and wetlands during all seasons and weather conditions. Inside work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate controlled office. Occasional travel may be required.
Physical Demands: The work is performed in an office and outdoor setting. Office work is primarily sedentary. Field work requires traversing over rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces on foot, bending to collect samples, and exposures to extreme temperatures during onsite inspections, as well as the operation of hand and power tools to examine soils in the field and obtain soil samples. Field work also requires operating four-wheel drive vehicles and all-terrain vehicles on rough roads in remote areas.
Be sure to read the "How to Apply" and "Required Documents" Sections
You cannot hold an active real estate license; nor can you
have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Land
Direct Deposit Required
Background Investigation Required
Summary of Requirements: You must meet all requirements listed in the "Qualifications" section of the announcement.
You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement. Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade requirement in accordance with 5 CFR 300.604. If you are a current Federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.
This is an interdisciplinary position and you must meet the Basic Education Requirements for the position series for which you are applying.
Upon receipt of your complete application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your rating will be based on your responses to the Job Specific Questionnaire and the information stated in your resume. If qualified, your score may range from 70-100 points. In addition, interviews may be conducted for this position. The interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis or may be scored. The job specific questions relate to the following knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the work of this position.
Qualifications
Specialized Experience: 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. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade (GS-09) of the position to be filled. In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume.
Basic Qualification Requirement for the GS-0470 (Soil Scientist) series is a bachelor's degree in soil science or a closely related discipline that included 30 semester hours or equivalent in biological, physical, or earth science, with a minimum of 15 semester hours in such subjects as soil genesis, pedology, soil chemistry, soil physics, and soil fertility, -OR- a combination of education and experience; courses equivalent to a major in soil science or a related discipline that included at least 30 semester hours in the biological, physical, or earth sciences. At least 15 of these semester hours must have been in the areas specified in above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
Basic Qualification Requirement for the GS-0401 (Natural Resources Specialist) series is a bachelor's degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position -OR- a combination of education and experience; courses equivalent to a major, as above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
Additional Requirements:
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled.
In addition to meeting the Basic Education Requirement described above, applicants must have at least one of the following.
To qualify for the GS-0470-07 level, you must meet the basic requirements AND I have 1 year of specialized experience in soil science work equivalent to GS-05 in the Federal service -OR- 1 year of graduate education in soil science or a closely related discipline, -OR- a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education, -OR- A bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement that included coursework directly related to the work of the position. Specialized experience for thee classify soils; prepare soil survey manuscripts; interpret soil information according to technical standards; prepare soil descriptions, field notes, map unit descriptions, taxonomic unit descriptions; and prepare technical and non-technical reports.
To qualify for the GS-0470-09 level, you must meet the basic requirements AND I have 1 year of specialized experience in soil science work equivalent to GS-07 in the Federal service -OR- 2 years of graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent degree in soil science or a closely related discipline, -OR- a combination of experience and graduate level education. Specialized experience for the GS-0470-09 include: Classify soils and prepare soil survey manuscripts; interpret soil information according to technical standards; prepare soil descriptions, field notes, map unit descriptions, taxonomic unit descriptions, and prepare technical and non-technical reports.
To qualify for the GS-0470-11 level, you must meet the basic requirements AND I have 1 year of specialized experience in soil science work equivalent to GS-9 in the Federal service -OR- 3 years of graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent degree in soil science or a closely related discipline, -OR- a combination of experience and graduate level education. Specialized experience for the GS-0470-11 include: Design, conduct, and interpret soil and watershed resource inventories and studies; provide soil and hydrology input and recommendations to interdisciplinary teams; monitor forest development actions such as prescribed burns and fish and wildlife habitat development, to evaluate effects of alternative forest management and other program practices; and analyze and implement procedures for inventory and management of wetlands and other riparian areas.
To qualify for the GS-0401-07 level, you must meet the basic requirements AND I have 1 year of specialized experience in natural resources work equivalent to GS-05 in the Federal service -OR- 1 year of graduate level education in Natural Resources Management or a closely related discipline -OR- meet the Basic Education Requirement AND have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level of education as described above -OR- A bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement that included coursework directly related to the work of the position. Specialized experience for the GS-0401-07 include; Design and assist in implementing soils related biological resource improvement and restoration; and monitor and survey soil resources, and perform geospatial analysis; document, evaluate, display, and report data gathered from field surveys and GIS databases.
To qualify for the GS-0401-09 level, you must meet the basic requirements AND I have 1 year of specialized experience in natural resources work equivalent to GS-07 in the Federal service -OR- 2 years of graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent degree in Natural Resources Management or a closely related discipline -OR- meet the Basic Education Requirement AND have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level of education as described above. Specialized experience for the GS-0401-09 include: Conducts soil investigations and analyzing data; determines capabilities and limitations of soils for a variety of uses and activities; conducts environmental analyses of proposed projects to support timber, range, wildlife, recreation, hazardous fuels, lands and realty, and other programs concerning soil resources; recommends priorities of soil projects; prepares geospatial and ecological modeling and analysis supporting natural resources planning and science activities; and identify data gaps and recommends strategies to collect data, facilitate analysis, and resolve problems
To qualify for the GS-0401-11 level, you must meet the basic requirements AND I have 1 year of specialized experience in natural resources work equivalent to GS-9 in the Federal service -OR- 3 years of graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree in Natural Resources Management or a closely related discipline -OR- meet the Basic Education Requirement AND have a combination of specialized professional experience and graduate level of education as described above. Specialized experience for the GS-0401-11 include: analyzing and evaluating diverse environment conditions; analyzing biological components and processes in the context of ecosystems including environmental factors, physical-chemical and social relationships; and working as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
Education
You will need to clearly state your undergraduate/graduate degree(s) and submit your college transcripts or a listing of your college courses that includes hours and grades.
Additional information
SELECTIVE SERVICE: Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. To register or verify your registration go to the Selective Service System website.
May require completion of a 1 year probationary period.
Tax Law Impact for PCS: On 22-Dec-2017, Public Law 115-97 - the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 suspended qualified moving expense deductions along with the exclusion for employer reimbursements & payments of moving expenses effective 01-Jan-2018 for tax years 2018 through 2025. The law made taxable certain reimbursements & other payments, including driving mileage, airfare & lodging expenses, en-route travel to the new duty station, and temporary storage of those items. The Federal Travel Regulation Bulletin (FTR) 18-05 issued by General Services Administration (GSA) has authorized agencies to use the Withholding Tax Allowance (WTA) and Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) to pay for "substantially all" of the increased tax liability resulting from the "2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" for certain eligible individuals. For additional information on WTA/RITA allowances and eligibilities, please visit: https://www.gsa.gov/cdnstatic/FTR%20Bulletin%2018_05%20Relocation%20Allowances_0.pdf
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus & displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.
CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they receive a minimum score of 90 based on the rating criteria used for this position.
Reemployment Priority List (RPL): The RPL is the mechanism agencies use to give reemployment consideration to their former competitive service employees separated by a RIF or who have fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. If you are currently on a Reemployment Priority List, you may be given priority consideration.
This announcement is being advertised concurrently under Announcement #OR-DEU-2020-0006 which is open to all qualified persons. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.
BLM may use certain incentives, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract high quality applicants.
Official worksite for selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular & recurring weekly basis. The selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
To explore the major benefits offered to most Federal employees, visit the Office of Personnel Management's website at Federal Benefits at USAJOBS.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Upon receipt of your complete application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your rating will be based on your responses to the Job Specific Questionnaire and the information stated in your resume. If qualified, your score may range from 70-100 points. In addition, interviews may be conducted for this position. The interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis or may be scored. The job specific questions relate to the following knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the work of this position.
1. Professional knowledge of and experience in applying a wide range of theories, principles, concepts, practices, standards, and methods of geospatial ecology to perform geospatial and ecological modeling and analysis.
2. Professional knowledge of standard methods for soil sampling and analysis techniques including interpretations of lab and field measurements.
3. Ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, in order to present scientific and technical material to a variety of audiences.
4. Knowledge of interrelationships between various natural and cultural resource programs in order to work with a diverse group of resource specialists, planners, and managers to coordinate geospatial activities with goal of integrating soils and landscape data.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
To explore the major benefits offered to most Federal employees, visit the Office of Personnel Management's website at Federal Benefits at USAJOBS.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Resumes must show relevant experience and other information. Your resume must list your education and work experience including the dates (mm/dd/yy) of each employment along with the number of hours worked per week and salary information. Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s). You are welcome to submit a cover letter (optional). If you wish to do so, include it with your resume.
In addition to the online application (resume and responses to the questionnaire), you are required to submit the following forms:
Copy of Transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. If your degree is from a Foreign Institution, See Foreign Education.
Former PLC Member: Submit a copy of your “Certificate of Eligibility for Noncompetitive Hiring” along with a copy of your “PLC Participant Verification Work Hours Sheet.”
Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA): Applicants eligible under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, must submit documentation verifying (a) initial selection under competitive examining procedures to a land management agency under a time-limited appointment in the competitive service and (b) service under this initial appointment, or in conjunction with subsequent competitive service time-limited appointments, to a land management agency was for a period of 24 months without a break in service of two or more years. Your performance must have been evaluated as being at an acceptable level for the entire applicable period(s). “Required documentation” includes first and last SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) for each appointment verifying the Position Occupied code (Block 34) is 1-Competitive Service. Applicants are encouraged to combine all required documents into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping documents into files will simplify the application process. Failure to submit required documentation will result in loss of consideration.
Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligibles: documentation verifying your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility - this includes a copy of the agency notice and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level and duty location.
Current and former federal career and career-conditional employees: submit a copy of your recent (non award) SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, or equivalent document that verifies tenure (block 24, code 1 or 2) and Competitive Status (block 34, code 1).
If you are applying for this position based on eligibility under other noncompetitive special appointing authorities, you MUST submit proof of this eligibility.
You may submit your documents either via Auto-Requested Fax or by uploading your documents from your USAJOBS Profile.
Auto-Requested Fax: allows you to submit required documentation that will be electronically displayed along with your resume.
UPLOADING DOCUMENTS: instead of faxing your documents you may use the uploading procedures thru Applicant Manager. Do not use both options.
Hard copy paper supplemental documents, submitted without prior Human Resources approval, will be considered as an incomplete application.
Required documentation must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, on the closing date of this announcement.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To receive consideration for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes ALL of the following items: 1. Your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire; 2. Your resume; and 3. Applicable supporting documents specified in the Required Documents section of this job announcement.
Click on the button "Apply Online" and login to MY USAJOBS.
If you haven't already registered with USAJOBS, the system will require you to create a user name and password, complete a questionnaire and upload, paste or type a resume into USAJOBS.
If you have already registered with USAJOBS and forgot your login information, select the "Did you forget your username and/or password" link from the right side menu.
Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by the closing date of this announcement.
If you need assistance in applying on-line, please contact the HR Office at 503-808-6541 or email kjenkerson@blm.gov. If applying on-line poses a hardship for you (i.e. you do not have access to the internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying.
Resumes must show relevant experience and other information. Your resume must list your education and work experience including the dates (mm/dd/yy) of each employment along with the number of hours worked per week and salary information. Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s). You are welcome to submit a cover letter (optional). If you wish to do so, include it with your resume.
In addition to the online application (resume and responses to the questionnaire), you are required to submit the following forms:
Copy of Transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. If your degree is from a Foreign Institution, See Foreign Education.
Former PLC Member: Submit a copy of your “Certificate of Eligibility for Noncompetitive Hiring” along with a copy of your “PLC Participant Verification Work Hours Sheet.”
Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA): Applicants eligible under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, must submit documentation verifying (a) initial selection under competitive examining procedures to a land management agency under a time-limited appointment in the competitive service and (b) service under this initial appointment, or in conjunction with subsequent competitive service time-limited appointments, to a land management agency was for a period of 24 months without a break in service of two or more years. Your performance must have been evaluated as being at an acceptable level for the entire applicable period(s). “Required documentation” includes first and last SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) for each appointment verifying the Position Occupied code (Block 34) is 1-Competitive Service. Applicants are encouraged to combine all required documents into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping documents into files will simplify the application process. Failure to submit required documentation will result in loss of consideration.
Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligibles: documentation verifying your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility - this includes a copy of the agency notice and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level and duty location.
Current and former federal career and career-conditional employees: submit a copy of your recent (non award) SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, or equivalent document that verifies tenure (block 24, code 1 or 2) and Competitive Status (block 34, code 1).
If you are applying for this position based on eligibility under other noncompetitive special appointing authorities, you MUST submit proof of this eligibility.
You may submit your documents either via Auto-Requested Fax or by uploading your documents from your USAJOBS Profile.
Auto-Requested Fax: allows you to submit required documentation that will be electronically displayed along with your resume.
UPLOADING DOCUMENTS: instead of faxing your documents you may use the uploading procedures thru Applicant Manager. Do not use both options.
Hard copy paper supplemental documents, submitted without prior Human Resources approval, will be considered as an incomplete application.
Required documentation must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, on the closing date of this announcement.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To receive consideration for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes ALL of the following items: 1. Your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire; 2. Your resume; and 3. Applicable supporting documents specified in the Required Documents section of this job announcement.
Click on the button "Apply Online" and login to MY USAJOBS.
If you haven't already registered with USAJOBS, the system will require you to create a user name and password, complete a questionnaire and upload, paste or type a resume into USAJOBS.
If you have already registered with USAJOBS and forgot your login information, select the "Did you forget your username and/or password" link from the right side menu.
Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by the closing date of this announcement.
If you need assistance in applying on-line, please contact the HR Office at 503-808-6541 or email kjenkerson@blm.gov. If applying on-line poses a hardship for you (i.e. you do not have access to the internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying.
