Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Natural Resources Specialist

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the USFS State and Private Forestry Field Office in Durham, NH.

The Durham Field Office service area includes the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and New York.

The incumbent is considered an urban forestry expert and coordinates the federal Urban and Community Forestry Program across the northeastern states listed above.

For additional information, please contact Constance Carpenter at constance.carpenter@usda.gov

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
10/12/2021 to 10/18/2021
Salary
$86,283 to - $86,283 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Durham, NH
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for site visits, meetings and training, primarily a 7 state area including New York and the New England States.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
22-R9SVSEP-0954-845935DH-CW
Control number
617017300

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

Duties

Help
  • Serve as a program specialist with program responsibility for the Urban and Community Forestry Program.
  • Communicate the Urban and Community Program mission and vision to diverse audiences through presentations, strategic plans, work plans, and other forms of communication.
  • Represent the Urban and Community Forestry Program on committees, working groups, and program reviews.
  • Develop materials that communicate the value and benefit of urban and community forestry programs to partners and stakeholders.
  • Develop annual and long-term programs with federal/state/local government officials, Tribes, and non-governmental organizations as they relate to urban and community forestry.
  • Develop educational materials and training to increase urban forestry knowledge and skills within communities and partner organizations.
  • Assist with the development of strategies to improve performance measures on the effectiveness of urban and community forestry program work.
  • Facilitate dialogs among interested parties and experts to exchange information, build urban programs and relationships, and respond to mutual natural resource management opportunities related to urban and community forestry.
  • Oversee the grant award process from pre-award terms and negotiation, to post award administration and close out.
  • Provide training for grantees on federal award terms and conditions and statutory/regulatory requirements.
  • Assist with the development of natural resource plans, policies, and objectives as they relate to urban and community forestry.
  • Evaluate the implications of various public policy/proposals relating to urban forestry programs.
  • Build relationships with internal and external partners to deliver urban forest resource programs that help connect people to the land and restore, sustain, and improve urban and community forest resources.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service 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.
  • Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If selected, must submit proof of vaccination or request a religious or reasonable accommodation.

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-0401:
Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position e.g. urban forestry, forestry.

OR

Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major field of study that included 24 semester hours in course work in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. Related course work generally refers to courses that may be accepted as part of the program major.

OR

Combination of education and experience that included 24 semester hours in course work in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position, AND experience sufficient to demonstrate that I possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation that is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion 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-12: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service.

Qualifying specialized experience is defined as two or more of the following: Participated in the planning and management of an urban and community forestry program; Coordinated with federal, state and local agencies and organizations to leverage resources and to ensure compliance with applicable policies and regulations; Provided technical assistance to help develop and/or implement projects to establish, maintain and/or restore forests in urban landscapes; Developed educational materials and training to increase urban forestry knowledge and skills within communities and partner organizations; Assisted in the review and evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of urban forest resource management programs and made recommendations for improvement; Participated in the short range urban forest resource planning and program direction including coordinated with local communities, evaluated tree and urban forest health, and identified opportunities to improve related natural resource conditions (e.g wildlife, fisheries, plants, soil, water, ) in urban and/or urban interface settings.

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.

Education

Education requirement is listed in the Qualifications section above.

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.

Selections made under this authority will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would be given a new appointment.

This position is not covered by a Bargaining Unit.

Government Housing and Daycare are not available.

This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.


The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional information is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-and-leave-flexibilities-for-recruitment-and-retention/

How you will be evaluated

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

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, to include any selective placement factor(s), if applicable, will be referred to the selecting official. Before a certificate is issued to the selecting official, the resume is reviewed to ensure that you meet all the qualification requirements. A rating will not be used; veteran's preference does not apply due to the existence of the Direct Hire authority for this position.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, 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.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11258985

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.