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Botanist/Ecologist

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is a Botanist/Ecologist GS-0408/0430-12 located in BLM New Mexico State Office, in the Division of Land and Resources.

This position is open to Bureau of Land Management current permanent employees and employees that meet Land Management Authority.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/02/2021 to 11/15/2021
Salary
$77,976 to - $101,373 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Santa Fe, NM
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary promotion - 1 Year
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
BLM-22-11254024-IMP-OPM
Control number
619765800

Duties

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  • Coordinate closely with field office staff specialists to develop statewide budget and annual work plan proposals.
  • Provide information and expertise on botanical management within designated management areas such as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, wilderness study areas, wildernesses, national conservation areas, national monuments, etc.
  • Participate in Plant Conservation Program evaluations and conducts periodic field reviews to ensure that agency standards are being followed and that professional standards are applied.
  • Provide technical assistance to state and field offices for Plant Conservation issues.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required
  • May be required to complete background investigation and drug screening.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males
  • Must provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents).
  • You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
Due to COVID-19, the Bureau of Land Management is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement in accordance with the Department's reentry procedures provided by your Servicing Human Resources Office. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework one or more days per pay period depending upon the terms of the Department of the Interior's telework policy.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the Basic Educational Requirement for at least one series AND meet the additional Specialized Experience to qualify for this position. To meet the Basic Educational Requirement, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application.

BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR THE BOTANY SERIES, 0430:
A. EDUCATION: Completed a Bachelor's (or higher) degree in botany; or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts)

-OR-
B. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: . Courses equivalent to a major in botany or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and 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. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education and your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience.)

BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR ECOLOGY SERIES, 0408:
EDUCATION: Bachelor's (or higher) degree that included a major study in biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts)

-AND-

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying:

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector performing the following: (1) evaluating vegetation monitoring programs to assure conformance with policies, standards, regulations, and legislation; (2) analyzing and/or manipulating data in a plant/wildlife databases to produce reports with graphics, maps, and spreadsheets; (3) assisting with the budget planning system process for a Plant Conservation Program; (4) utilizing Geographic Information Systems to perform analysis techniques to initiate or interpret habitat and site management.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-11 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-12 level. (Must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted).

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Volunteer Experience: 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.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

Additional information

  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain a valid state driver's license.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 10 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
Physical Demands: The work combines field duties with office duties. Office duties are largely sedentary. Frequent travel throughout the geographic region may be required. Field duties will consist of site visits, some of which will require physical activity in irregular terrains and varied climatic conditions. On occasion, long days and unusual hours may be required. The incumbent may be required to walk or operate 4x4 vehicles over rough steep terrain in the back country, often during adverse weather. Due to the controversial nature of the issues and conflicts involved with natural resource management activities or in dealing with several diverse issues concurrently, the physiological and mental requirements of the work are often demanding and stressful.

Working Conditions: The work environment will consist primarily of an office environment, with some office duties conducted in a meeting setting. Periods of varying length of sedentary duty in front of a computer are expected. Some discomfort attributable to cold and heat could occur during field duties or during travel. Field duties may require hiking and/or vehicle travel into remote locations in all seasons. Incumbent will adhere to all safety rules and regulations as prescribed in manuals/supplements or by the designated Safety Officer. The incumbent will encounter field conditions that include the full range of topographic conditions, ranging from desert valleys to steep mountainous terrain on elevations of 2,500 to 12,000 feet. Average temperatures vary from 20 to 40 degrees in the winter (lows -10 to -40), with highs of 80 to 105 degrees or above, in the summer. The incumbent will be required to tolerate high or low temperatures, high winds, and dust. Occasionally, biting insects and poisonous snakes may be encountered.

The Bureau of Land Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

BLM may use certain incentives, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract high quality applicants.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ctap_guideline.pdf. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 90 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

How you will be evaluated

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

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and the responses you provide on the application questionnaire.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Customer Service
  • Financial Management
  • Manages and Organizes Information
  • Technical Competence


Performance Appraisals: In the evaluation process, due weight will be given to job related experience, education, training, incentive awards and performance appraisals. Applicants must have a performance rating of at least the equivalent of fully successful to be eligible for promotion or placement. Applicants may provide a copy of a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months. If the applicant is unable to provide a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months, the applicant may provide a written explanation as to why.

Recruitment incentive awards: Applicants that have received recruitment incentive awards during the last two years, must list them on their resume.

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