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

Botanist/Ecologist

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

Summary

This position is located in the New Mexico State Office, in the Division of Land and Resources.

This position is concurrently open to Merit Promotion eligibles under Announcement Number BLM-NM-23-11754263-MP-OPM

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/30/2022 to 01/12/2023
Salary
$83,634 to - $108,724 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Santa Fe, NM
Remote job
No
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
Yes—Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will be paid if the selectee lives outside of the local commuting area and is otherwise eligible for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation.
Appointment type
Permanent
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-NM-23-11754262-DE-OPM
Control number
697200800

Duties

Help

  • Provide leadership at the state/regional level for BLM New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas for the Plant Conservation and Restoration (Botany) program, including overall program direction, budget oversight and execution, and oversight of regulatory compliance.
  • Provide advice and support to the State Director, Deputy State Directors and District Managers on policy implementation and technical matters.
  • Coordinate the Botany/Ecology programs in NM-OK-KS-TX with other state, federal, academic, and nonprofit entities to meet program objectives.
  • Coordinate and integrate the Botany program with associated resource programs such as land use planning, mineral development, range management, fire use, recreation, National Conservation Lands, wilderness, and surface protection.

Requirements

Help

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.
  • This is a bargaining unit position represented by the National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 340.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid driver's license.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this Interdisciplinary Botanist/Ecologist GS- 0430/0408 position, you must meet (1) of the Basic Requirements AND the Additional Specialized Experience requirement described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application.

BASIC REQUIREMENT BOTANIST GS-0430
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 botany, or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany.

OR, A combination of education and experience that includes 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.

BASIC REQUIREMENT ECOLOGIST GS-0408
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 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.

AND,

ADDITIONAL
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT:

Specialized Experience GS-12: at least one year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level 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.

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.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

Additional information

  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 10 nights per month.
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.

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

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or 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.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application

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 your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. 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), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a subject matter expert resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed below that are required to successfully perform the job.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Botany
  • Customer Service
  • Financial Management
  • Organizational Awareness

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.