As a Botanist, you provide the final identification of weed seeds and other plants material intercepted at ports of entry or obtained from domestic sources. You apply procedures to analyze and clear importations of foreign agricultural and vegetable seed for planting under the Federal Seed Act and the Federal Noxious Weeds (FNW) Act. If selected, you will be part of the National Identification Services (NIS), and will collaborate with scientists, plant health regulators and others worldwide.
Summary
As a Botanist, you provide the final identification of weed seeds and other plants material intercepted at ports of entry or obtained from domestic sources. You apply procedures to analyze and clear importations of foreign agricultural and vegetable seed for planting under the Federal Seed Act and the Federal Noxious Weeds (FNW) Act. If selected, you will be part of the National Identification Services (NIS), and will collaborate with scientists, plant health regulators and others worldwide.
The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity. The duties may include, but are not limited to:
Makes critical taxonomic determinations of intercepted federal noxious weed seeds and plants.
Authorizes admission or refusal of shipments based on the identity of intercepted noxious weed seeds, and advises on the cleaning, destruction, or re-exportation of the commodity.
Evaluates and recommends quarantine issues based on the analysis and interpretation of information obtained from many sources, both published and unpublished.
Serves as the Agency authority to resolve scientific problems associated with quarantine of significant weeds and parasitic plants.
Consults with and recommends to management necessary revisions in policies, procedures and standards of the import of foreign plant material and commodities.
Determines formal training needs for technical field personnel and develops and delivers courses in taxonomy for seeds and plants with special emphasis on Federal Noxious Weed species.
Prepares the Technical Advisory Groups (TAG) written evaluations and recommendations needed to resolve regulatory issues related to taxonomy or quarantine status of weed seeds and other plant seeds.
Collaborates with officials of foreign governments, state governments, and representatives of the scientific community, industry, and the general public to resolve taxonomic and regulatory problems.
Selection and retention in this position is contingent on a successfully adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check) and a background investigation.
Successful completion of a 1 year probationary or trial period is required (if new hire to federal service).
This position is eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the duty location of the position. Employee participation in telework is at the discretion of the supervisor.
In accordance with Office of Government Ethics regulations concerning conflict of interest, the incumbent of this position will be required to submit a financial disclosure report within 30 days of their effective date of appointment and annually thereafter.
Qualifications
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience as defined below, etc.
TIME IN GRADE: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
BASIC REQUIREMENT: Degree: botany; or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany. OR 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 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:
Experience in seed anatomy, morphology and taxonomy
Experience with plant reproduction and seed development
Experience with seed quality components or significance of seed quality nationally and internationally
Experience in curating seed collections and herbarium specimens
Experience in using dissecting scopes to aid in seed identification
FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-12 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:
Experience with digital imaging systems to aid in seed identification and for cataloguing seed collections.
Experience with databases for cataloging seed collections and interphasing them with the reference library.
Experience with the equipment required for tetrazolium testing or internationally agreed methods for tetrazolium testing or conducting a tetrazolium test.
Experience with requirements for a seed laboratory quality system or quality assurance for sampling. Examples include: purity analysis; determination of other seeds by numbers; germination test; tetrazolium test; moisture test; seed weight determination; seed vigour testing; seed analysis certificates; training tasks for analyst; or internal audit process and proficiency testing methodology.
Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12/13 grade levels.
TRANSCRIPTS are required. This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university.
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
Please see above for education qualification requirement information.
Additional information
Some seed samples are treated with pesticides and require specialized handling procedures and protective clothing and apparatus.
This position is subject to unscheduled overnight details of undetermined lengths in the event of animal health emergencies or other conditions requiring immediate response, as required by the Agency. (Extensive periods of time may be designated for overnight details.)
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP): For information on how to apply as a CTAP eligible see https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP 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 applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc) should contact: USDAs TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
This position is being concurrently announced under Delegated Examining Procedures on announcement number, 24PQ-APHIS-MA-2018-0683, open to any U.S. Citizen. Current competitive USDA Federal employees and CTAP eligibles may apply to both announcements to maximize opportunities for consideration since different referral criteria apply to each announcement type.
Salary Information: First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.
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.
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.
You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below:
Skill in identifying and taxonomy of plant pests and plant pathogens
Ability to research, organize, and analyze data
Knowledge of plant protection and quarantine regulatory principles and practices
Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing and work productively in a team setting
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. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need to meet minimum qualifications to be referred.
Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. 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.
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.
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.
The following documents are required for your application to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in mail service, your system failure or downtime, etc. Encrypted and digitally signed documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume that includes the following information: 1) personal information; 2) education; 3) work experience including the work schedule and hours worked per week as well as dates of employment; and title, series and grade if applicable; 4) supervisor's phone number for each work period listed and whether or not we may contact them for reference checks; and, 5) other qualifications.
College Transcripts If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the education was evaluated by a credential evaluation service as being equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit http://www.naces.org/members.htm; All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Other required documents as applicable:
Current/Career/Career-Conditional: MUST submit a copy of an SF-50, non-award Notification of Personnel Action, which documents competitive civil service status and preferably shows your current grade/position. In order to demonstrate competitive civil service status, the "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2". If your current grade is not your highest permanent grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing your highest grade.
In addition, current and former Federal employees must submit their most recently completed annual performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) which identifies the official rating of record, signed by the supervisor, or a statement advising why the performance appraisal is unavailable (e.g., length of time in current position, etc.). Performance plans will not be accepted.
CTAP: Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, or appropriate OPM/Agency certification; AND most recent performance evaluation; AND SF-50 demonstrating your separation or the position from which you will be separated.
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.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin. The following instructions outline our application process.
You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office during business hours well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be submitted no later than noon on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact us if you are requesting this.
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.
Step 2: Create a resume with USAJOBS or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).
Step 3: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application” to continue.
NOTE: Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system. Once in the Agency's staffing system you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded resumes must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX).
USDA APHIS MRPBS
250 Marquette Avenue, Suite 410
Minneapolis, MN, 55401
United States
Next steps
If you set up your USAJOBS account to send automatic email notifications, you will receive an email acknowledging: 1) the submission of your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume was successful, 2) if you were referred to the selecting official for consideration, and 3) if you were selected or not selected. If you choose not to set up automatic email notifications, you must check your USAJOBS account for the latest status of your application. Your application may be reviewed to verify that you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements for the position prior to issuing lists to a selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. We expect to make a final job offer within 40 days after the closing date of the announcement.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The following documents are required for your application to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in mail service, your system failure or downtime, etc. Encrypted and digitally signed documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume that includes the following information: 1) personal information; 2) education; 3) work experience including the work schedule and hours worked per week as well as dates of employment; and title, series and grade if applicable; 4) supervisor's phone number for each work period listed and whether or not we may contact them for reference checks; and, 5) other qualifications.
College Transcripts If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the education was evaluated by a credential evaluation service as being equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit http://www.naces.org/members.htm; All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Other required documents as applicable:
Current/Career/Career-Conditional: MUST submit a copy of an SF-50, non-award Notification of Personnel Action, which documents competitive civil service status and preferably shows your current grade/position. In order to demonstrate competitive civil service status, the "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2". If your current grade is not your highest permanent grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing your highest grade.
In addition, current and former Federal employees must submit their most recently completed annual performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) which identifies the official rating of record, signed by the supervisor, or a statement advising why the performance appraisal is unavailable (e.g., length of time in current position, etc.). Performance plans will not be accepted.
CTAP: Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, or appropriate OPM/Agency certification; AND most recent performance evaluation; AND SF-50 demonstrating your separation or the position from which you will be separated.
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.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin. The following instructions outline our application process.
You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office during business hours well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be submitted no later than noon on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact us if you are requesting this.
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.
Step 2: Create a resume with USAJOBS or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).
Step 3: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application” to continue.
NOTE: Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system. Once in the Agency's staffing system you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded resumes must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX).
USDA APHIS MRPBS
250 Marquette Avenue, Suite 410
Minneapolis, MN, 55401
United States
Next steps
If you set up your USAJOBS account to send automatic email notifications, you will receive an email acknowledging: 1) the submission of your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume was successful, 2) if you were referred to the selecting official for consideration, and 3) if you were selected or not selected. If you choose not to set up automatic email notifications, you must check your USAJOBS account for the latest status of your application. Your application may be reviewed to verify that you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements for the position prior to issuing lists to a selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. We expect to make a final job offer within 40 days after the closing date of the announcement.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
