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Environmental Protection Specialist

Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary of the Interior
This job announcement has closed

Summary



Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
10/22/2019 to 11/04/2019
Salary
$56,167 to - $88,348 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 09 - 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Denver, CO
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—relocation expense will be offered
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11 - Full performance level GS-11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
OS-6000-20-KH-012(MP)
Control number
549463400

Duties

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Security Clearance:  You will be required to obtain and maintain a public trust background position if you are selected for this position 

This position is located within Office of the Secretary, Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment’s Restoration Support Unit.  The incumbent reports to the Office Director through the Assistant Director for Restoration.  The Restoration Support Unit is housed in Denver, Colorado, co-located with the activities of the Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center and near other bureau offices.  Primary activities of the Restoration Support Unit include providing technical support to the Department’s Authorized Officials, trustee council representatives, and case management teams in planning, designing, implementing, and monitoring activities for the restoration, replacement, or acquisition of the equivalent injured natural resources and their uses.

At the full performance level(GS-11)the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Provide direct support to Authorized Officials and case team efforts, as requested, to plan, implement, and monitor restoration activities;
  • Strengthen coordination and cooperation within the Department and with external groups to identify partnership and other opportunities to enhance restoration implementation;
  • Develop policy, guidance, procedures and practices that enhance the Department’s conservation efforts by restoring injured resources and habitats more efficiently and effectively;
  • Enhance consistency in restoration implementation and monitoring by providing coordinated technical expertise;
  • Prepare model documents and provide technical assistance to Authorized Officials and case teams for more effective and efficient restoration;
  • Ensure restoration needs of injured resources influence the damage assessment phase, with restoration planning taking place early and throughout the process of damage claim development;
  • Identify internal Departmental and external restoration programs that may serve as catalysts for potential partnering opportunities;
  • Identify existing internal restoration plans, in any program, under which specific NRDAR restoration actions could be implemented or added to incrementally, consistent with statutory requirements;
  • Identify damage assessment and restoration cases nationwide that could potentially benefit from assistance from the Restoration Support Unit;
  • Assist NRDAR case teams with planning, design, costing, implementation, and monitoring of habitat restoration and enhancement projects;
  • Assists with issues related to land and water conservation and natural resource restoration, including, but not limited to, aspects of invasive species management, threatened and endangered species management, migratory bird conservation, and water quality; and
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

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

Salary Range Information: 

Denver, CO

GS-09: $56,167 - $73,013

GS-11: $67,956 – $88,348

First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.       

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available. 

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Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination
  • You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
  • You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

To qualify for this position you must meet the Specialized Experience and/or Education for the series to which you are applying.  

GS-9 Qualifications:

To qualify at the GS-09 level, you must have at least one FULL year specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level.  Specialized experience is 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 position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience helping coordinate environmental projects or assisting with the development of technical environmental documents that demonstrate the ability to organize thoughts and with text that addresses complex issues (this document may or may not have been published and may be an internal or annual report).

-OR-

A master’s degree or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. 

-OR-

Only education in excess of the first year of progressively higher level graduate education toward a master’s degree or the equivalent graduate degree may be used toward this combination. 

GS-11 Qualifications:

To qualify at the GS-11 level, you must have at least one FULL year specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level.  Specialized experience is 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 position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience helping coordinate environmental projects or assisting with the development of technical environmental documents that demonstrate the ability to organize thoughts and with text that addresses complex issues (this document may or may not have been published and may be an internal or annual report); demonstrated experience in natural resource and environmental protection disciplines to effectively develop guidelines and procedures, budget, performance planning and reporting, and outreach related to restoration activities.

-OR-

A Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.M., if related. The education must provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work of this position. 

-OR-

An Appropriate Combination of Experience and Education: Only education in excess of the first two years of progressively higher level graduate education toward a Ph.D. or the equivalent doctorate degree may be used toward this combination (example: 2.5 years in a Ph.D. program (50%) plus 6 months of specialized experience (50%)=100%).


Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Merit Promotion candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement. 

Education


Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.  

Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Additional information

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position. 

Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.

The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report.  In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior.  This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment.  DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity.  Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work.  All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.

A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The preliminary background check consists of a search of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense background investigation files and an FBI National Criminal History Fingerprint Check; it may take up to 3 weeks to complete. If selected for this position, you will be extended a tentative offer of employment pending a satisfactory background check. Current Federal employees or individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check; these will be handled on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Bureau security office.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  1. Natural Resources – To plan, design, implement and monitor activates for the restoration, replacement or acquisition of the equivalent injured natural resources and their uses. (Duties that relate: 1,2,3,4,5,6)
  1. Technical Knowledge- Knowledge of the concepts, principles and techniques relating to natural resources management, law and protection, environmental planning, environmental science, and ecosystem services. The incumbent must be familiar with the aspects of relevant environmental laws and implementing regulations.
  1. Written Communication -To assist with development of policy, guidance, procedures and practices to enhance the Department’s conservation efforts. (Duties that relate: 3,2,5,6)
  1. Oral Communication –To coordinate with industry, non-governmental organizations and others in improving the efficiency of restoration activities. (Duties that relate: 2,3,5,6)

DUE WEIGHT
Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.  


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