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Biological Scientist/Physical Scientist

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Rocky Mountain Region, Region Two; Regional Office in Lakewood, CO.

This position will serve as a technical smoke management specialist providing assistance and advice for the National Forests of the USFS Rocky Mountain Region and as the national coordinator for the USFS cache of smoke monitoring equipment.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Brian Keating at Brian.E.Keating@usda.gov or at 303-275-5307.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/02/2020 to 03/09/2020
Salary
$70,181 to - $109,358 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Lakewood, CO
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - Travel in support of wildland and prescribed fire incidents across the region, plus occasional travel for meetings/training & site visits.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Entitlements for payment of basic moving expenses, as required and to the extent allowed by the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) 302-3.101, are authorized for eligible applicants changing duty station when the change meets the distance tests as provided in FTR 302-1.1 and 302-2.6. In addition, the following relocation benefits are available: house hunting trip and temporary quarters.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
20-R2-10733747-DP-SK
Control number
561522700

Duties

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  • Duties are listed at the full performance level.
  • Serves as a specialist in the process for identifying, inventorying, and monitoring of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and Air Related Values (AQRVs) on the Forests.
  • Interprets and implements Regional and Forest standards and direction for air resource management. Maintains and evaluates data relating to meteorological conditions, air quality, atmospheric deposition, NAAQS and AQRVs.
  • Implements procedures for incorporating air resource and atmospheric deposition management in Land Management Planning.
  • Determines what effects prescribed fire and wildland fire have on air quality, NAAQS, AQRVs, and atmospheric deposition so that these effects can be weighed against management objectives and environmental standards.
  • Maintains professional liaison with other air quality specialists and personnel involved in the application of new technology and data management techniques for air resource and atmospheric deposition management.
  • Prepares technical air resource and atmospheric deposition management papers and displays for presentation at National, Regional and other symposiums.
  • Provides coordination between the Forests and other Federal, State and local management and air regulatory agencies.
  • Manages the national cache of air quality monitoring equipment including their maintenance, deployment, and technical support.
  • Manages the deployment of monitors to incidents based on incoming requests, availability, and priorities.

Requirements

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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.

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.

This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled in any of the job series listed below.

Basic Requirement:

GS-0401: Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

GS-1301: Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. OR Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

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-11: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience may include: Assisted high level specialist with smoke management issues related to prescribed fire or wildfire suppression operations. Engaged with forest and district level fire personnel. Familiar with smoke modeling programs and the interpretation of data gathered. Worked with air quality monitoring equipment. Assisted with the preparation of technical reports. Understood and applied policy and guidelines related to smoke management and air quality. OR You must possess three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D degree or PH.D equivalent doctoral degree, if related to the position.

For the GS-12: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience may include: Engaged with forest and district level fire personnel on smoke management issues related to prescribed fire or wildfire suppression operations, assisted with smoke modeling runs and interpretation of smoke dispersion and trajectory predictions. Prepared technical air resource and atmospheric management papers and displays for presentations at National, Regional or other symposiums. Developed smoke monitoring plans and protocols in cooperation with forest and district fire personnel. Trained fire management officers on appropriate use of smoke models and their outputs and limitations. Familiar with air quality monitoring equipment including maintenance, deployment and support.

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

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Overnight travel will be required on an as-needed basis in support of wildland and prescribed fire incident support. Some travel may require camping depending on the location of the incident and may or may not be associated with or supported by an incident command post. Overnight camping will primarily be associated with wildland and prescribed fire seasons and generally fall between April-October. Travel may require 2-3 nights per month but may also include longer periods (up to 2 weeks) at a time.

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. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles must meet the agency's definition for a quality candidate as provided in the How You Will Be Evaluated section of this announcement to be considered.

The USDA Forest Service has legislative authority to recruit and fill Permanent (Career/Career-Conditional), Temporary, and Term Appointments under the USDA Demonstration Project. Under this authority, any U.S. citizen may apply.

If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is not guaranteed.

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 for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications.

You will be evaluated in accordance with the category rating procedure as defined in the USDA Demonstration Project Plan. Applicants who meet the basic minimum qualification requirements established for the position will be placed in the Eligible category. You will be further evaluated against criteria for placement in the Quality category. This evaluation is based on the level of your experience, education, and/or training as determined by your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire. Individuals with veterans' preference are listed ahead of applicants who do not have veterans' preference within each category.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or 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/10733747

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