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Invasive Plant Management Team Liaison

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Interior Region 8,9,10 &12 (Pacific West Region)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position will be duty stationed and supervised at a specific park within the Pacific West Region. This vacancy may be filled in either Arcata, CA, El Portal, CA or Sausalito, CA.


Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/05/2020 to 11/18/2020
Salary
$76,721 to - $121,668 per year

Salary will vary dependent on location. See additional information.

Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Arcata, CA
El Portal, CA
Sausalito, CA
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—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
PW-1549-REDW-21-10942078-MP
Control number
583731800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

We are accepting applications from: 1. Current, permanent Federal employees serving under a career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service; 2. Reinstatement Eligibles; 3. CTAP/ICTAP Eligibles; 4. VEOA Eligibles; 5. Current or former time-limited employees eligible under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA); and 6) Special Hiring Authority eligibles (Peace Corps, Public Land Corps, VISTA, etc.).

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Duties

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This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled in either the GS-0401,0408 or GS-0430 series depending on the qualifications of the selected candidate.

The California Invasive Plant Management Team (IPMT) liaison serves as an invasive plant specialist, for the California National Parks within Pacific West Region. The IPMT Liaison provides professional expertise directly to California NPS parks in preventing introductions of new species, reducing existing infestations, and restoring native plant communities and ecosystem functions.

The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a principal advisor to a group of California parks in the management of invasive plants. The incumbent provides direction for all CA IPMT activities, advising on invasive plant identification, inventory and monitoring methods, chemical and non-chemical control methods, data management and reporting, setting priorities, and other aspects of planning related to invasive plant management. The incumbent provides interpretation of and compliance with various laws, policies, and guidelines. The incumbent may direct staff, interns, volunteers and/or contractors.

Major duties include directing a program of invasive plant biology/management and other natural resources activities that involve sensitive and complex issues that may impact a wide variety of park issues. The incumbent serves as a principal advisor to a group of parks on the management of invasive plants and carries out program management duties by annual work plans and schedules, scopes of work, cost estimates, and proposals and/or grants. The incumbent administers and tracks project funds and prepares accomplishment reports to the Washington Office (WASO).

The incumbent serves on WASO, regional, and local committees and groups that help formulate policy for both state and national scope programs. The incumbent is a key node of communication between and among parks, and both regional and Washington offices and serves as a facilitator and advocate for achieving the best possible practices and management in the parks. The incumbent will have opportunities to support park efforts to grow invasive plant programs by responding to grant opportunities and provides strategic vision for the future of the CA IMPT program.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males
  • 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.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • 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 two nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/18/2020-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
BASIC REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet at least one of the series requirements below:

General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Series, 0401, Basic Requirement:
Successful completion of a degree in 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. You Must Submit a Copy of your Transcripts.

Ecology Series, 0408, Basic Requirement:
Successful completion of a 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. You Must Submit a Copy of your Transcripts.

Botany Series, 0430, Basic Requirement:
Successful completion of a degree in 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 in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. You Must Submit a Copy of your Transcripts.

In addition, applicants must meet the SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE requirement as listed below:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: experience with non-native plant species found within the United States and their associated habitat requirements in order to develop effective management strategies and plans; experience with techniques and applications of integrated pest management and an ability to apply them in natural and cultural landscapes and/or experience carrying out complex management and science programs so that the resource stewardship needs of the cooperative park units are met in a cost effective, efficient, timely manner. You must include hours per week worked.

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.

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.

Additional information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

Salary Pay Ranges for pay steps 1 through 10 for the following locations are as follows: Arcata, CA - $76,721- $99,741 per annum; El Portal, CA - $76,721- $99,741 per annum Sausalito, CA - $93,587- $121,668 per annum

A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Physical Demands: The position may require strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking. climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities may occur in physically dangerous areas, or settings. Program management, research and report writing work is sedentary, which entails the ability to concentrate and write for long periods of time. Travel by ground and air is required.

Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather. Assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes. rocky terrain. thermal pools, marsh lands, deserts, and forests. Flying in small fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters is possible.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for situational telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.

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 Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

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:

  • Biology
  • Oral Communication
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Technical Competence
  • Technology Application
  • Writing


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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