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Rangeland Management Specialist/Soil Conservationist/Soil Scientist/Agronomist

Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This Regional Soil Health Specialist (RSHS) position is on the NRCS National Soil Health Division (SHD) Staff in the Science and Technology Deputy Area. SHD is responsible for providing leadership on agency soil health policies, tools, practice standards, assessments, programs, technology, training, and approaches used by staff, partners, and customers to facilitate successful implementation of soil health management systems.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/29/2021 to 05/31/2021
Salary
$77,488 to - $129,116 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Locations
4 vacancies in the following locations:
Greensboro, NC
Lincoln, NE
Portland, OR
Fort Worth, TX
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% or less - You will be expected to travel for this position, post-pandemic, often multiple times per month.
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
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
DE-21-11071119-MM
Control number
599839900

Duties

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  • Serves as a point of contact for assistance to selected states to address regional and national soil health related priorities and needs and to facilitate successful implementation of soil health management systems by the entire agency.
  • Leads soil health strategies and priorities by providing training and technical assistance to NRCS personnel
  • Investigates, analyzes and evaluates highly complex problems and situations involving a wide variety of novel soil health circumstances and/or highly unusual conditions.
  • Serves as a Regional support leader for Soil Health activities associated with all agricultural land uses.
  • Works with all members of the Soil Health Division to provide national soil health guidance, direction, and technical support.
  • Contributes to Soil Health Division and interdisciplinary technical development of soil health related training materials, documents, assessment procedures, technical policy and outreach.
  • The incumbent works on interdisciplinary teams, across NRCS Science and Technology Deputy Area and other Deputy areas to incorporate soil health science, technology, benefits and activities into soil health management systems activities and programs.
  • Works closely with members of other agencies, land grant universities and the private sector to identify and address major issues.
  • Collaborates on identifying applied soil health science and technology gaps and integration opportunities for assessment and production system implementation regionally and nationally.
  • Collaborates to develop and integrate new soil health technologies into soil health related practice standards, tools, technical guidance and planning and implementation of management systems for regional or national application.
  • Represents NRCS as a recognized soil health expert and advisor for the purpose of explaining soil health opportunities and to encourage cooperative efforts and continuity of message in solving natural resource concerns and problems.
  • Coordinates with State NRCS personnel in providing leadership and technical assistance to customers, conservation partners, and other interested parties on state-of-the-art soil health strategies, tools, practices, systems, and methodologies.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Subject to one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
  • Direct Deposit: 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 at https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  • Must possess and maintain a valid state motor vehicle operator's license for the type of vehicle(s) operated to perform the duties of this position.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the 05/31/2021 the of the announcement.

This is an interdisciplinary position description and may be filled in any of the following occupations/series; Rangeland Management Specialist (0454), Soil Conservationist (0457), Soil Scientist (0470), Agronomist (0471).

Basic Qualifications for the Rangeland Management Specialist series 0454: Must have a bachelor's degree or higher in range management; or a related discipline that included at least 42 semester hours in a combination of the plant, animal, and soil sciences, and natural resources management, as follows:
Range Management - At least 18 semester hours of course work in range management, including courses in such areas as basic principles of range management, range plants, range ecology, range inventories and studies, range improvements, and ranch or rangeland planning;
Directly Related to Plant, Animal, and Soil Sciences - At least 15 semester hours of directly related courses in the plant, animal, and soil sciences, including at least one course in each of these three scientific area, i.e., plant, animal, and soil sciences. Courses in such areas as plan taxonomy, plant physiology, plan ecology, animal nutrition, livestock production, and soil morphology or soil classification are acceptable;
Related Resource Management Studies - At least 9 semester hours of course work in related resource management subjects, including course in such areas as wildlife management, watershed management, natural resources or agricultural economics, forestry, agronomy, forages, and outdoor recreation management.

OR

Must have completed a combination of education and experience that included at least 42 semester hours of course work in the combination of plant, animal, and soil sciences and natural resources management shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Basic Qualifications for the Soil Conservationist series 0457: Must have a bachelor's or higher degree in soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering. The study must have included 30 semester hours in a natural resource or agricultural field, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science.

OR

Must have a combination of education and experience that included at least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines as shown above, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience that included the application of techniques, principles, and methods from a variety of agricultural and natural resource fields or additional education. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science.

Basic Qualifications for the Soil Scientist series 0470: Must have a bachelor's degree or higher in soil science or a closely related discipline that included 30 semester hours or equivalent in biological, physical, or earth science, with a minimum of 15 semester hours in such subjects as soil genesis, pedology, soil chemistry, soil physics, and soil fertility.

OR

Must have a combination of education and experience that included courses equivalent to a major, in soil science or a related discipline that included at least 30 semester hours in the biological, physical, or earth sciences. At least 15 of these semester hours must have been in the areas specified above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Basic Qualifications for the Agronomist series 0471: Must possess a Bachelor's or higher degree in agronomy; or related discipline of science that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in the basic plant sciences, including at least 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, such as those dealing with plant breeding, crop production, and soil and crop management.

OR

Must possess a combination of education and experience: At least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, including a minimum of 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field.

In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying:

GS-12

Specialized Experience: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service that included:

  • Providing leadership and technical assistance to landowners, conservation partners, and other interested parties in all phases of Soil Health Management Systems;
  • Delivering soil health training and soil health science and technology technical support to personnel, partners, and customers; and
  • Collaborating on interdisciplinary teams along with partners, and producers to incorporate soil health science, technology, benefits and activities into soil health management systems activities and programs.
GS-13

Specialized Experience: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service that included:
  • Leading soil health strategies and priorities by providing technical assistance to personnel and providing leadership and technical assistance to landowners, conservation partners, and other interested parties in all phases of Soil Health Management Systems;
  • Developing and delivering soil health training and soil health science and technology technical support to personnel, partners, and customers; and
  • Collaborating on interdisciplinary teams along with partners and producers to incorporate soil health science, technology, benefits and activities into soil health management systems activities and programs.
(Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) 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).

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 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

You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify all education requirements (i.e. substitution of education and/or basic education requirement). If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement. You must document all requirements on every vacancy; we cannot use previous determinations as a basis for rating. All required information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. This information must be received by the closing date of this announcement. Non-submission of these documents will result in non-consideration. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the 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. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

This position is being concurrently announced under Merit Promotion Announcement Number MP-21-110071121-MM. Current or former Federal employees or other eligible applicants may apply to both announcements to expand all possibilities of consideration since different referral criteria apply to each type of announcement. See the above announcement for more information.
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 neither implied nor guaranteed.
This position may be eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor.
PLEASE NOTE: In the interest of filling these positions as efficiently as possible, we are requiring the following:

  • If called for an interview, applicants must be available to interview within 3 business days of being contacted.
  • If a tentative job offer is extended, selectee will have 2 business days in which to accept or decline.
  • Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized; Management may authorize superior qualifications & enhanced annual leave for applicants who are deemed to be highly qualified.
  • Relocation expenses may be authorized as allowable by Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and USDA policy.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap
The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the USDA with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ctap

How you will be evaluated

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

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:
Conservation Planning, Leadership, Oral Communication, Partnering, Soil Science, Teaching Others, and Writing

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. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

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.

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