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Wild Horse and Burro Specialist

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource.

This position is located in Phoenix, AZ. Information about Phoenix, AZ and the surrounding area can be found at City of Phoenix.

We expect to fill 1 vacancy at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/19/2022 to 01/26/2022
Salary
$68,858 - $89,511 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Phoenix, AZ
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
AZDE-22-11353142-AL
Control number
631849500

Duties

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  • Lead aspects of the Wild Horse and Burro Program, ensuring that work complies with Departmental, Bureau, State, and District Office objectives, standards, and policies and meets program goals.
  • Work with state and or local veterinarians to resolve livestock health issues.
  • Serve as a technical specialist in wild horse and burro population management control, estimation, and setting population management goals.
  • Review animal care complaints, make recommendations and conduct compliance inspections.
  • Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with volunteers, user groups, government officials, professional interest groups, animal rights, humane, and animal control organizations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • You cannot hold an active real estate license: nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • 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 for training. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required.
  • You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required.
  • You must possess and maintain a current certification to use BLM owned firearms in the performance of official duties in accordance with established procedures for the duration of appointment.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-01/26/2022-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

To qualify for this position, you must meet both the Basic Education requirements for the Biologist, 0401 series AND the minimum experience or education qualification for the GS-11 grade level.

Basic Education Requirements for the 0401 Series: Successful completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a Bachelor's or higher degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. You must provide a copy of your transcripts.
- OR-
A combination of education and experience which included at least 24 semester hours of upper level courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education that is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources or related discipline. You must provide a copy of your transcripts.

- AND -


To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience could include range manager or specialist performing animal husbandry or other duties relating to the care and management of large animals, especially horse and burros; activities such as planning and coordinating policies and programs in a large animal facility; management or program specialist work involving the development and/or implementation of policy related to the habitat and animals using the habitat on public land areas, or similar operations; or other similar work. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree with major study in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciples appropriate to the position. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of completed graduate education beyond 2 years by 18 (or 27 for quarter hours). Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.

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.

ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special prior­ity selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies.

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.

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.

BLM may use certain incentives, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract high quality applicants.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

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 work is a combination of office and fieldwork. Fieldwork may involve strenuous walking, riding off-road vehicles (4x4, UTV, etc.), and climbing over rough and mountainous terrain. Duties of the position require emotional/mental stability, physical stamina and agility, and the ability to remain composed when dealing with controversial and emotionally charged situations. Work involves heavy lifting, bending, and climbing.

Working Conditions: Office work is performed in a lighted and ventilated room. Fieldwork is performed on varying levels of terrain (from flat to steep and rocky terrain) and in corrals with untamed animals in confined spaces. Temperatures vary to over 100F.

The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis. 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 Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11353142, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed below that are required to successfully perform the job.

The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Animal Husbandry
  • Applies Technology to Tasks
  • Attention to Detail
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Oral Communication
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Technical Competence


Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:
  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

Bureau of Land Management

The BLM manages 245 million surface acres. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. We are a small bureau with a big and complex job, determining the best combination of uses for public lands based on good science and input from the public both in local communities and across the country. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.

Agency contact information

BLM AZ HR Team
Phone
602-417-9470
Email
blm_az_so_hr_team@blm.gov
Address
BLM Arizona State Office
BLM Arizona State Office, AZ-953
One North Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85002
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Bureau of Land Management, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.blm.gov/

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