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Natural Resource Specialist

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Columbia Pacific Northwest Region 9
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Natural Resource Specialist. You can make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.

Duty Location: Ephrata, Washington https://www.usbr.gov/pn/about/hr/area-information.html

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
02/17/2022 to 03/03/2022
Salary
$54,727 to - $86,074 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Location
Ephrata, WA
1 vacancy
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
Yes—Relocation expenses are authorized with the exception of the Guaranteed Home Sale Provision or first-post-of-duty relocation expenses are authorized, as applicable. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law December 2017, suspends the moving expense deduction and the exclusion from income of qualified employer reimbursements of moving expenses that was allowed under previous tax laws. Employer reimbursements for moving costs are now generally taxed at the same rate as ordinary income.
Appointment type
Permanent - Permanent Appointment
Work schedule
Full-time - This is a FULL-TIME position.
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11 - The promotion potential of this position is GS-11. However, this position may be filled at a lower-grade. Approved subsequent promotion(s) may be made without further competition. Promotion up to the GS-11 level is neither guaranteed nor automatic.
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
BOR-CPN-22-MP-11394273-NS
Control number
637943000

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Duties

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  • Serves as a member of the Natural Resources Group in the initiation, preparation, and completion of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents, resource management plans, and other resource management documents.
  • Provides recommendations both formally and informally for land use, disposal determinations, ecological and environmental considerations, special land use clauses for land use documents.
  • Issues Special Use Permits, agricultural and grazing permits
  • Identifies and reports trespasses on Project lands.
  • Field reconnaissance of and damage assessment of lands impacted by trespass activities

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents).
You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications).
You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education).

Who May Apply:

  • 30% or More Disabled Veterans
  • Bureau of Reclamation Employees (Competitive)
  • Bureau of Reclamation Employees (Non-Competitive)
  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
  • Department of the Interior Employees (Competitive)
  • Department of the Interior Employees (Non-Competitive)
  • Federal Employees (Competitive Transfer)
  • Federal Employees (Non-Competitive Transfer)
  • Former Federal Employees (Competitive Reinstatement)
  • Former Federal Employees (Non-Competitive Reinstatement)
  • Individuals with Disabilities (Schedule A)
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA)
  • Military Spouses
  • Miscellaneous Appointing Authorities
  • Pathways Program - Conversion Eligible
  • Peace Corps & AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers
  • Public Lands Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority
  • Special Hiring Authorities
  • Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA)
  • Veterans Recruitment Authority (VRA)

Qualifications

To be eligible for consideration, you must first meet the Basic Education Requirement for this position, having a
A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Course Equivalency: The number of semester hours required to constitute a major field of study is the amount specified by the college or university attended. If this number cannot be obtained, 24 semester hours will be considered as equivalent to a major field of study.

In addition to the basic education requirement, in order to be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that you meet the education and/or specialized experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume.

To qualify at the GS-09, you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-07 level in federal service having demonstrated experience where you assisted in the application of biological and range sciences; performed common qualitative and quantitative analyses for natural resources; conducted surveys and drafted tentative professional opinions to assist in determining natural resource needs and remedies; and/or assisted in carrying out a range of analytical/scientific assignments in the resource management profession that included researching and analyzing data, issues, and information that support project recommendations; served as a team member specializing in natural resource management related environmental compliance; or assisted in the preparation of documents, such as, Categorical Exclusions and sections of Environmental Assessments; OR
You could otherwise qualify on the basis of Education having 2 years of directly related, progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree; OR master's or equivalent graduate degree; OR
You may combine specialized experience and graduate level education to meet the minimum qualifications.

To qualify at the GS-11, you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-09 level in federal service having demonstrated experience in natural resource management, with an emphasis on range management, or botany/biology, or invasive species management; and identification of basic soil properties; OR
You could otherwise qualify on the basis of Education having 3 years of directly related, progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a PhD degree; OR PhD or equivalent doctoral degree; OR
You may combine specialized experience and graduate level education to meet the minimum qualifications.

Combination of education and experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered an academic year of graduate study.

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.

Time-In-Grade: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower-grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Applicants eligible under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) are not required to meet time-in-grade restrictions in order to be considered.

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective placement factors if applicable, by 03/03/2022.

Education

This vacancy announcement allows substituting education for experience at the GS-09 and GS-11 grade levels. You must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not-qualified for the position.

This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. Non-submission will result in being rated not-qualified for the position.

You will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications, if selected. An official transcript must be sent directly from the University's Registrar's office and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer.

Accreditation: Only education from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education is acceptable to meet education requirements or to substitute for experience, if applicable. For additional info, refer to the Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For additional info, refer to the U.S. Network for Education Information.

Additional information

You may be required to serve an initial probationary period.

***This is NOT a virtual position.*** Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) expenses are authorized with the exception of the Guaranteed Home Sale Provision or first-post-of-duty relocation expenses are authorized, as applicable. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law December 2017, suspends the moving expense deduction and the exclusion from income of qualified employer reimbursements of moving expenses that was allowed under previous tax laws. Employer reimbursements for moving costs are now generally taxed at the same rate as ordinary income.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may request consideration for a Superior Qualifications Appointment. For information, visit: OPM Fact Sheet.

Related non-Federal experience or related experience as retired members of the uniformed services may be credited towards computing entitlement to leave accrual, at managerial discretion, providing that experience meets certain criteria. This provision allows new employees to earn annual leave at a higher rate than would otherwise be allowed. (5 Code of Federal Regulations, 630). For additional information, please visit: Creditable Service for Annual Leave

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

This position is designated as a LOW RISK position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated SF85 Background Investigation (T1 or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.

Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Rangeland Management
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Decision Making
  • Reading
  • Reasoning
The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11394273

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. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. You will not be considered for the position if you fail to complete the assessment. 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.

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