Clarification from the agency

See "Who May Apply" in the "Qualifications" section for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

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• Conducts water and related land resources studies.
• Evaluates community needs and water resource problem areas, determines the scope of effort required for study and establishes study approaches and methods.

Conditions of employment

• A trial or probationary period may be required in accordance with agency policy.
• A valid driver license is required.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: To be eligible for consideration you must meet the definition of recent graduate as defined below:

Recent Graduate: a person who was awarded a degree by an institution of higher education not more than two years before the date of the appointment of the applicant. Exception: For a person who has completed a period of obligated service in a uniformed service of more than four years, the degree may be awarded by an institution of higher education not more than four years before the date of the appointment of the applicant.

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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).

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant education and experience.
Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Community Planner (0020):
Please refer to the General Schedule Qualification Standards Basic Requirements for Community Planner Series for education requirements.

Basic Requirement for Social Scientist (0101):
Please refer to the General Schedule Qualification Standards Basic Requirements for Social Science Series for education requirements.

Basic Requirement for Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences (0401):
Please refer to the General Schedule Qualification Standards Basic Requirements for Natural Resources Management and Biological Science Series for education requirements.

Basic Requirement for Engineering (0801, 0810):
Please refer to the General Schedule Qualification Standards Basic Requirements for Engineering Series for education requirements.

Basic Requirement for Landscape Architecture (0807):
Please refer to the General Schedule Qualification Standards Basic Requirements for Landscape Architecture Series for education requirements.

Basic Requirement for Architecture (0808):
Please refer to the General Schedule Qualification Standards Basic Requirements for Architecture Series for education requirements.

Basic Requirement for Physical Science (1301):
Please refer to the General Schedule Qualification Standards Basic Requirements for Physical Science Series for education requirements.

(NOTE: Applicants MUST submit/upload a copy of the transcripts with the application package. For application purposes, unofficial transcripts are acceptable.)

In addition to meeting the basic education requirements above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirement listed below:

GS-07:
Specialized Experience: I have one year of specialized experience which includes assisting with research and preparing reports and other documentation of analysis methodology and results of small water resources projects. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05).
OR
Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:
(1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses;
OR
(2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.;
OR
(3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/).ORCombination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.
GS-09:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes conducting field inventories and other research and performing economic analysis of benefits, costs, feasibility and impacts of small water resources projects. Preparing reports and other documentation of economic analysis methodology and results. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).
OR
Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.
GS-11:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes conducting economic analysis of benefits, costs, feasibility, and impacts of water resources projects; using econometrics, statistics, and computer modeling to conduct economic analysis; preparing reports and other documentation of economic analysis methodology and results. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).
OR
Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.