This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/658767500. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
This position is located in Prosser, Washington - a worksite of the Horticultural Crops Production and Genetic Improvement Research Unit located in Corvallis, Oregon.
Research scientists have open-ended promotion potential. Research accomplishments and their impact on the duties and responsibilities of positions are evaluated periodically. The grade level is limited only by the individual's demonstrated ability to perform research of recognized importance to science and technology.
06/06/2022 to 07/11/2022
$79,363 - $122,683 per year
GS 12 - 13
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Permanent
Full-time
Competitive
15
No
No
ARS-D22PWA-11474676-mds
658767500
Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
US Citizens and Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.
This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled in any of the job series/position titles listed. In addition to the specialized experience requirements, applicants must submit proof that they meet the educational requirements for at least one of the series described in the announcement. Applicants may only be appointed to job series/position titles for which they meet all experience and educational requirements.
Basic Requirements:
Applicants must meet the basic requirements for at least one of the series listed below in addition to the minimum qualifications.
Horticulturist, GS-0437:
Evaluation of Education: Courses in botany, plant physiology, plant taxonomy, plant pathology, genetics, agronomy, horticulture, and similar courses may be used to meet the 30-semester-hour requirement in basic plant sciences.
The 16-semester-hour requirement in horticulture includes course-work in basic horticulture and course-work related to any of the recognized subject-matter fields of horticulture, i.e., fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, nursery work, seed production, or course-work in related areas of science, such as microbiology, entomology, plant pathology, plant physiology, or genetics that is directly related to horticultural work.
Agricultural Engineer Series, GS-0890:
Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified, except as noted under Professional Registration or Licensure, may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.
Computer Scientist, GS-1550:
Evaluation of Education:
Applicants should have sufficient knowledge to understand the fundamental concepts and techniques of computer science. Courses designed to provide an introduction to computer science techniques and methodologies, to problems of system design, and to other specialized fields are acceptable. Courses or experience in teaching elementary, business, or shop mathematics are not acceptable.
Please see above for education qualification requirement information.
In addition to meeting the basic requirements described above, applicants must also meet additional qualification requirements as stated below.
Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled at the next lower grade level and provided the candidate with the knowledge, skills and ability to perform the duties of the position.
At the GS-12: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service or its non-Federal equivalent, conceiving, planning, and conducting independent or collaborative research related to horticulture, agricultural engineering, or computer science that includes designing or implementing new sensor technology, modeling or conducting simulations of agricultural, biological, or environmental systems, or developing or modifying cyber-physical systems to improve automation or precision management; presenting research results at scientific meetings; and publishing independent research results in peer-reviewed journals in horticulture, agricultural engineering, or computer science dealing with sensor technology, modeling, automation, or precision management.
OR
Possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. Examples of qualifying degrees include, computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, statistics, and those in agriculture, horticulture, plant pathology, entomology, or ecology with emphasis on computer simulations or modeling.
OR
Possess an equivalent combination of graduate level education and experience.
Graduate education must be directly related to the work of the position and must have equipped applicants with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.
At the GS-13: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service or its non-Federal equivalent, conceiving, planning, and conducting independent or collaborative research related to horticulture, agricultural engineering, or computer science that includes designing or implementing new sensor technology, modeling or conducting simulations of agricultural, biological, or environmental systems, or developing or modifying cyber-physical systems to improve automation or precision management; presenting research results at scientific meetings; publishing independent research results in peer-reviewed journals in horticulture, agricultural engineering, or computer science dealing with sensor technology, modeling, automation, or precision management; and supervising technicians or graduate students to accomplish research.
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.
To further support your qualifications, it is strongly recommended that you submit a one-page abstract of your MS thesis and/or Ph.D. dissertation. Failure to do so could result in loss of your consideration/referral. Also, please submit a list of names, addresses, and phone numbers of persons familiar with your stature, contributions, recognition; any honors or awards received; memberships in professional or honor societies; invitations to make presentations at scientific/technical meetings; scientific society office and committee assignments; presentations (other than invitation); and publications.
Applicants must be available to report for duty at the time a selection is made. Selections are typically made within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.
*Final grade level may be determined by a peer review panel.
To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
This position requires the selectee to undergo a pre-employment check and a full background investigation. Any offer made is considered a tentative job offer pending the outcome of the pre-employment check. Retention in the position is based upon a favorable adjudication of the background investigation. The incumbent will be subject to periodic reinvestigations.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 71 out of a possible 100.
Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated in accordance with the category rating procedure as defined in the USDA Demonstration Project Plan. Applicants who meet the basic minimum qualification requirements established for the position will be placed in the Eligible category. Eligible applicants will be further evaluated against criteria for placement in the Quality category. This evaluation is based on the level of your experience, education, and/or training as determined by your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire. Applicants with veterans' preference are listed ahead of applicants who do not have veterans' preference within each category.
The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded resumes must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status.
You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/658767500. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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In the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission Area and at ARS, our employees' safety and health are paramount. USDA follows the White House Safer Federal Workforce Task Force and the USDA Safety Plan, which are informed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to implement public health best practices in our workplace. The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force currently requires agencies to perform COVID-19 screening testing for employees who are not fully vaccinated. An employee is considered fully vaccinated when they have received all recommended doses in their primary series of COVID-19 vaccine. If we are unable to verify your vaccination status or you choose to not submit proof of vaccination, you will be automatically enrolled in the Agency Testing Program. Please note that enrollees in this program may be required to complete testing before entering a federal facility, participating in official travel, or completing duties around the public in an official role when county designation is medium or high as defined by CDC.