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Geographer/ Natural Resource Specialist/ Soil Conservationist/ Soil Scientist

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

Summary

The position is an Interdisciplinary position. Incumbent will be selected under a series for position of Geographer, Natural Resources Specialist, Soil Conservationist, or Soil Scientist, working title of Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation Specialist. Position assigned to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), State Office, and Soil Sciences Staff. The NRCS mission is to provide resources to farmers and landowners to aid them with conservation.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
09/21/2023 to 09/27/2023
Salary
$46,696 to - $74,250 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
East Lansing, MI
Remote job
No
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—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
9
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
23-DE-12090552-AF
Control number
750333700

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Duties

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  • Make highly erodible land (HEL) and wetland conservation (WC) preliminary technical determinations (PTD) and assist with reconsiderations and final technical determinations (FTD).
  • Serves to assists in making Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Compliance technical determinations, which are conducted in compliance with applicable laws, policies, and procedures.
  • Provides technical advice and assistance to NRCS field, area, and state professional and administrative personnel in interpreting imagery, establishing history, and making technical determinations consistent.
  • Makes wetland determinations following procedures as outlined by the state's local operating procedures.
  • Works with NRCS officials to recommend action(s) to correct deficiencies and make suggested improvements in local policies, practices, and procedures in the areas of geography, soil conservation, soil science and natural resource management.

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. If selected you will be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are not able to reimburse any fees incurred for fingerprints.
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • 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.
  • The incumbent must be able to operate four- wheel drive vehicles and other motorized equipment.
  • 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/.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This is an interdisciplinary position and applicants must meet one of the followingeducational requirements stated below to meet the Basic Requirements under the series in which they apply for this position to be considered. (Must submit transcripts) - SEE REQUIREMENTS IN EDUCATION SECTION

In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed in the Education Section, 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-07

Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties:

  • Performing site visits to review wetland areas as delineated on wetland maps, aerial photographs and charts to determine classification of land;
  • Providing technical assistance on conservation planning that involves wetland restoration or conservation planning on highly erodible land; and
  • Explaining natural resources conservation measures, plans, and objectives at formal and informal meetings.
(Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience)

OR

Education: Must possess 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: geography, natural resources management, soil science, agriculture, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the position. (You MUST submit supporting academic transcripts.)

OR

Combination: Combination of the above-described education and specialized experience such that they total 100% when combined. To determine your combination, first compute your experience as a percentage of the experience listed above; then determine your education as a percentage of the education listed above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent. (You MUST submit supporting academic transcripts.)

OR

Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): SAA at the baccalaureate level is fully qualifying for the GS-07 grade level. To qualify for SAA, you must have completed all requirements for a bachelor's degree in a program that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above, and meet ONE of the following:
  1. A grade point average of "B" (a GPA of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study.
  2. A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. *Grade point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.
  3. Rank in the upper one-third of your 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.
  4. Membership in a national scholastic honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. **If more than 10 percent of your courses were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an honorary society. (MUST submit copies of transcripts)
GS-09

Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties:
  • Leading site visits to review wetland areas as delineated on wetland maps, aerial photographs and charts to determine classification of land;
  • Providing technical assistance on conservation planning that involves wetland restoration or conservation planning on highly erodible land;
  • Recommending changes to hydric soil lists to supervisor; and
  • Correcting deficiencies and make suggested improvements in policies, practices, and procedures based on lessons learned in the areas of geography, soil conservation, soil science and natural resource management.
(Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience)

OR

Education: Must possess a 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: geography, natural resources management, soil science, agriculture, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the position.

OR

Combination: Combination of the above-described education and specialized experience such that they total 100% when combined. To determine your combination, first compute your experience as a percentage of the experience listed above; then determine your education as a percentage of the education listed above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent. (Only graduate level education in excess of one year (18 semester hours) may be combined with specialized experience. You MUST submit supporting academic transcripts.)

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.

The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series

Education

Basic Requirement for the Soil Conservationist - 0150 Series:
Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in geography; or related physical or social science such as geology, meteorology, economics, statistics, sociology, anthropology, political science, history, cartography, computer science, urban studies, or planning that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields.
OR
Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in geography, or a related field that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Basic Requirement for the Soil Conservationist - 0401 Series:
Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Basic Requirement for the Soil Conservationist - 0457 Series:
Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in soil conservation or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, agricultural engineering or a closely related discipline that included 30 semester hours in 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
Combination of education and experience: at least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, agricultural engineering or a closely related, including at least 12 semester hours in combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience 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 Requirement for the Soil Conservationist - 0470 Series
Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree 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
Combination of education and experience: 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.

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 courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation.

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.

Additional 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. Other flexibilities are possible dependent upon availability and/or the position and its associated duties. 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.
  • 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

Physical Demands: Walking over rough terrain, frequent bending/stooping, and lifting and carrying of moderately heavy soil samples, tools, and specialized scientific equipment.

Work Environment: Involves regular and recurring exposure to operation of soil survey equipment, adverse weather such as snow, extreme heat, icy or wet field conditions, and unimproved roads. Work requires special safety precautions and/or protective clothing and equipment.

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:
Manages and Organizes Information, Natural Resources Management, and Soil Science

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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