This is an open continuous announcement. Applications will expire every 90 days. To remain active for consideration, applicants must resubmit their application.
Summary
Positions are located at Forest Service units across Regions 1, 2, 3, & 4. See EDUCATION for additional information.
The primary duties of this position is to analyze and design proposed land and natural resource management projects.
This is an open continuous announcement. Applications will expire every 90 days. To remain active for consideration, applicants must resubmit their application.
Salary wage as shown is for the 2023 Rest of the U.S. For more information, refer to the Office of Personnel Management, Salary and Wages web page.
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 12
Locations
MANY vacancies in the following locations:
Boise, ID
Emmett, ID
Idaho Falls, ID
Jerome, ID
Ketchum, ID
McCall, ID
Stanley, ID
Sparks, NV
Logan, UT
Ogden, UT
Price, UT
Richfield, UT
Salt Lake City, UT
South Jordan, UT
Jackson, WY
Pinedale, WY
Location Negotiable After Selection,
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 for meetings, trainings, and/or site visits.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation expenses may be reimbursed at the discretion of management in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
00 - Promotion potential will vary based on position filled and will either be at the GS-09, GS-11 or GS-12 level depending upon unit assigned to at time of selection.
Duties listed are at the full performance level of GS-12.
Responsible for a wide range of duties as a member of interdisciplinary teams or as a single resource to analyze proposed land management resource plan direction and/or proposed natural resource management projects.
May serve as Project Lead for scenery, design or recreation-focused projects and the preparation of related environmental documents.
May Serve as the recreation and scenery resource specialist on multidisciplinary teams for a variety of resource management activities such as recreation planning, forest restoration, and wilderness and wild and scenic river planning.
Prepare or review site analyses, recreation and scenic resource specialist reports including design features, environmental design features and mitigation measures.
Use various computer software such as GIS, AutoCAD, and visual simulation programs as tools to perform project analysis.
Participate in the development of land and resource management plans related to recreation, scenery, and related resources; coordinate with other resource staffs to develop scenic character descriptions, goals, and scenic integrity objectives.
Manage recreation projects of varying levels of complexity from environmental analysis, site planning, through design, construction, and post-construction as appropriate.
Ensure designs, plans and documentation comply with Federal laws and regulations, and agency policies and direction, including FS Accessibility Standards and Guidance for Federal Agencies on Sustainable Practices for Designed Landscapes.
Responsible for day-to-day project operation and progress, project quality, and timely delivery of assigned work.
Monitor and prepare progress reports to ensure projects remain on track and that the process and products are fully compliant with federal laws and regulations.
Contribute to building Agency landscape architecture capacity by networking with other Agency experts to identify Agency needs and develop solutions.
Selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97. Questions should be directed to the Travel help Desk, 877-372-7248, Option 1, or email asc_tos@fs.fed.us.
Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify.
Work is performed in both the office setting and field environment. Work in the field requires occasional exposure to conditions in remote areas requiring long travel days, roads and facilities that are under construction.
Conditions during site visits may involve exposure to dust, steep terrain, uneven surfaces, precipitation, temperature and weather extremes, and deteriorated conditions where health and safety measures will be necessary.
Other field work hazards include risk of injury from falls, strains, striking against brush and overhanging branches, and occasional exposure to inclement weather such as rain, cold, and heat.
Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.
Work Experience:Your resume must clearly document the following for each block of work experience: the beginning day, month and year the work assignment started and ended; the hours worked per week; position title, and series and grade if applicable; and description of duties performed. This information must be provided for each permanent, temporary, or seasonal appointment/work assignment or volunteer work and should be clearly documented as a separate block of time. Incomplete, inaccurate, or conflicting work history may not be credited for qualifications purposes. This can result in an applicant not being considered for the position.
Basic Requirement: GS-0807 Landscape Architect Degree:Landscape Architecture or Landscape Design Note: Successful completion of a 5 year program of study of at least 160 semester hours leading to a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture in an accredited college or university is qualifying for GS-7. OR
Combination of education and experience -- for each year short of graduation, the applicant must have had 1 year of experience under professional leadership and guidance of such character and diversity as to be a satisfactory substitute for the required education. This experience must have included original landscape design.
Experience Equivalent to a Degree in Landscape Architecture: A degree in landscape architecture indicates that an applicant has the basic background to perform professional landscape architectural work at the beginning levels, and has the potential to develop the skills and abilities required at the higher levels. Experience may be substituted for education to the extent that it provided the equivalent back-ground. However, because an education provides some knowledge that cannot be measured in terms of course content, but rather is part of general knowledge and cultural background gained as a result of interrelationships among courses, careful judgment must be used in evaluating experience substituted for education as provided for in paragraph B of the basic requirements.
In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below.
Specialized Experience Requirement:
For the GS-09: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as meeting one or more of the following:
Performed a variety of duties for the unit's planning, design and construction programs;
Prepared recreation and scenic resource reports that included design features;
Used a variety of computer software such as AutoCAD and GIS to prepare site inventories, analyses and preliminary design concepts.
OR
A master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., in landscape architecture and/or landscape design.
OR
An appropriate combination of specialized experience and education (only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level) directly related to the position being filled.
For the GS-11: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as meeting one or more of the following:
Assisted in the development of land management plans related to recreation, scenery and related resources;
Reviewed and analyzed initial recreation project information.;
Assisted in designing recreational scenery using computer design technology such as AutoCAD, LandCADD, and Google SketchUp or similar.
OR
3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (coursework directly related to position being filled)
OR
An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (only graduate education in excess of 36 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level).
For the GS-12: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as meeting one or more of the following:
Implemented, developed and/or managed programs, policies and procedures related to landscape architecture, recreation planning, accessibility, or scenery resources management;
Provided technical guidance both orally and in writing to internal and external audiences related to landscape architecture, scenery, and related projects, plans or programs;
Evaluated and reviewedtechnicallandscape architecture recommendations for resource management activities such as recreation planning, landscape or forest management, scenic byway or corridor development or other projects related to larger scale landscape planning.
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.
Education
See "Qualifications" section for required education.
Duty Location: LOCATION NEGOTIABLE AFTER SELECTION: Multiple positions (or one) will be filled across the Region at a Forest Service Office. Final determination of duty location will be determined by the selecting officials at the time of the job offer. To see where these Forest Service Offices are located click Region 1 - Forest & Grassland Offices (usda.gov) Region 2 - Home (usda.gov) Region 3 - Home (usda.gov) Region 4 - Forest & Grassland Offices (usda.gov)
If selecting 'location negotiable', the duty station for this position will be negotiated upon selection and must be within 49 miles of a Regional Forest Service office.
We encourage applicants to select Forest Service Locations if willing to consider multiple geographical locations, in addition to selecting specific duty locations they wish to be considered for.
This list depicts current locations and grades available. Other locations in Region 4 may be available. Select all desired locations and lowest acceptable grade.
Region/Forest
Duty Station
GS Grade(s) Available
Region 4 Boise
Boise, ID
11
Region 4 Bridger-Teton
Jackson, WY
11
Region 4 Caribou-Targhee
Idaho Falls, ID
11
Region 4 Fishlake
Richfield, UT
11
Region 4 Humboldt-Toiyabe
Sparks, NV
9/11
Region 4 Manti-La Sal
Price, UT
11
Region 4 Regional Office
Ogden, UT
9/11/12
Region 4 Sawtooth
Ketchum, Jerome, or Stanley, ID
11
Region 4 Uinta-Wasatch-Cache
South Jordan, UT
9/11/12
Mountain Planning Services Group
Location Negotiable within Region 1, 2, 3, or 4 boundaries
12
Additional information
THIS IS AN OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. This type of announcement provides the Forest Service with a readily available source of applicants when vacancies occur. Eligibility and qualifications will be verified when there is a vacancy for the location and grade for which you applied. Information on specific locations where jobs are being filled and the dates when applications are due for these locations can be found on the Forest Servicewebsite. Applications will expire in 90 days. To remain in consideration, you must resubmit your application.
Positions may be filled at one or more of the duty locations included in this announcement.
The USDA Forest Service has legislative authority to recruit and fill Permanent (Career/Career-Conditional), Temporary, and Term Appointments under the USDA Demonstration Project. Under this authority, any U.S. citizen may apply.
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 not guaranteed.
This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position.
This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.
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. The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional information is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-and-leave-flexibilities-for-recruitment-and-retention/
Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.
We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
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. You 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. Individuals with veterans' preference are listed ahead of applicants who do not have veterans' preference within each category.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the responsibilities section including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor's phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference visit FEDSHIREVETS.
Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.
Please view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process.
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 (8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. (MST), 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 returned to Human Resources no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order for it to be entered into the system prior to the closing date.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, in USAJOBS click "Apply" and follow the instructions to attach your resume and required documents, complete the assessment questionnaire, and submit your application.
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 documents 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.
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US
Next steps
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).
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the responsibilities section including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor's phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference visit FEDSHIREVETS.
Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.
Please view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process.
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 (8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. (MST), 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 returned to Human Resources no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order for it to be entered into the system prior to the closing date.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, in USAJOBS click "Apply" and follow the instructions to attach your resume and required documents, complete the assessment questionnaire, and submit your application.
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 documents 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.
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US
Next steps
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).
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
