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Botanist

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

These positions are located in the Pacific Northwest Region, Region 6 and will be located at a designated Forest Service Office.

The position provides professional, scientific assistance to the unit staff and to provide assistance and training to the staff in dealing with sensitive plant species and botany.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact POC's listed under "Additional Information."

Overview

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Hiring complete
Posted 12/05/23
Location
2 vacancies in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$57,118 - $89,835 per year

Salary wage as shown is for 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 - 11
Promotion potential
11
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel may be required for field work, site visits, training and/or meetings.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
24-R6-GVA-12216193-DH-HE
Control number
763780100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

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Duties

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  • Duties listed below are at the full performance level.
  • Provide technical expert assistance to the unit in matters dealing with threatened, endangered and sensitive plant species and plant community and vegetation management.
  • Responsible for the identification, management and plant ecology. Ensures consistency throughout the Forest in developing and implementing programs to manage and protect these plants.
  • Prepare botanical reports and makes on-the-ground investigations of complex ecological and botanical conditions of the effects of specific activities on the long-term survival of rare plant species.
  • Participate on interdisciplinary teams to provide the documentation and coordination necessary for the effective management of threatened, endangered and sensitive plant species.
  • Develop and/or modify established procedures for recording plant survey information in order to meet environmental assessment requirements, botanical baseline data requirements, and for maintaining plants.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • 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.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

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.

Basic Requirement:

Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study in: botany; or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany.

OR Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in botany or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

For positions dealing with the study of fungi, or with basic mycological relationships, the course work in botany must have included at least 6 semester hours in mycology. Courses in basic botany, plant anatomy or morphology, cytology, histology, genetics, taxonomy or systematics, algology, mycology, ethnobotany, and those dealing with specific problems of a botanical nature or with specific groups of plants are qualifying. The courses required for mycologists are specific and must have been in mycology.

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 level in the Federal Service. Qualifying specialized experience includes meeting one or more of the following: Participated in the evaluation and monitoring of the threatened, endangered and sensitive plant species and plant community and vegetation management programs; located, surveyed, identified, and recorded threatened, endangered and sensitive plant species information in order to meet environmental assessment requirements; assisted in preparation of biological evaluations and assessments; assisted in the control of noxious weeds or other invasive species;
OR
A master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, in a related field;
OR
A 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). The education was obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

For the GS-11: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal Service. Qualifying specialized experience includes meeting one or more of the following: Developed, evaluated, and monitored threatened, endangered and sensitive plant species and plant community and vegetation management programs; conducted and oversaw vegetation inventories, population, and community monitoring; assisted in the development and implementation of management plans for the protection and enhancement of habitat for special status plants, and the control of noxious weeds or other invasive species;
OR
3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree with coursework directly related to the work of this position;
OR
A combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D. and coursework directly related to the work of this position).

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.

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.

Education

See above for education that may be qualifying for the specific grade level.

Additional information

These positions may be filled at the following Forest Service locations:

Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Vancouver, WA
For additional information, contact: Joshua Chapman at 360-409-6236 or 360-891-5154 or Joshua.l.chapman@usda.gov

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in Medford, OR
For additional information, contact: Stuart Osbrack at 541-592-4052 or stuart.osbrack@usda.gov

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors.

Selections made under this authority will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would be given a new appointment.

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 is a bargaining unit position represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees, IAMAW.

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.


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/

We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.

How you will be evaluated

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

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, to include any selective placement factor(s), if applicable, will be referred to the selecting official. Before a certificate is issued to the selecting official, the resume is reviewed to ensure that you meet all the qualification requirements. A rating will not be used; veteran's preference does not apply due to the existence of the Direct Hire authority for this position.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, 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.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12216193

Forest Service

A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation's most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Products Laboratory, and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies.

It's an awesome responsibility - but the rewards are as limitless as the views.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center
Phone
1-877-372-7248 X2
Email
HRM_Contact_Center@usda.gov
Address
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US

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