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Natural Resources Specialist

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary


This position serves as a Natural Resources Specialist in a BLM office, typically at the state office or equivalent organizational level. Work assignments frequently stem from senior managers related to bureau and/or state/center priorities.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/17/2024 to 04/30/2024
Salary
$49,025 to - $94,317 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Lakeview, OR
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - 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
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
OR-24-DE/MP-12356893-JCL
Control number
786196300

Duties

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  • Provides technical assistance to the Field and District Office Managers on the wild horse and burro program.
  • Coordinates with district and field office personnel, other federal and state agencies, and interest groups outside the Bureau.
  • Implements trapping efforts.
  • Provides WH&B population, ecological, genetic, behavioral, and habitat information and management recommendations for inclusion into BLM planning documents.
  • Serves as interdisciplinary team leader on WH&B NEPA documents, insuring all applicable resource information and concerns are addressed during the evaluation process.
  • Coordinates with other district and field office specialists to assure all required clearances and documentation are completed prior to plan and project implementation.
  • Responsible for the collection and interpretation of program specific and interdisciplinary studies.
  • Prepares, designs, analyzes, and implements WH&B HMAPs or other documents involving management actions specific to the unique situations and objectives of each HMA that will ensure plant and animal diversity required to comply with federal laws pertaining to the WH&B program and multiple use management. These plans analyze demographic, genetic, behavioral, population, vegetation, water quantity/quality, and habitat data to insure a viable population that is compatible with other resources.
  • Prepares monitoring plans for each HMA to insure collection of data; and coordinates with other disciplines (e.g., range, wildlife, etc.), to insure integrated, cost-effective data gathering efforts.
  • Develops plans detailing desired HMA objectives, specific management actions to meet these objectives, and addresses the genetic consequences of managing populations at specific levels.
  • Conducts public meetings and makes contact with WH&B special interest groups, the media, humane groups, grazing permittees, local law enforcement agencies, and working contacts with federal and state agencies.
  • Plans and designs WH&B habitat improvements and vegetative treatments that meet program goals and multiple-use constraints and objectives.
  • Formulates habitat improvement projects for inclusion into the AWP and prepares project check list, cooperative agreements, benefit cost ratio, environmental assessment (EA), and necessary National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation.
  • May supervise project construction involving volunteers.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • May be required to complete background investigation.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Must provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents) prior to the closing date of this announcement.
  • You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • Status applicants must meet time-in-grade requirements.
  • You may be required to occasionally travel overnight away from home. You must be eligible to obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating.
  • You must be able to obtain and maintain a valid State Driver’s License is required to operate four-wheel drive vehicles in remote areas, in complicated terrain. Other modes of transportation such as off highway vehicles may occasionally be used.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your official or unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application.

Basic Requirement, General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Series, GS-0401:

Possess a bachelor's or higher degree in biological sciences , agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Have a combination of education and experience -- Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

AND

Minimum Qualification Requirement, GS-07: In addition to meeting at least one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must have specialized experience and/or education to meet one of the minimum qualifications described below:

Specialized Experience: Have one full full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following in a developmental capacity: (1) Researching, collecting, verifying, interpreting, and/or analyzing a variety of directions, regulations and information to ensure program integrity; (2) Assisting with evaluating the effects of programs on natural resources to assist with the development of landscape improvement plans; and (3) Analyzing natural resource data to compile information for the preparation of reports and/or to make presentations.
OR
Superior Academic Achievement (SAA)): Have completed a bachelor's degree with major study in a field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position such as biological sciences , agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position, and meets eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) provision. S.A.A. is based on (1) Class standing-applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class, based on completed courses; or (2) Grade-Point Average-applicants must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (3) Election to membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society - membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. 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.
OR
Education: Have completed one (1) full academic year of graduate level education in a field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position such as biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. One year of graduate education is the number of credit hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) is considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
OR
Combination of Education/Experience: Have an equivalent combination of successfully completed post-high school education and experience as described above that meets 100% of the requirements for this position. (To calculate, first take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months; then determine your post-high school education as a percentage). One year of full-time undergraduate study (post-high school) is defined as 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.

Minimum Qualification Requirement, GS-09: In addition to meeting at least one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must have specialized experience and/or education to meet one of the minimum qualifications described below:

Specialized Experience: Have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: (1) Assisting with evaluating the effects of programs on natural resources to develop landscape improvement plans; (2) Developing monitoring plans by analyzing data for inclusion in planning documents; and (3) Analyzing natural resource data to compile information for the preparation of reports and/or to make presentations.
OR
Education:
Have successfully completed 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree, in a field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position such as biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Combination of Education/Experience: Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above. (To calculate, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 18 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify).

Minimum Qualification Requirement, GS-11: In addition to meeting at least one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must have specialized experience and/or education to meet one of the minimum qualifications described below:

Specialized Experience: Have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: (1) Evaluating the effects of programs on natural resources to develop landscape improvement plans; (2) Identifying and resolving conventional natural resource management problems; (3) Setting objectives and goals for conducting habitat field inventories; (4) Developing monitoring plans by analyzing data for inclusion in planning documents; and (5) Analyzing natural resource data to compile information for the preparation of reports and/or to make presentations.
OR
Education: Have successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or LL.M., in a field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position such as biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Combination of Education/Experience: Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above. (To calculate, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 36 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify).

Education

QUALIFICATIONS (Continued):

Status merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-05 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-07 level; one year at the GS-07 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level; and one year at the GS-09 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. (Must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted).

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

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).

Volunteer Experience: 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.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position.

EDUCATION:

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

Additional information

  • Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain a valid state driver's license.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights per month. You must be eligible to obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
Physical Demands: The work requires the selectee to spend time performing both office and field work. The office work is primarily sedentary and may require walking, standing, and carrying light items, such as books, small instruments or samples, and other similar materials. While at the field office, the selectee may occasionally lift materials such as fence posts, barbed wire, and seed bags, etc., requiring lifting of loads up to 50 pounds. Field duties involve long hours of driving, hiking, climbing, and other forms of outdoor physical activities in remote locations. Occasional project construction work may be physically demanding, such as building or removing fences, constructing wildlife guzzlers, developing springs, etc. The selectee will be expected to operate a four-wheel drive vehicle in remote areas, in complicated terrain. Other modes of transportation such as off highway vehicles may occasionally be used.

Working Conditions: The work environment varies from an office setting where the selectee has regular contact with work associates, to a field setting where the selectee will work alone for extended periods of time in remote situations. Field work will involve outdoor exposure, including some discomfort in extremes of temperature or inclement weather. The selectee may be subjected to hostile wildlife and physical hazards.

Telework: The Bureau of Land Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ctap_guideline.pdf. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 90 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please contact San Antonio Services Branch at SASBMailbox@opm.gov or 816-541-8101.

How you will be evaluated

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

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a subject matter resume review and/or a panel interview. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed below that are required to successfully perform the job.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Customer Service
  • Oral Communication
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Technical Competence
  • Written Communication


Candidates not eligible to apply under merit promotion will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:
  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Non-Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Performance Appraisals for Competitive and Non-Competitive Merit Promotion Applicants: In the evaluation process, due weight will be given to job related experience, education, training, incentive awards and performance appraisals. Applicants must submit a performance appraisal with a performance rating of at least the equivalent of fully successful to be eligible for promotion or placement. Applicants may provide a copy of a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months. If the applicant is unable to provide a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months, the applicant may provide a written explanation as to why.

Recruitment incentive awards: Applicants that have received recruitment incentive awards during the last two years, must list them on their resume.

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