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Forester

Department of the Army
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Real Estate Office; Acquisition, Management and Disposal Section
This job announcement has closed

Summary

About the Position: You will serve as the District Forester and technical advisor to the Division Real Estate Directorate on planning, coordination and evaluation of forest management and utilization, including timber harvesting activities, and provide technical and procedural advise and problem resolution to Districts within the North Atlantic Division.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/28/2025 to 09/10/2025
Salary
$62,020 to - $116,925 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Norfolk, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Situational telework only, as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position up to 25% of the time
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
CERD256139010713
Control number
844636400

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Duties

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  • Provide expert advice and assistance in all aspects of the Forest Products Disposal Program.
  • Coordinate Timber Harvesting and Disposal Program with military installations and project activities.
  • Work with various agencies representatives in developing and projecting long range plans, resolving any problems.
  • Administer overall program of records maintenance, sales, inspection, reporting, contracting, and weight station operations.
  • Evaluate bids and recommend awards to contracting officer.
  • Develop procedures and methods for appraising forest products for sale.
  • Establish and maintain contact with installation commanders, timber purchasers, contractors, loggers, trade associations, and employees of various Federal and State agencies.
  • Promote effective utilization and conservation principles and processes.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • NATIONAL AGENCY CHECK WITH WRITTEN INQUIRIES (NACI) - Appointment to this position is subject to a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
  • PERFORM TEMPORARY DUTY (TDY) - This position has a Temporary Duty (TDY) or business travel requirement of 25% of the time.
  • DRIVER'S LICENSE - The duties of this position require the incumbent to possess or obtain and maintain a valid state Driver's License in one of the 50 U.S. states or possessions to operate vehicles.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

  • Current Department of Army Civilian Employees
  • Current Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army)
  • Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
  • Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473
  • Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
  • Reinstatement
  • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998


In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Forester:
A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in forestry; or a related subject-matter field that included a total of at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours of course work were in forestry. The curriculum must have been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas:
Management of Renewable Resources -- study of the science and art of managing renewable resources to attain desired results.
Forest Biology -- study of the classification, distribution, characteristics, and identification of forest vegetation, and the interrelationships of living organisms to the forest environment.
Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory -- sampling, inventory, measurement, and analysis techniques as applied to a variety of forest resources.

OR
B. Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major in forestry, or at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours were in forestry. The requirements for diversification of the 24 semester hours in forestry are the same as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

GS-9:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: Assisting with timber management and effective development, protection and utilization of the timber resource; Assisting with the sale preparation, valuation and disposal of timber and timber harvests; Gathering facts, statistics, and presenting logical, reasonable conclusion or recommendations for effective development, protection and utilization of the timber resource.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).
OR
Education: 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.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.


GS-11:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: Assisting with timber management and effective development, protection and utilization of the timber resource; Applying knowledge of reforestation methods and timber stand improvement (TSI) principles and techniques to resolve problems on varied forest units; Preparing various real estate instruments or reports involving the management and disposal of real estate and real property.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).
OR
Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 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.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.


GS-12:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: Applying practical knowledge of forestry and land management, forest economics and valuation methods to assure effective development, protection and utilization of the timber resource; Providing expert advice in all aspects of the Forest Products Disposal Program; Identifying critical timber cost factors and the underlying forestry principles to support Timber Harvesting/Disposal Program.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).
Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this grade level, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone- no substitution of education for experience is permitted.


You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:
  • Customer Service
  • Forest Management
  • Technical Competence


GS-9: Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-7).
GS-11: Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-9).
GS-12: Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-11).

Education

ACCREDITATION: Education must be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for the education to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by the accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • One year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Direct deposit of pay is required.
  • This position requires you to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • This is a(n) Engineers and Scientists Career Field position.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
  • Relocation Incentive may be authorized.
  • Recruitment Incentives may be authorized.
  • This is a developmental position to the GS-12. You may be selected at the GS-09, GS-11, or GS-12 level. Promotion to the full performance level is not guaranteed. You may be eligible for non-competitive promotion to the target position upon meeting time-in-grade restrictions and the following requirements:(1) Incumbent demonstrates ability to perform at target grade level;(2) Higher level work exists at target grade level;(3) Increased responsibilities are assigned;(4) Supervisor recommends promotion;(5) Incumbent completes all required training and conditions of employment, and;(6) Incumbent completes all regulatory requirements for career ladder promotions.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

You may claim Military Spouse preference.

Military Spouse Preference (MSP) applicants will receive preference consideration and will be placed (if selected) at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined best qualified, up to and including the full performance level.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

DoD Priority Placement Program (PPP) Applicants will receive preference consideration at the full-performance grade level only.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

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