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Social Scientist/Biological Scientist/Physical Scientist

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service

Summary

This position is in the Forest Service's Washington Office, Research and Development's (R&D) Headquarters' Staff. Serves as an Associate National Program Manager with responsibility for leadership in the establishment and implementation of top-level strategies for R&D objectives which may have significant effects on multiple program areas.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Wendy Zirngibl at wendy.zirngibl@usda.gov.

Overview

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Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$125,776 - $163,514 per year

Salary is listed as Rest of United Stated (RUS) locality. Final salary will be determined at the time of selection dependent on the duty location.

Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Temporary promotion - NTE 1 Year
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
26-RES-SVA-13034754-FS
Control number
880761400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted only from current permanent Forest Service (FS) employees with competitive status and CTAP/RPL eligible candidates.

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Duties

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  • Serves a consultant to senior level staff responsible for the mission area of the problem and may be occasionally called upon to provide authoritative professional advice to the Chief and Deputy Undersecretary on a wide range of matters.
  • As a recognized professional, scientific, or technical authority, the incumbent brings substantial creativity and ingenuity to the development of plans and proposals to address complex, emerging issues within the assigned program.
  • Assesses the adequacy of existing activities, identifies emerging issues and problems, anticipates the need for additional knowledge, and then develops project plans to address them.
  • Provides leadership within the assigned program for improving workplace safety and for becoming a more inclusive organization.
  • Recommends priorities among projects within the assigned program.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

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

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.

This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled in any of the job series listed below.


Basic Requirement:
GS-0101 Series:
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 behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.
OR
Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

GS-0401 Series:
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 biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a major field of study that included 24 semester hours in course work in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. Related course work generally refers to courses that may be accepted as part of the program major.
OR
A combination of education and experience that included 24 semester hours in course work in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry or related disciplines appropriate to the position, AND experience sufficient to demonstrate that I possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation that 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 needed to perform the work of the position.

GS-1301 Series:
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 in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.
OR
Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

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-14 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as all of the following:

  • Provided authoritative scientific and technical guidance to senior Forest Service and USDA leadership;
  • Led key national program elements involving complex scientific, technical, and human centered challenges;
  • Assessed program needs, identified emerging issues, and developed project plans, goals, timelines, and resource estimates;
  • Set project priorities and coordinate activities across Forest Service mission areas to ensure alignment and sustained progress; and
  • Engaged with internal and external clients to gather feedback, support problem solving, and strengthen program effectiveness.

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.

TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience.

Additional information

This is a Detail/Temporary Promotion not to exceed 1 year but may be extended an additional 4 years for a total of 5 years or may be made permanent without further competition. If the position is not made permanent, at the end of the detail/temporary promotion, you will be returned to the position from which detailed/temporarily promoted or to a different position of equivalent grade and pay in the Forest Service, with the same geographic location, if possible. Your salary will be adjusted to the grade level and step that you would normally have been in had you remained in your position.

The position will be located at a Forest Service office, except Atlanta, Georgia; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Washington, D.C.; and Portland, Oregon. Final determination of the duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of the job offer.


Pay rates vary depending on location. The salary shown is for the Rest of the U.S. See OPM.gov for additional information on pay rates.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Forest Service daycare facilities may be available.

Government Housing may be available.

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 on the OPM Website.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

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.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire.

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet minimum qualification requirements. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

Accomplishment Record Review: If you are found minimally qualified, a rating panel will review your resume and Accomplishment Record narratives.

If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. 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.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13034754

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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