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Biological Science Information Specialist/Resource Information Specialist

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service

Summary

This position is with the Research and Development Sustainable Forest Management Research Unit.

Serves as a Biological/Physical Science Information Specialist and is responsible for planning support and developing a comprehensive, integrated natural resource information program.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Aaron Pina at aaron.pina@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
$106,437 - $138,370 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 13
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
Yes
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
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
26-RES-SVA-13035092-FS
Control number
880762800

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 as the technical authority, consultant, troubleshooter, implementation lead, and training contact for natural resource and infrastructure information applications.
  • Takes the lead role, from a resource management standpoint, in implementing all aspects of strategic-level analyses.
  • Provides advice on special problems relating to policy changes, additional proposals, coordination, and relationships among the Forest Service resource information processes.
  • Develops and maintains contacts across organizational units and external entities to connect/align the information management program with overall Forest Service management objectives.
  • Plans, directs, and executes integrated resource analysis related studies or reviews in connection with the improvement of Forest Service resource management processes related to smoke/wildfire science.

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-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-13 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as two or more of the following:

  • Implemented strategic-level analysis to support regional or national initiatives; and/or
  • Planned and carried out assignments, interprets policy, and keeps the supervisor informed of far-reaching implications; and/or
  • Extended, modified, applied, and interpreted techniques pertaining to resources management; and/or
  • Conducted assessments of the environment in which the policy or program alternative will be considered, chosen, and implemented; and/or
  • Collaborated effectively and interacts with groups across the region, as well as the external cooperators, partners, and tribes to support priority goals of the region and agency.

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.

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.

This is a bargaining unit position and is represented by either NFFE, AFGE, or NAGE.

Forest Service daycare facilities may be available.

Government Housing may be available.

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/13035092

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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