Ecologist/ Rangeland Management Specialist/ Soil Conservationist/

Summary This position is located in Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Mission Area, Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO), Soil and Plant Science Division (SPSD), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This position provides regional leadership for quality assurance of data collection, handling, and analysis for the development, maintenance, and use of Ecological Sites, and providing coordination and support, including training and oversight, to Soil Survey Office Staff. Learn more about this agency Help Overview Accepting applications Open & closing dates 01/13/2023 to 01/27/2023 Salary $98,496 - $138,913 per year Salary range is an approximation and dependent upon location. Pay scale & grade GS 13 Help Locations 1 vacancy in the following locations: Salina, KS Saint Paul Remote job No Telework eligible Yes-as determined by the agency policy. Travel Required Occasional travel - 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 13 Job family (Series) 0408 Ecology 0454 Rangeland Management 0457 Soil Conservation 0460 Forestry Supervisory status Yes Security clearance Not Required Drug test No Position sensitivity and risk Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk Trust determination process Credentialing Suitability/Fitness Announcement number 23-IMP SH Control number Help This job is open to Internal to an agency Current federal employees of this agency. Clarification from the agency You may apply if you are a current FPAC employee (this includes NRCS, FSA, RMA and FPAC Business Center) with career/career conditional tenure in the Competitive Service; CTAP/RPL and Farm Service Agency permanent county employees. (You must submit an SF-50 that reflects current employment with FPAC and career/career-conditional tenure (Tenure field is 1 or 2); AND status in the competitive service (Position Occupied field is 1).) Help Duties Provides regional or multi-regional leadership for quality assurance in the development and application of the Ecological Site Inventory principles for plant communities across a variety of land uses. Writes and publishes papers, e.g., in local newspapers, NRCS publications, and professional journals. Provides supervision to members of subordinate staff in Soil Survey Offices in the Region including Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) Soil Survey Leaders performing a full range of supervisory functions. Identifies analytical tools and methods to correlate and coordinate Ecological Site information with soils information contained in the NASIS database. Works with individuals to generate new information and interpretations on areas with inventory and classification technologies applicable within the region, organizes soil-vegetation information, and encourages access by a wide variety of users. Help Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a US Citizen or US 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. If selected you will be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are not able to reimburse any fees incurred for fingerprints. Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served. Subject to one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period. Direct Deposit ? 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 at Must possess and maintain a valid state motor vehicle operator's license for the type of vehicle(s) operated to perform the duties of this position. Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Please note that this job opportunity announcement is only open to current Career/Career-Conditional employees of the FPAC, CTAP/RPL eligibles, and Farm Service Agency permanent county employees. If you do not possess this status, you will not receive consideration. Time In Grade Requirement: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-12 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-13 level. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No Award or General Adjustment SF-50's will be accepted). BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This is an interdisciplinary position and applicants must meet one of the following educational requirements stated below to meet the Basic Requirements under the series in which they apply for this position to be considered. (You must submit supporting academic transcripts.) Basic Education Requirement for 0408 series: Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in biology, or a closely related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences. (You must submit transcripts.) Basic Education Requirement for 0454 series: Degree: bachelor's or higher degree in range management; or a related discipline that included at least 42 semester hours in a combination of the plant, animal, and soil sciences, and natural resources management, as follows: 1) Range Management At least 18 semester hours of course work in range management, including courses in such areas as basic principles of range management, range plants, range ecology, range inventories and studies, range improvements, and ranch or rangeland planning. 2) Directly Related Plant, Animal, and Soil Sciences At least 15 semester hours of directly related courses in the plant, animal, and soil sciences, including at least one course in each of these three scientific areas, i.e., plant, animal, and soil sciences. Courses in such areas as plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant ecology, animal nutrition, livestock production, and soil morphology or soil classification are acceptable. 3) Related Resource Management Studies At least 9 semester hours of course work in related resource management subjects, including courses in such areas as wildlife management, watershed management, natural resource or agricultural economics, forestry, agronomy, forages, and outdoor recreation management. (You must submit transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: at least 42 semester hours of course work in the combination of plant, animal, and soil sciences and natural resources management shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. (You must submit transcripts.) Basic Education Requirement for 0457 series: Degree: bachelor's or higher degree in soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering. The study must have included 30 semester hours in a natural resource or agricultural field, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. (You must submit transcripts); OR Combination of Education and Experience: at least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines as shown in A above, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. (You must submit transcripts) Basic Education Requirement for 0460 series: Degree: bachelor's 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: 1) Management of Renewable Resources study of the science and art of managing renewable resources to attain desired results. Examples of creditable courses in this area include silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, and wildlife or range habitat management. 2) Forest Biology study of the classification, distribution, characteristics, and identification of forest vegetation, and the interrelationships of living organisms to the forest environment. Examples of creditable courses in this area include dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, and forest pathology. 3) Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory sampling, inventory, measurement, and analysis techniques as applied to a variety of forest resources. Examples of creditable courses include forest biometrics, forest mensuration . click apply for full job details