Rangeland Management Specialist

You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Your resume must contain enough information to show that you meet the qualification requirements as defined in the announcement or vacancy questions. In addition, your responses to the questions must be adequately reflected in your resume. Basic Education Requirement: This position has a positive education requirement which requires that you have a 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: 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; 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; and, 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. -OR- A 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 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. You will need to clearly state your undergraduate/graduate degree(s) and you must submit copies of all transcripts or a listing of college courses that includes hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. If your degree is from a Foreign Institution see Foreign Education. In addition to meeting the positive education requirement, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education of the position to be found qualified. In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirements – please be sure to include this information in your resume. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade. For GS-09: One year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-07 level in rangeland management related work. At this level, rangeland management specialists independently perform recurring assignments that are more difficult and complex than those performed by a recent graduate. Examples: work requiring the application of expanded professional knowledge, such as assisting with grazing leases, permits, transfers and allotment management plans; monitoring studies, allotment evaluations and inspections; and analyzing multiple resource management issues; -OR- 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s degree or master’s or equivalent graduate degree in the field of rangeland management or directly related fields of study; -OR- have an equivalent combination of the type and level of experience and education described above. Only graduate level education in excess of the first year may be combined with experience. For GS-11: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in rangeland management related work. At this level, work assignments require the rangeland management specialist to determine approaches and solutions using professional knowledge or experience of range management operations such as resolving grazing administration issues, developing allotment plans, and serving as principal contact and negotiator for rangeland issues within multiple-use-management areas; -OR- 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in the field of rangeland management or directly related fields of study; -OR- have an equivalent combination of the type and level of experience and education described above. Only graduate level education in excess of the first 2 years may be combined with experience. Specialized Experience: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level of the position to be filled. 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. Physical Demands and Work Environment: This position varies from principally sedentary in completing office phases of the duties assigned to performing field work. The field work will require physical activity in driving and walking to, from, and around locations in rough terrain, adverse conditions, and adverse weather conditions, such as rain, snow, wind, and temperature extremes. The work requires special safety precautions and may require personal protective gear.You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
Explore a new career with the BLM – where our people are our most precious resource. This position is located in Lewistown, Havre and Miles City Montana. Information about each location and the surrounding area can be found at their respective Chamber of Commerce websites. We expect to fill 4 vacancies at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.