Interdisciplinary Natural Resource SPEC/ Rangeland Mgmt SPEC/ Forester/Soil Scientist/ Agronomist

Time In Grade Requirement: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No Award or Gen Adjust SF-50’s will be accepted). Please see the “CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYEMENT” section for GS-12 and GS-13 grade level TIG specifics. Basic Education Requirement: 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. (Must submit transcripts) Natural Resources Mgmt and Biological Sciences-0401 Series: Degree: Bachelor’s or higher degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Rangeland Mgmt-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: 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. 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 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. Forestry-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: 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. 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. 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, forest valuation, statistical analysis of forest resource data, renewable natural resources inventories and analysis, and photogrammetry or remote sensing. OR 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 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Soil Science-0470 Series: Degree: Bachelor’s or higher degree in soil science or a closely related discipline that included 30 semester hours or equivalent in biological, physical, or earth science, with a minimum of 15 semester hours in such subjects as soil genesis, pedology, soil chemistry, soil physics, and soil fertility. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major in soil science or a related discipline that included at least 30 semester hours in the biological, physical, or earth sciences. At least 15 of these semester hours must have been in the areas specified above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Agronomy-0471 Series: Degree: Bachelor’s or higher degree in agronomy; or related discipline of science that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in the basic plant sciences, including at least 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, such as those dealing with plant breeding, crop production, and soil and crop management. OR Combination of Education and Experience: At least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, including a minimum of 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-12 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include: Gathering natural resource data and information in the context of natural resources management activities using data modeling and remote sensing and scientific modeling techniques; Providing recommendations to management for effective data collection to ensure data is scientifically defensible, and delivered on time; Assisting team members in identifying appropriate parameters and viable solutions to complex problems; and Helping resolve data issues that arise using tools (Python, R or PostGIS). (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) To qualify for the GS-13 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include: Analyzing and interpreting natural resource data and information in the context of natural resources management activities using data modeling and data modeling and remote sensing and scientific modeling techniques ; Helping manage the data collection activities and workload of the for national, continuous, and special resource inventories; Participating in the development of strategic initiatives to advance natural resources operations in support of emerging issues to address national conservation policy needs; Collaborating with natural resource survey experts to integrate natural resource management approaches, tools (Python, R or PostGIS), processes, and techniques into an organization’s natural resource activities; and Monitoring data collection activities to ensure they are coherent, consistent, and accurate. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience)
This position is located at the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The position should be located it the Programs Deputy area, Financial Assistance Programs Division under the Programs Implementation branch and will focus on program data collection and analysis for Inflation Reduction Act funding.