Agricultural Science Research Technician

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. GS-06 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-06 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-05 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in a research project related to soil and water resources or a related field; collecting or analyzing soil or water samples; recording and analyzing scientific data; and maintaining standard scientific equipment. OR Education: One full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Agriculture, Agronomy, Environmental Science, Geology, Soil Science, or other related fields. OR A combination of education and experience as described above. GS-07 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-06 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in one or more phases of the research process by performing a variety of technical duties; operating and maintaining common scientific equipment; recording and analyzing scientific data; and keeping detailed records of experimental data. OR Education: Successful completion of one full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Agriculture, Agronomy, Environmental Science, Geology, Soil Science, or other related fields. OR A combination of education and experience as described above. GS-08 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-08 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience organizing and executing the details of a research project related to soil and water resources or a related field; analyzing and summarizing data using software packages; operating and maintaining scientific equipment and analysis of samples. OR Education: Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Agriculture, Agronomy, Environmental Science, Geology, Soil Science, or other related fields. OR A combination of graduate level education and experience as described above. 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
This position is located in the Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, Pacific West Area in Kimberly, Idaho. In this position, you will use technology that increase the efficiency and resilience of agricultural systems and decrease environmental impacts of production at the field, farm, and watershed scales. This is a term, time-limited appointment with an initial duration no less than 13 months and can be extended up to a total of 10 years.