Soil Conservation Technician

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Technical and Medical Support Positions, Individual Occupational Requirements for GS-0458: Soil Conservation Technician Series). Seasonal experience may also be creditable. A season of experience is considered to be a period of no less than 3 months of continuous employment on a seasonal basis. Shorter periods may be combined to make a season, provided a total of at least 3 months’ experience is shown. For any period where the work exceeded 3 months, the excess work is credited towards an additional season of experience. One season of experience is qualifying for GS-2; 2 seasons of experience qualify for GS-3; and 4 seasons of experience qualify for GS-4. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Installing and maintaining conservation measures on public or privately owned land including parks, shoreline, refuse waste sites, dams and reservoir areas, water and sewer sites, road embankments, forests, and wildlife habitats. Installing and maintaining soil and water conservation measures on farms, ranches, or agricultural land. SPECIALIZED EXPEREINCE GS-05: One (1) year of specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at lease the GS-04 in the Federal Service (obtained on either the public or private sector). Specialized experience must include practical knowledge and use of a broad range of soil and conservation principles, techniques, and practices to develop operational plans such as designing and implementing conservation measures; resolve problems that arise when changing established conservation practices; analyzing landowner income versus cost or practice implemented; change priorities affecting available funds to implement the conservation plan. OR EDUCATION: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree (a) with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-6: One (1) year of specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-05 in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience must include assisting in soil conservation or range activities. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: ability to identify the needs and improvements in farming and irrigated pasture units such as crop rotation, weed and insect control, irrigation practices and crop improvement programs; collects information that maybe used in writing conservation plans for dry farms and farm irrigated pastures; observes farming and crop activities for appropriate use; ability to assist with tasks such as noxious weed control, property lines, rights-of-ways, water systems, utility lines and land improvement projects. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-07: One (1) year of specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-06 grade level in the federal service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience must include the following: provide on-the-spot guidance and assistance in the installation and maintenance of conservation practices as identified in lease contracts, advising methods to follow in applying any provisions of the plans/leases; prepares inspection schedules and inspects terraces, water disposal systems, farm ponds, diversions, dikes, ditches, gullies and other similar structures for determining their conditions and effectiveness, recommending to the farm maintenance or changes as conditions warrant; ability to identify issues encountered in implementation of plans, devising course of action for resolving the issue; accountable for the design, construction layout and final inspection of engineering practices such as terrace systems, water disposal systems, channels, diversions, dikes, ditches, farm laterals, gully control and channel reassignments; locates contour lines, fences, and farm roads; designs and stakes farm ponds, detention structures and other similar approved mechanical practices as required in the minimizing of erosion and flood damage. OR EDUCATION: 1 full year of directly related graduate education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or equivalent). GRADUATE EDUCATION: Graduate education must be related to the occupation and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA’s) to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the position to be filled. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date. Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472). Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date.
This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Superintendent, Anadarko Agency, Anadarko Agency, Branch of Agriculture in Anadarko, Oklahoma. This is a Bargaining Unit position, for more information see What are bargaining units? NOTE: TRAVEL AND RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE AUTHORIZED. ANY RELOCATION EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH REPORTING FOR DUTY WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SELECTED EMPLOYEE.