Natural Resource Specialist

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. One year at the GS-13 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-14 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 Education Requirement: Degree: Have a bachelor’s or higher degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. (Transcripts are required.); OR Combination of Education and Experience: Have a combination of education and experience– Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation. (Transcripts are required.). 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-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: Developing policies for the business practices of conservation easement; Examining and evaluating real property for programmatic and realty requirements; Administering regulatory provisions and controls for easement programs; and Utilizing resources inventory and assessment data, workload analysis information, program performance data and other sources of information for program analyses. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-13 level. To qualify for the GS-14 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include: Assisting in developing Agency wide policies and procedures for implementing and supporting easement programs; Assisting with preparation of briefing and issue papers, and responses to Congressional, Departmental, interagency, and public inquiries; Analyzing, assessing, reviewing, and interpreting data to evaluate the effectiveness of national accomplishments; AND Collaborating with officials to negotiate programmatic procedures to further agency objectives. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-14 level. The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). 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 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Office of the Deputy Chief for Programs, Easement Programs Division, Implementation and Stewardship Branch. The incumbent provides leadership assisting in developing and maintaining Agency-wide policies and procedures for implementing and supporting easement programs by serving as an easement program manager.