Natural Resource Specialist

Company: Department Of Agriculture
Location: Gatesville
Posted on: June 9, 2021

Job Description:

• Duties

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Duties

Summary

This vacancy will be filled using the Office of Personnel Management's Direct-Hire Authority. Veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this announcement. For more information on OPM's authorization of Direct Hire Authority, please visit, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Assist higher-level specialist with conducting long and short-term scientific studies and investigation on the use of soils, water, vegetation, wildlife, and other natural resources as part of the land management and natural resources program.
• Assist the District conservationist with coordinating surveys, performs monitoring, compiles/analyzes biological data, and prepares reports using statistical inference where applicable.
• Assists in the development, coordination and initiation of all recreational and management aspects of recreational programs to include: preparing regulations, letters of instruction and news releases; collecting population, biological data, etc.
• Provides input to the district Conservationist on balancing competing public and private goals for recreational development, commercial development, and natural resource preservation.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

9

• Job family (Series)

0401 General Natural Resources Management And Biological Sciences

• Requirements

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Direct Deposit Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Must possess and maintain a valid state motor vehicle operator's license for the type of vehicle(s) operated to perform the duties of this position.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Basic Education Requirement:

Degree: Bachelor's degree that included a major field of study 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 in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related discipline that includes at least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines shown above, plus appropriate experience or education comparable to a 4 year degree.

For the GS-05 grade level:

Applicants who meet the basic requirements described above are fully qualified for the specified entry grade (GS-5). (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered:

For the GS-07 grade level:

Specialized Experience:To qualify for the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level or higher in the Federal service (or private sector equivalent). Examples of specialized experience include:

• 1.) Conducting studies using fact-finding and evaluation techniques; or
• 2.) Analyzing data associated with environmental studies.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement in a bachelor's degree curriculum directly related to the work of the position. To qualify for superior academic achievement, you must have ONE of the following:

(1) Class Standing - You must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR

(2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - You must have a grade-point average of either

• (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or
• (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR

(3) Honor Society Membership - You may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/). (NOTE: You must attach a copy of your transcripts and/or verification of class standing for further verification.)

OR

Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: Possess one year of graduate level education in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: : A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education in excess of 18 hours (total semester hours minus 18) by 9. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

For the GS-09 grade level:

Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level or higher in the Federal service (or private sector equivalent). Examples of specialized experience include:

• 1.) Conducting studies using fact-finding and evaluation techniques;
• 2.) Analyzing data associated with environmental studies; AND
• 3.) Developing informational/educational programs, flyers, or handouts to inform the general public on conservation efforts of an organization.

OR

Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: possess 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in soil conservation or a related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: : A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education in excess of 18 hours (total semester hours minus 18) by 9. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Series 0401 (opm.gov)

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.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

You must submit a copy of your transcripts to include course number, title, completion and grade. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement.

If you have not yet conferred your degree or certificate, but will within 180 days of the closing date of this announcement, a letter from the school documenting current standing, degree being obtained and expected graduation date must be submitted with your application.

Important: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Click on this link for more information.

Failure to provide all of the required documents/information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Keywords: Department Of Agriculture, Killeen , Natural Resource Specialist, Other , Gatesville, Texas