Soil Conservation

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. If selected you will be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are not able to reimburse any fees incurred for fingerprints.
• 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.
• Must obtain Conservation Planning Certification in accordance with the guidelines in General Manual 180 Part 409.3. State specific supplement requirements, if issued, will apply.
• This position may be eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position. Current USDA policy includes telework for an 8 hour work day, 4 days per week. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor.
• Physical Demands: Work requires regular and recurring physical exertion related to conservation work requiring walking on rough terrain, jumping ditches and furrows, or climbing steep banks.
• Work Environment: Exposure to operating agricultural equipment such as tractors, caterpillars, and plows. Possible exposure to snow and ice, herbicides and chemical spray operations. Protective gear may be required.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.



BASIC REQUIREMENTS:



Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering. The study must have included 30 semester hours in a natural resource or agricultural field, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. (You must submit transcripts.)



OR



Combination of Education and Experience: At least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines as shown above, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. 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. (You must submit transcripts.)



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



MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying:



To qualify at the GS-05 grade level, you must meet the following:



Applicants that meet the Basic Requirements listed above meet the minimum qualifications at the GS-05 grade level. (You must submit transcripts.)



To qualify at the GS-07 grade level, you must meet the following:



Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties:

• Assisting in the application of routine soil and water conservation processes;
• Recommending practices to farmers and ranchers to help control erosion and conserve soil and water; and
• Maintaining accurate field notes to draft preliminary conservation designs.

OR



Education: Must have successfully completed at least one full year of graduate level education in a field such as soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering. One full year is generally equivalent to 18 semester hours. (You MUST submit supporting academic transcripts.)



OR



Combination: Must have a percentage of the graduate education and experience above which when combined totals 100% of the necessary education and experience to qualify for this position. (You MUST submit supporting academic transcripts.)



OR



Superior Academic Achievement: Must meet the qualifications for Superior Academic Achievement, which include a bachelor's degree in soil conservation or a related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering and one of the following methods:

• A grade point average of B (3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for your completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study;
• A grade-point average of B+ (3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in the major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study;
• Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision; or
• Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

Note: If more than 10 percent of your courses were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an honorary society. (You must submit transcripts.)



To qualify at the GS-09 grade level, you must meet ONE of the following:



Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties:

• Applying conventional and established conservation methods to maintain or improve production while conserving soil and water resources;
• Developing natural resource conservation plans that involve a variety of soil patterns and conservation practices (e.g. contours, terraces, tilling, diversions, etc.);
• Obtaining physical data on multiple land uses (e.g. crop history, soil erosion data, drainage characteristics, etc.) to identify and inventory natural resources; and
• Evaluating urban, rural, or wetland conservation needs to apply land treatment measures.

OR



Education: Must possess two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Master's degree or Master's or equivalent graduate degree in soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering. (You MUST submit supporting academic transcripts.)



OR



Combination: Combination of the above described education and specialized experience such that they total 100% when combined. To determine your combination, first compute your experience as a percentage of the experience listed above; then determine your education as a percentage of the education listed above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent. (Only graduate level education beyond the first year or 18 semester hours may be combined with specialized experience. You MUST submit supporting academic transcripts.)



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.



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

Education

You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify all education requirements (i.e. substitution of education and/or basic education requirement). 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. You must document all requirements on every vacancy; we cannot use previous determinations as a basis for rating. All required information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. This information must be received by the closing date of this announcement. Non-submission of these documents will result in non-consideration. 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.