Natural Resource Specialist/Hydrologist

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Department of Agriculture

Job Summary

This position is located in Region 1 on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in Dillon, MT. Serves as the Watershed Program Manager for soils, watershed, and fisheries management on the Forest. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Elizabeth Herrmann at (406)865-0469 or elizabeth.herrmann@usda.gov .

Major Duties

  • Provide short and long-range planning, program direction, project support, and coordination for soils, watershed, and fisheries within the framework of multiple-use management of forest and range lands.
  • Provide program leadership in land management planning, project-level analysis, monitoring, restoration, and inter-agency coordination related to the management of soil and aquatic resources.
  • Provide oversight to the soil and aquatic programs including development of the annual program of work.
  • Distribute the soil/aquatic workload and funding across the forest, develop and expand partnerships, secure funding for restoration projects, and report soil and aquatic resource accomplishments.
  • Assist the Forest in establishing policies and management requirements that contribute to conservation and protection of aquatic and soil resources.
  • Work with the forest leadership and zone specialists on a variety of topics including: program management; forest planning; project-level analysis; appeals and litigation responses, and negotiation; and environmental compliance.
  • Serve as an authority on preparing reports on a variety of complex soil, hydrologic, and fisheries studies. Reports involve analysis of data collected and plans for corrective actions.
  • Review reports and insure that findings reflect latest science as reflected in pertinent peer reviewed literature.
  • Provide guidance and technical assistance regarding assessment techniques in soil science, hydrology, fluvial geomorphology, and fisheries management.
  • Make presentations and responds to technical questions, both internally and externally.
  • Prepares and replies to Congressional and other queries pertaining to assigned projects.
  • Help facilitate individual growth and development of technical specialists who are responsible for program delivery. Foster a collaborative internal work environment that is equitable in terms of program attention, needs, and funding consideration.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled in any of the job series listed below. Basic Requirement:

GS-0401: For more information on the qualifications for this position, go to:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/... Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major field of study that included 24 semester hours in course work in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. Related course work generally refers to courses that may be accepted as part of the program major.

OR

Combination of education and experience that included 24 semester hours in course work in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position, AND experience sufficient to demonstrate that I possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation that 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 needed to perform the work of the occupation. GS-1315: For more information on the qualifications for this position, go to:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/... Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study in physical or natural science, or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in any combination of courses in hydrology, the physical sciences, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soils, mathematics, aquatic biology, atmospheric science, meteorology, geology, oceanography, or the management or conservation of water resources. The course work must have included at least 6 semester hours in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours in physics. Calculus and physics, as described above, are requirements for all grade levels.

OR

Combination of education and experience -- course work as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Acceptable experience must have included performance of scientific functions related to the study of water resources, based on and requiring a professional knowledge of related sciences and the consistent application of basic scientific principles to the solution of theoretical and practical hydrologic problems. The following is illustrative of acceptable experience: field or laboratory work that would require application of hydrologic theory and related sciences such as geology, geo-chemistry, geophysics, or civil engineering to making observations, taking samples, operating instruments, assembling data from source materials, analyzing and interpreting data, and reporting findings orally and in writing. In some cases, professional scientific experience that is not clearly water resource experience may be acceptable if such experience was preceded by appropriate education in hydrology or by professional hydrology experience. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GS-12: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as the majority of the following: participated in hydrologic and soil productivity investigations and studies required for planning and design of multi-purpose projects; compiled information from investigations and studies into long range prescriptions or plans for watershed management and/or water yield improvement; reviewed completed watershed rehabilitation projects to determine their effectiveness; participated in the land management planning process as required in the development of environmental assessments or environmental impact statements; participated on interdisciplinary teams to evaluate the impact of land management activities. 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Pay Range

$76,721.00 - $99,741.00

More information...

End Date: 

Thursday, April 16, 2020