Job Summary
This position is located within a USDA Natural Resources Conservation state, area, or field office within a designated state. This position provides assistance to the Soil and Water Conservation District assigned to the field office within the assigned Natural Resources area; and to work with landowners to apply and maintain a number of conservation practices and review of financial assistance requests under the provision of federal, state, and local agriculture programs.
Major Duties
- Provides information to farmers, ranchers and other rural residents on the kind of assistance available from NRCS and other USDA agencies.
- Assists with conducting engineer surveys to design mechanical practices to be utilized in conservation planning.
- Advises landowners on eligibility prerequisites and conditions that must be satisfied to qualify for program acceptance and payments.
- Provides technical support to conservation planners in resource planning by utilizing survey tools and planning software.
Qualifications
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. Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. Minimum Qualification Requirement: 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: Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: Maintaining a variety of non-routine conservation measures on public and privately owned land including farms, parks, shoreline, dams and reservoir areas, forests, and/or wildlife habitat; Advising property holders on the effectiveness of applying soil and water conservation practices; Conducting basic research in support of conservation planning efforts; and/or performing surveying work; Reducing notes and drafting specifications for various stabilization or diversion practices. OR Education Substitution for GS-07: One full year of graduate education from an accredited college or university leading to a master's degree with a major course of study in agriculture, forestry, range management, or another subject-matter field directly related to the position; OR Combination of experience and education: You must have a combination of education and experience as listed above which when combined totals 100% of the necessary education and experience to qualify for this position. Only graduate education is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. One full academic year of graduate study, or 18 semester hours, is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for GS-7. (Must provide 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). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/soil-conservation-technician-series-0458/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.
Pay Range
$42,053.00 - $42,053.00