Job Summary

This position is located in the State Conservationist office, assigned to a field office or area office in the assigned state, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The selectee performs duties which assist the District Conservationist in developing and carrying out a coordinated natural resources conservation program tailored to customers' needs and meeting USDA and NRCS requirements.

Major Duties

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the 12/18/2019 the of the announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's degree 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. (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 that included the application of techniques, principles, and methods from a variety of agricultural and natural resource fields 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. (Must submit 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: MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience/education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying: GS-05 LEVEL You must meet the basic requirement. GS-07 LEVEL 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: Successful completion of 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 transcripts) OR Combination: You must have a percentage of the education and experience which when combined totals 100% of the necessary education and experience to qualify for this position. When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required; finally, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. (You must submit transcripts) OR Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): 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. SAA may be met in one of the following three ways: 1. Class Standing-Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on completed courses. 2. Grade Point Average-Applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on 4 years of education, or based on the last 2 years of the curriculum; or a 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field, or the required courses completed in the major during the final 2 years of the curriculum. 3. Election to Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society-Applicants can be considered eligible for SAA based on membership in a national scholastic honor society that meets the minimum requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. (You must submit transcripts) GS-09 LEVEL 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: Successful completion of at least two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree 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. (You must submit transcripts) Combination: You must have a percentage of the education and experience which when combined totals 100% of the necessary education and experience to qualify for this position When combining education with experience, first determine total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required; then determine experience as a percentage of the experience required; finally, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. (Note: Only education in excess of 18 semester hours is qualifying when calculating education percentage.) (You must submit transcripts) 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

$33,949.00 - $66,868.00

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