PDF versionJob Summary
This position is located in the Supervisor's Office on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The incumbent is a professional Soil Scientist responsible for planning and implementing soils management projects and activities. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Rob Brassfield at (208) 765-7488, email robert.brassfield@usda.gov.
Major Duties
- Provides soil related information and technical expertise to the land management planning process.
- Formulates and recommends Forest short-range programs for soils management, and provides technical evaluation and support to the development of long-range plans.
- Advises land managers of capabilities and limitations of soils for a variety of contemplated uses and activities such as timber sales, watershed rehabilitation projects, transportation planning, or recreation development.
- Serves on multiple interdisciplinary teams across the Forest conducting environmental analyses of proposed projects.
- Conducts reconnaissance and detailed soil surveys, and prepares inventory reports that include inventory descriptions and map unit description characteristics.
- Participates in the preparation of input to the annual and long-range program and budget process by recommending priorities of soil projects.
- Conducts training of personnel in the use and application of exploratory soil surveys and irrigation suitability surveys. Prepares technical papers and attends meetings of professional societies.
- Serves as a work-group leader for one soils resource professional and up to six technicians.
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. Basic Requirement:
GS-11: 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 soil science or a closely related discipline that included 30 semester hours or equivalent in biological, physical, or earth science, with a minimum of 15 semester hours in such subjects as soil genesis, pedology, soil chemistry, soil physics, and soil fertility.
OR
Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major in soil science or a related discipline that included at least 30 semester hours in the biological, physical, or earth sciences. At least 15 of these semester hours must have been in the areas specified above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. 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-11: One (1) year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: Collected, analyzed, and interpreted soils data for input into environmental reports; participated as a member of an interdisciplinary team for natural resource/land management planning; conducted field reconnaissance to prepare detailed soil surveys including field examination, description, classification, and mapping of soils; managed soils projects, to include evaluating, developing, implementing, and monitoring projects; provided written soils input into National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other technical planning documents for natural resource management projects;
OR
Three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (coursework directly related to position being filled);
OR An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D.). 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
$64,009.00 - $83,210.00