Soil Scientist/Hydrologist

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Department of Agriculture

Job Summary

This position is located on the Santa Fe National Forest, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This position serves as a Watershed Specialist with responsibility for coordinating and leading watershed program development, organization, and budget as well as guiding watershed rehabilitation and management planning of projects. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Josh Hall at 505-438-5430 or at joshua.hall@usda.gov.

Major Duties

  • Prepare technical reports on hydrologic and watershed aspects of forest management. Provide a variety of hydrologic and watershed recommendations for inclusion in Forest Plans.
  • Provide advice, training, and technical support to managers to enable them to meet watershed protection constraints while carrying out planned resource activities such as timber harvest, road construction, range, wildfire, and recreation programs.
  • Review projects or activities on-the-ground to analyze watershed impacts as a result of such activities. Oversee current and out-year planning for major watershed projects.
  • Prepare technical reports on soil aspects of forest management. Provides a variety of soil recommendations for inclusion in Forest Plans.
  • Analyze soils data to formulate integrated planning recommendations for resource management activities.
  • Provide soil related information to maintain a Land Management Plan, compartment examination prescriptions, project proposals, and/or environmental analyses.
  • Coordinate watershed program budget execution and communicates program direction among the Forest Staff. Develop proposals to secure funding for watershed restoration projects.
  • Propose local policy and regulation to cover unique problems which are not covered by state, federal, or other regulations.
  • Work with program managers to develop and implement new or revised policy directives or program materials.
  • Participate on interdisciplinary teams to provide resource specialist input for natural resource projects.
  • Interact and coordinate with regional, forest counter parts and other agencies in watershed related issues.

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-0470:

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. GS-1315:

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 in the Federal service. Specialized experience could include: 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 on watershed values. 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

$77,204.00 - $100,369.00

More information...

End Date: 

Tuesday, March 10, 2020