Summary This position is located in the Oregon State Office, Vale District Office, in Vale, Oregon. Responsibilities The primary duty of the position is to perform technical natural and ecological resources monitoring for one or more resource programs (e.g., vegetation, soil, water, wildlife habitat), tasks include collection of data, completing quality assurance/quality control on data, compiling monitoring reports, using GIS for mapping resources, and leading a field crew. The incumbent's work is necessary for the implementation of BLM monitoring programs. The incumbent also provides assistance to higher-graded employees on natural resources analysis of data and incorporating analysis into reporting documents. This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GS-07. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications This is a Career-Seasonal position and subject to release and recall procedures. Selectee will be in a non-pay/non-duty status for at least 2 weeks to 6 months per year based on project requirements or weather conditions. In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS for GS-05: 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 in which you are applying. A. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: (1) record natural resource and ecological data via electronic data capture (e.g., on tablets or other mobile devices); (2) enter and retrieve information from databases; and (3) collect, identify, and/or assess natural resource and ecological data such as soils or riparian. OR B. Education: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. OR C. Combination: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your education as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS for GS-06: 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 in which you are applying. A. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: (1) Collecting natural resource and/or ecological data (e.g., upland, terrestrial, lotic, and/or wetland/riparian) to support natural resource monitoring and/or planning efforts; (2) assessing natural resource and/or ecological data observations, work completed, samples collected for quality; (3) assist in providing information for planning documents or environmental reports; and (4) assemble simple tabular, graphical, and/or narrative representations of monitoring data. OR B. Education: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate education. This education must demonstrate possession of the knowledges, skills and abilities to perform the work of this position. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education. OR C. Combination: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your education as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS for GS-07: 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 in which you are applying. A. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: (1) Analyzing natural resource and/or ecological data to develop content for reporting documents such as data summaries, land health evaluations, and environmental reports; (2) Completing Quality Assurance/Quality Control of monitoring data according to established protocols to assure validity of data; (3) Use geographic information systems (GIS) for natural and ecological resources monitoring (such as mapping soils, vegetation, streams/rivers, wetland/riparian areas, monitoring plots etc.); and (4) Leading field crews conducting natural resource and/or ecological monitoring work. OR B. Education: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate education. This education must demonstrate possession of the knowledges, skills and abilities to perform the work of this position. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education. OR C. Combination: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your education as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. 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). Volunteer Experience: 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. You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". Education To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. Additional Information Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. Physical Demands: Monitoring work requires regular and recurring periods of physical exertion including walking, bending, climbing, crouching, or stooping over rough, uneven, rocky surfaces or mountainous terrain. Monitoring protocols require sufficient physical strength to use manual hand tools such as shovels, trowels, or screening devices. Monitoring work occasionally requires lifting moderately heavy items such as equipment and samples. Data analysis is performed in an office setting with no special physical demands. Working Conditions: Monitoring data is collected at field sites which are outdoor settings and therefore subject to the risks and discomforts arising from remoteness (e.g., distance from services such as medical offices), weather (e.g., extreme temperatures and precipitation), wildlife (e.g., bites and stings), diverse terrain (e.g., steep, rocky, or unstable footing). Implementation of standard field-going precautions such as planning (e.g., checking the weather and sharing travel details with the supervisor or higher-graded employee), situational awareness, and proper personal protective equipment (e.g., sun protection, field clothing, gloves, sturdy footwear, a basic first aid kit) are sufficient to mitigate most risks. Accessing field sites requires the use of two- or four-wheel drive vehicles and comes with the risk of vehicular accidents. Safety instructions and risk management protocols will be communicated by the supervisor prior to initiating field work. Individuals driving a government vehicle are required to complete a Defensive Driving Course. Data analysis is performed in a work environment that involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of offices. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The Bureau of Land Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive or Student Loan Repayment. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ctap\_guideline.pdf. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 90 or above on the rating criteria for this position. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please contact San Antonio Services Branch at SASBMailbox@opm.gov or 816-541-8101.