Summary This recruitment is for a TEMPORARY PROMOTION not to exceed 1 year. Please see Additional Information section for more details. Soil and Plant Science Division (SPSD) is looking to fill 1 position within each of the following locations: Northwest Regional Area Southwest Regional Area Northeast Regional Area North Central Regional Area South Central Regional Area Southeast Region Area Fairbanks AK or Home AK Responsibilities Serve as an authority on the classification of land cover types and utilization impacting natural resources Provides leadership and guidance as a subject matter expert in natural resource sciences on natural resource inventories. Analyzes, and interprets natural resource data and information in the context of natural resources management inventory activities using remote sensing. Responsible for the technical leadership of the Data Collection Technical Specialists, and Data Collection Specialists. Utilizes high resolution photography, scanned imagery, and satellite imagery, in identifying, conducting, and coordinating highly complex interpretations. Utilizes soil survey, hydric soils data, vegetation data, and a variety of raster and vector datasets. Assists team members in identifying appropriate parameters and viable solutions to complex problems. Manage the data collection activities and workload of the Soil Carbon Monitoring Network for national, continuous, and special resource inventories. Provide technical oversight and resolve complex data collection issues that arise during local data collection. Develop strategic initiatives to advance natural resources inventory operations in support of merging issues to address national conservation policy needs. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Basic Education Requirement: 0401 Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.; OR Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Basic Education Requirement: 0454 Degree: Range management; or a related discipline that included at least 42 semester hours in a combination of the plant, animal, and soil sciences, and natural resources management, as follows: Range Management -- At least 18 semester hours of course work in range management, including courses in such areas as basic principles of range management, range plants, range ecology, range inventories and studies, range improvements, and ranch or rangeland planning; Directly Related Plant, Animal, and Soil Sciences -- At least 15 semester hours of directly related courses in the plant, animal, and soil sciences, including at least one course in each of these three scientific areas, i.e., plant, animal, and soil sciences. Courses in such areas as plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant ecology, animal nutrition, livestock production, and soil morphology or soil classification are acceptable; Related Resource Management Studies -- At least 9 semester hours of course work in related resource management subjects, including courses in such areas as wildlife management, watershed management, natural resource or agricultural economics, forestry, agronomy, forages, and outdoor recreation management.; OR Combination of Education and Experience: At least 42 semester hours of course work in the combination of plant, animal, and soil sciences and natural resources management shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Basic Education Requirement: 0460 Degree: Forestry; or a related subject-matter field that included a total of at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours of course work were in forestry, to include courses in each of the following areas: Management of Renewable Resources -- study of the science and art of managing renewable resources to attain desired results, including courses such as silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, and wildlife or range habitat management; Forest Biology -- study of the classification, distribution, characteristics, and identification of forest vegetation, and the interrelationships of living organisms to the forest environment, including courses such as dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, and forest pathology; Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory -- sampling, inventory, measurement, and analysis techniques as applied to a variety of forest resources, including courses such as forest biometrics, forest mensuration, forest valuation, statistical analysis of forest resource data, renewable natural resources inventories and analysis, and photogrammetry or remote sensing. ; OR Combination of Education and Experience: At least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours were in forestry. The requirements for diversification of the 24 semester hours in forestry are the same as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Basic Education Requirement: 0470 Degree: 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 in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Basic Education Requirement: 0471 Degree: Agronomy; or related discipline of science that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in the basic plant sciences, including at least 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, such as those dealing with plant breeding, crop production, and soil and crop management.; OR Combination of Education and Experience: At least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, including a minimum of 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Time in grade: 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. (e.g. one year at the GS-12 grade level for consideration for the GS-13 grade level). In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-13 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1. Making many decisions concerning interpretation of unusual and complex biological and ecological interactions, 2. Collaborate with natural resource survey experts to integrate natural resource management approaches. 3. Develops training materials which support analog and digital applications. To qualify for the GS-12 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1. Making many decisions concerning interpretation of unusual and complex biological and ecological interactions, 2. Collaborate with natural resource survey experts to integrate natural resource management approaches. Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-13 or GS-12 level. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Group-Standards 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. Education You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify all education requirements (i.e. substitution of education and/or basic education requirement). If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement. You must document all requirements on every vacancy; we cannot use previous determinations as a basis for rating. All required information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. This information must be received by the closing date of this announcement. Non-submission of these documents will result in non-consideration. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Applicants must, therefore, only report attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation via this link. All education claimed by applicants will be verified accordingly. Important: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Click on this link for more information. Additional Information This recruitment is for a temporary promotion not to exceed (NTE) 1 year. Temporary promotions may be terminated at any time. A temporary promotion made under competitive procedures may be extended up to five years if it meets the needs of the organization. At the end of a temporary promotion, the employee will be returned to his/her original position or to a position of the same pay/grade and in the same geographic location as his/her original position. This temporary promotion may be made permanent without further competition. Locality Pay: The salary for each location may vary depending on locality. Locality tables my be found at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or RPL eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period. This position is eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor. PLEASE NOTE: In the interest of filling these positions as efficiently as possible, we are requiring the following: If called for an interview, applicants must be available to interview within 3 business days of being contacted. If a tentative job offer is extended, selectee will have 2 business days in which to accept or decline. Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed. Alaska Only This position requires field work in areas where bears and other dangerous wildlife are common. Passing a course in bear safety and firearms handling skills on an annual basis, and legal ability to carry a firearm, are required for this position. Must maintain annual Firearms Certification and Bear Safety Training. This position requires that the incumbent meet initial and continuing qualifications in the use of firearms as outlined in the Gun Control Act of 1968, amended by the Lautenberg Amendment of 1996. In addition to salary, compensation also includes a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) of 1.69% (subject to change). COLA is not subject to Federal income tax & is not calculated as salary for retirement. This allowance is to offset the cost of goods and services, housing, transportation and miscellaneous expenses. For more information visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-systems/nonforeign-areas/