Summary The incumbent of this position provides assistance to the Soil and Water Conservation District assigned to the field office within the Natural Resource area and works with landowners to apply and maintain a number of conservation practices and reviews financial assistance requests under the provision of federal, state and possibly local agriculture programs. Location may be negotiable within the state of Missouri. Responsibilities Provides information to farmers, ranchers and other rural residents on the kind of assistance available from NRCS and other USDA agencies. Assists with conducting engineer surveys to design mechanical practices to be utilized in conservation planning. Advises landowners on eligibility prerequisites and conditions that must be satisfied to qualify for program acceptance and payments. Provides technical support to conservation planners in resource planning by utilizing survey tools and planning software. 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. NOTE TO APPLICANTS: The GS-0458 Soil Conservation Technician series is a technical position. Education is not a requirement for this position, however, this series does allows individuals without experience in this field to substitute education in lieu of experience. GS-06 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 advising landowners on the use of one or several single alternative practices such as nutrient management, roof runoff structures, contour cultivation, grassed waterways, and terracing; installing and maintaining soil and water conservation measures on farms, ranches, or agricultural land; performing surveying work, reducing notes and drafting specifications for various stabilization or diversion practices; and providing advice on merging conservation practices using established objectives (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: One full year of graduate education from an accredited college or university leading to a master's degree with a major course of study in agriculture, forestry, range management, or another subject-matter field directly related to the position; OR Combination of Education and Experience: Possess 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. GS-07 Specialized Experience: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties designing, installing and maintaining a variety of non-routine conservation measures on public and privately owned land including farms, parks, shoreline, dams and reservoir areas, forests, and/or wildlife habitats; advising property holders on the effectiveness of applying soil and water conservation practices; conducting basic research in support of conservation planning efforts; performing surveying work, reducing notes and drafting specifications for various stabilization or diversion practices; providing advice on merging conservation practices using established objectives; and developing and maintaining constructive relationships with clients, partners, and Conservation Districts. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: One full year of graduate education from an accredited college or university leading to a master's degree with a major course of study in agriculture, forestry, range management, or another subject-matter field directly related to the position; OR Combination of Education and Experience: Possess 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. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/soil-conservation-technician-series-0458/ 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 If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: You must submit a copy of your transcripts to include course number, title, completion and grade. 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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 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. 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. Failure to provide all of the required documents/information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating. Additional Information Location Consideration: You may select up to three locations. Locality Pay: The salary for each location may vary depending on locality. Locality tables may be found at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP 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/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. 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. Physical Demands: The work requires regular and routine prolonged walking over field terrain and bending, lifting, and stretching when utilizing survey instruments and equipment. Work Environment: The work involves regular and recurring exposure to agricultural and construction type equipment while in operation. There may be exposure to heat snow and ice as well as herbicide and chemical spray operations, which require safety precautions. 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. This position is eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Other flexibilities are possible dependent upon availability and/or the position and its associated duties. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor. Additional Selections: Selecting Officials may consider applicants in locations not listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA). Applicants should apply to the locations in each state(s) that is listed in this announcement, location will be discussed during interviews to assess interest in other area's within the state(s) of interest. Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.