Summary Incumbent assists the area/zone or similar engineer and provides basic technical guidance in the overall planning, design, installation, and maintenance of the engineering phases of soils and water conservation practices. Direct Hire Authority: This position is being filled through the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Direct Hire Authority for this occupation. Responsibilities Provide technical leadership for the Area Soil Resource activities and ensures that quantity and quality of the work performed meets National Cooperative Soil Survey standards Conduct investigations to determine soil suitability for special crops, highways, structures, etc. Furnishes technical assistance on soils interpretations for urban, industrial, resource maps, and other general interpretive maps for specific land uses. Collect soil samples for special projects. Write technical and nontechnical articles dealing with technical soil services and delivery. Prepare documentation including soil profile descriptions, records data, and compiles field notes. Assist District Conservationists in education and information activities related to the public uses and understanding of soils information. Serve as trainer to provide instruction to NRCS personnel and other Soil Services customers in soil characteristics, properties, and limitations; use of soils in making land management decisions; mapping techniques; and other related areas. 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: 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. Applicants who meet one of the Basic Requirements listed above qualify for the GS-5 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 for the GS-7 level: Specialized Experience for the GS-07 Level: To qualify for the GS-7 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as applying routine principles, concepts and methodology associated with soil science, gaining practical experience working directly with other soil scientists. OR Superior Academic Achievement in a bachelor's degree curriculum directly related to the work of the position. To qualify for superior academic achievement, you must have ONE of the following: (1) standing in the upper third of your college class or major subdivision at the time you apply; (2) grade point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed, either (a) at the time of application or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum; (3) B+ (3.5 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed in a related discipline, either (a) at the time of application or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum; OR (4) election to membership in one of the national honorary scholastic societies that meets the requirements of the Association of College Honor Society; OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: Successful completion of 1 year of graduate-level education in Soil Science or a related field of study; OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages Specialized Experience for the GS-09 Level: To qualify for the GS-9 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience is defined as (1) Conducting standard soil resource inventories and watershed restoration needs inventories; (2) Collecting soil samples for laboratory analysis to determine physical, chemical, an morphological characteristics; (3) Classifying soil properties according to appropriate standards; (4) Assisting in writing watershed restoration plans, erosion control plans, soil resources improvement plans, soil management reports, soil survey reports; OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: Two full years of progressively high graduate education or Master's or equivalent graduate degree in soil science or a related field; OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. 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=GS-PROF 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 have not yet conferred your degree or certificate but expect to do so within 120 days of the closing date of this announcement, you are still eligible to apply to this opportunity. The transcript you supply (may be unofficial) should include any remaining course work that will be taken prior to graduation. HR must be able to review all qualifying coursework that will be credited toward your degree. All application information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. 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 For more information on OPM's authorization of Direct Hire Authority, please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/ Applicants will be limited to 5 locations 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. 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. This position is eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Current USDA policy includes telework for an 8 hour work day, 4 days per week; other flexibilities are possible dependent upon availability and/or the position and its associated duties. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor. Physical Demands: The job requires traversing all types of terrain on foot, crossing fences, and the operation of hand and power tools to examine soils in place and to take soil samples. Substantial physical effort is required. To perform some of these duties the employee must serve as an incidental motor vehicle operator. Work Environment: The work involves regular and recurrent exposure to operating equipment such as backhoe, probe truck, and earth moving equipment and adverse weather conditions such as snow, wind, wet soils, and icy field conditions. Protective equipment may be necessary under certain field conditions. 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. Recruitment/relocation incentives may be authorized.