Interdisciplinary Natural Resource Specialist/Soil Conservationist

Summary

This position is located in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Indiana. The incumbent serves as the Soil Conservationist and/or as the Natural Resources Specialist. The incumbent works under the supervision of the District Conservationist in providing leadership and guidance in the implementation of Farm Bill programs. USDA employees: Please refer to the Next Steps section.

Duties

• •Assists the field and area staff to market farm bill programs. Farm Bill marketing efforts may include assisting with press releases, field tours and presenting information at meetings.
• •Provides Protracts, payment processing, and Performance Results System leadership, technical expertise, guidance, program management, training, and quality control for Farm Bill programs.
• •Serves as the contact for State Office program specialists to ensure that all relevant information is provided to the field staff accurately and promptly.
• •Ensures financial assisted program documentation and reports are accurate and adhere to technical standards and administrative policies and procedures.
• •Establishes and maintains working relationships with other Federal, state, local and private agencies, groups, and individuals at the field and area level.

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. If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts. This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled in any of the job series listed below. Basic Requirement: GS-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 Requirement: GS-0457: Degree: soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering. The study must have included 30 semester hours in a natural resource or agricultural field, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. OR Combination of Education and Experience: At least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines as shown in A above, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. Evaluation of Education: Education that provided specialized knowledge and skills in soil and water conservation is more valuable than education that imparted broad but general knowledge and skills. Courses in soil fertility, soil chemistry, soil genesis, plant physiology, plant science, and field crops are examples of specialized courses that contribute towards meeting the required 12 semester hours as described above. Courses in the physical sciences or engineering such as geology, civil engineering, and hydrology also meet the soils, crops, or plant science course requirements where such courses included a complete introduction to the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils. Evaluation of Experience: Experience that included the application of techniques, principles, and methods from a variety of agricultural and natural resource fields is appropriate, given the interdisciplinary character of the soil conservation occupation. For example, experience gained in a specialized field such as soil science, forestry, or agronomy is as fully acceptable as experience directly obtained in soil conservation work. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education listed below. Specialized Experience Requirement For the GS-9 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service. Examples of specialized experience includes: Assisting in the development and implementation of soil, water, and resource conservation programs; Providing guidance on policies, procedures, and implementation strategies related to conservation programs; Assisting conservation organizations, private landowners, and/or conservation members. OR Education at the GS-9 grade level: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Master's degree or equivalent degree directly related to the position OR Combination of Education and Experience: 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 the GS-11 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service. Examples of specialized experience includes: Advising and assisting conservation organizations, private landowners, and conservation district members; Marketing conservation programs; Reviewing existing contracts to develop, monitor, and/or evaluate. Developing and implementing soil, water, and resource conservation programs; Establishing and maintaining working relationships with other Federal, state, local and private agencies, groups, and individuals at the field and area level. OR Education at the GS-11 grade level: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: 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. 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. 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. You must meet this requirement by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

College Transcript: If qualifying based on education, you must submit a copy of your college transcript with course number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours, and grade earned. If a relevant course is not clearly