Supervisory Soil Conservationist (Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations)

Summary

This position serves as a member of the State Leadership Team and participates in formulation of overall operations for the State. Responsible for managing field operations, associated programs, and budget formulation and execution for an assigned area of the state. Ensures equality of services to all customers. Position reports to the State Conservationist.

Duties

• •Serves as consultant and advisor of NRCS program responsibilities in the assigned state by recommending and implementing policies within the framework of broad national policies.
• •Serving as a program manager for various natural resources conservation programs in order to properly control and utilize appropriate funds and provide program balance for program activities in the state.
• •Provides statewide leadership and guidance for overall planning, development and operation of programs and activities within area of responsibility.
• •Presenting information, preparing activity reports and monitoring program operations and budgets.
• •Coordinates and correlates the work of program staff with other specialists at the Area, State, and National levels.
• •This work involves providing assistance to the State Technical Committee, local work groups, and partners in carrying out a quality Farm Bill program and other assigned conservation activities.
• •Provides supervision to staff of varied grade levels. This includes providing overall leadership of program activities, making work assignments, evaluating performance, interviewing candidates, making selections, and determining training needs.

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. 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. 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-13 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: Managing field operations and staff including providing technical leadership and guidance in the implementation and development of natural resource conservation programs to include coordinating staff performance and budget management. Analyzing workloads, developing and implementing annual work or business plans, and establishing goals within the constraints of funding and staff availability. Directing technical guidance and assistance to groups and individuals on a range of topics related to natural resource conservation. Clearly explaining and describing complex soil and water conservation issues, problems, programs, and solutions to varied groups. NOTE: There is no educational substitution for the GS-13 level. 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 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 to ensure proper evaluation. Your education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited toward qualifications. You may verify accreditation by visiting the U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs website. We will verify your education accordingly. Foreign Education: You must submit verification that education completed in a foreign institution, was recognized by an accreditation body accepted by the U.S. Department of Education. You must include a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. Your transcripts must be in English or include an English translation. You may submit an unofficial copy of your transcript at the initial phase of the application process. However, if selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Please refer to the "How to Apply" section for instructions on submitting transcripts.