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Supervisory Soil Conservationist (Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations)

Employer
Department Of Agriculture
Location
Marriott Slaterville, Utah, US
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
Oct 22, 2021

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Sector
Academic / Research
Field
Conservation science
Discipline
Forestry, Administration/Operations
Salary Type
Salary
Employment Type
Full time
  • Duties

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Duties

Summary

This position is located in Ogden, Utah.

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, budget formulation and execution for an assigned area of the State.

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Responsibilities
  • Develops, analyzes, and implements improvements to field office and/or managerial unit operations, improving the quantity, quality, consistency and effectiveness of conservation work in the State.
  • Supervises staff of Soil Scientists/Conservationists, prepares long and short range schedules for staff, creates and monitors budgets and funding requests and controls work products so outcomes conform to existing laws, rules, regulations and policy.
  • Oversees the development of conservation plans for a large geographic area usually consisting of cropland, rangeland, pastureland, forestland including urban as well as rural areas.
  • Coordinates team activities in the State to achieve a cohesive program of resource planning and implementation; watershed and flood prevention planning; design of water conveyance and control structures; resource inventory and monitoring activities.
  • Guides the resource teams in the development and maintenance of effective working relationships with federal, state and local agencies, groups and individuals to improve the conservation partnership.
  • Coordinates special studies requested by NRCS and other federal, state, and local conservation officials, such as the need for analysis of alternative resource management systems appropriate to entire hydrologic units.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status

Yes

Promotion Potential

13
  • Job family (Series)

0457 Soil Conservation
  • Requirements

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment
  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Subject to one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
  • Direct Deposit ? Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  • Must possess and maintain a valid state motor vehicle operator's license for the type of vehicle(s) operated to perform the duties of this position.
  • Position has a Confidential Financial Disclosure (Form OGE-450) requirement. If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter.
  • Conservation Planning Level (Certified Conservation Planner): Incumbent is required to obtain Conservation Planning Level certification
  • Federal employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of their duty location. If selected, you will be required to submit documentation of COVID-19 vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before appointment, if after November 22.
  • The agency will provide additional information regarding what COVID-19 vaccination information or documentation will be needed and how you can request of the agency a legally required exception from this requirement.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, and specialized experience as defined below.

Time in grade: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade (e.g. one year at the GS-12 grade level for consideration for the GS-13 grade level)

Basic Education Requirement: 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 above, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience or additional education comparable to a 4 year degree. 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 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 experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. For this position, examples of specialized experience include:
  • Devising and implementing soil conservation plans and resource development projects;
  • Implementing conservation programs;
  • Evaluating funding eligibility, funding procedures and contract management in accordance with established guidelines;
  • Working with business plans, addressing priorities, goals and objectives; and serving as liaison with individuals, groups, Federal, State and local governments.

Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-13 level.

For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: Soil Conservation Series 0457 (opm.gov)

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.

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