The Forest Service (FS) is a federal land management agency in the U. S. Department of Agriculture that manages about 193 million acres of America's National Forests and National Grasslands. It is the mission of the FS to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the National Forest and National Grassland resources for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. For information about the FS, please visit www.fs.fed.us.
The FS is seeking candidates (current students or recent graduates) who are good communicators, highly motivated, energetic, talented, and qualified to fill several Rangeland Management Specialist and Range Technician vacancies at varying duty locations throughout the Forest Service by way of its Federal Career Internship Program (FCIP). For more information about the FCIP, please visit www.opm.gov/careerintern.
MAJOR DUTIES
The incumbent work assignments will be designed to provide an orientation to the FS and offer progressive on-the-job specialized work experience and training targeted to the full-performance duties of the Rangeland Management Specialist - 454 (RMS) listed below. At the end a two year internship the incumbent will be on track to perform as a fully functional RMS at the appropriate grade level(s); and will be able to demonstrate understanding, progression and mastery of the positions required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
A description of the duties is attached below:
- Serve as a rangeland resource technical specialist and advisor to management team, land users, and interested publics.
- Plan, manage, produce, and implement the following kinds of products which will include and require serving as primary writer and author of: allotment plans; technical recommendations; National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation such as environmental assessments; and annual operating plans. Will require the collection, interpretation and analysis of scientific monitoring, inventory, and assessment data to determine the status (condition) of an allotment under review. Will require extensive communications (verbal, written) contact with the affected interests to gather information, explain findings, and build consensus.
- Participate as a leader and/or member of interdisciplinary teams charged with addressing complex natural resource issues.
- Perform a wide variety of professional and administrative duties associated with the rangeland management program, such as annual operating instructions, detecting and resolving unauthorized use, range improvement planning, noxious weeds and more.
Range Technician - 455:
In this job, the incumbent performs technical work in support of the range function. Conducts tests, inspections, and/or sampling procedures; validates data and determines its sufficiency; and notes field conditions and circumstances under which data was collected for rangeland management programs.
Prepares reports, diagrams, charts, graphs, etc. for grassland or rangeland management programs.
Reports may be used in further procedures, processes, or services.
Assists in planning and carrying out rangeland management support work such as field studies and inspections in support of the scientific management, protection, conservation, and development of grasslands or other range resources.
Basic Qualification Requirements and Basis for Rating
All applicants will be rated on the basis of academic success and/or any creditable and previous specialized work experience relevant to the Rangeland Management Specialist or Range Technician position. To qualify for a Rangeland Management Specialist or Range Technician position vacancy by way of the FCIP excepted service hiring authority, the information provided below will be used to consider, evaluate, and determine eligibility in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Qualification Standards for the Occupational Series (0454 or 0455) and the agency policies for the FCIP.
BASIC REQUIREMENT (Rangeland Management Specialist - 454)
- Range Management - At least 18.0 semester hours (27.0 quarter hours) of course work in range management, including courses in such areas as basic principles of range management, range plants, range ecology, range inventories and studies, range improvements, and ranch or rangeland planning.
- Directly Related Plant, Animal, and Soil Science - At least 15.0 semester hours (22.5 quarter hours) of directly related courses in the plant, animal, and soil sciences, including at least one course in each of these three scientific areas, i.e., plant, animal, and soil sciences. Courses in such areas as plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant ecology, animal nutrition, livestock production, and soil morphology or soil classification are acceptable.
- Related Resource Management Studies - At least 9.0 semester hours (13.5 quarter hours) of course work in related resource management subjects, including courses in such areas as wildlife management, watershed management, natural resource or agricultural economics, forestry, agronomy, forages, and outdoor recreation management.
To qualify at the GS-05: Must meet the basic requirements provided below and be currently enrolled in or a recent graduate of a range management (or related science) degree program in an accredited college/university. If a current student, you must complete all degree program requirements by the end of the spring 2008 academic semester. If a current student enrolled in or a recent graduate of a related science degree, that academic discipline must have included 42.0 semester hours (63.0 quarter hours) in a combination of the plant, animal, and soil sciences, and natural resources management.
To qualify at the GS-07: In addition to meeting the basic requirements provided above; must have specialized work experience (one-year equivalent to GS-05) and/or one-year (18.0 semester or 27.0 quarter hours) of graduate-level directly related education and/or meet 1 of the following superior academic provisions: GPA of 3.0 or higher for all completed coursework or for all courses completed in the last 2 full years of undergraduate work; GPA of 3.5 or higher for all courses in the major field of study, or courses in major completed in last 2 years of undergraduate work, rank in the upper 1/3 of your college; or member in a national honor society
recognized by the Associate of College Honor Society. Specialized experience at the GS-05 level is defined as experience and training at the developmental/advanced trainee level working with rangeland management principles, concepts, and theories.
To qualify at the GS-09: In addition to meeting the basic requirements provided above; must have specialized work experience (one-year equivalent to GS-07) and/or two-years (36.0 semester or 54.0 quarter hours) of graduate-level directly related education leading to a master's degree. Specialized experience at the GS-07 level is defined as experience with rangeland management principles, concepts, and theories with considerable independence.
Combination of Education and Specialized Experience: Combinations of education and specialized work experience are qualifying for all grade levels. At least 42.0 semester hours (63.0 quarter hours) of course work in the combination of plant, animal, and soil sciences and natural resources management as identified above, plus appropriate specialized work experience or additional education may be creditable. For specialized work experience to be creditable, it must have equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the major duties of the position, and that is in or related to the work of the position to be filled. For specialized work experience to be considered, detailed information about any previous experience directly related to the position and its major duties must be provided.
Basic Requirements (Range Technician - 455)
GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable.
Conditions of Employment
- Must be a United States citizen and at least 18 years of age or older.
- Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.
- All Federal employees are required by PL 104-134 to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit. Meaning all appointees must have a pre-established bank account to which all payroll checks may be deposited directly.
- Selected applicants cannot hold an active real estate license, and cannot have an interest in Federal lands, or hold stock in firms that have an interest in Federal lands.
- Must successfully pass a criminal background investigation prior to confirmation of hiring.
- Hiring appointments offered to candidates participating in the Society for Range Management Conference will be tentative pending final agency review by the host duty station.
- Selected applicants must enter into a program service agreement and training plan not to exceed two-years.
Nature of Appointment
All appointments will be made under the provisions of the FCIP. Such appointments will be excepted service appointments that may not exceed two-years. At the end of the two-year internship, participants may be noncompetitively converted in the competitive service to a career or career-conditional appointment.
Program Benefits
The incumbent of this position will be eligible for the following: earn annual and sick leave; earn holiday pay; eligible for enrollment in the federal health and life insurance and retirement programs. In addition, acquire valuable and professional work experience and training.
How To Apply:
Please see the document posted on the website for the Forest Service titled: How To Apply - Forest Service
USDA, FOREST SERVICE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
