SUPERVISORY SOIL CONSERVATIONIST (ASSISTANT STATE CONSERVATIONIST FOR FIELD OPERATIONS)

Summary This position is located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Area 1 Missoula. The purpose of position is to serve 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. Duties

• Manages field operations, associated programs, and budget formulation and execution for an assigned area of the state consisting of cropland, rangeland, pastureland, forestland, and urban areas.
• Recommends strategies to implement soil, water, and related resource management plans to various sponsors and public agencies.
• Provides leadership of program activities, making work assignments, evaluating performance, interviewing candidates and making selections, and determines training needs.
• Develops informational programs with conservation district supervisors to further the public's understanding of conservation programs and accelerate conservation practices.
• Providing overall leadership of program activities, making work assignments, evaluating performance, Interviewing candidates and making selections, determines training needs.
• Manages available staff resources by preparing long and short range schedules for staff activities, preparing and monitoring budgets and funding requests, organizing work, and controlling work products.
• Serve as a liaison with individuals, groups and federal, state and local governments, which may include dealing with diverse and sometimes opposing audiences 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. 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-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 includes:
• Manage field operations and staff by providing technical leadership and guidance for the implementation and development of natural resource conservation programs, ensuring coordinated staff performance and effective budget management.
• Analyze workloads to support the development and implementation of annual work plans and to establish goals within available funding and staffing resources.
• Provide technical guidance and assistance to groups and individuals on topics related to natural resource conservation.
• Explain complex soil and water conservation issues, programs, and solutions to diverse groups in a way that supports agency objectives and promotes agency credibility. 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.