Weekday Rangeland Management Specialist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Summary
This position is located on the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), State Resource Conservationist's Staff in the Elko field office.
Serves as the principal staff rangeland specialist for the state, with responsibility for furnishing technical guidance, leadership, and coordination to the range phases of the Service's soil and water conservation programs.
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Duties
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• Works with other staff to coordinate and correlate on the rangeland management program to other service programs.
• Integrates the range program with the programs of other entities to promote a uniform and common understanding of range management principles.
• Develops and maintains an effective working relationship on matters affecting the rangeland management program with various entities that administer rangelands or are concerned with range problems on ranches.
• Consults with others on planning, developing, and maintaining an effective, technically sound rangeland management program.
• Provides technical assistance to personnel developing conservation plans for operators of large or complex ranching operations facing acute seasonal issues and wide variations in range, climate, and topographic conditions.
• Conducts ecological investigations to determine sites to map based on soils, climates, natural vegetation, and management best suited various sites.
• Develops and maintains technical guides for classification of ecological sites, similarity index, and safe, recommended stocking rates to fit the varied combinations encountered on rangelands throughout the state.
• Coordinates with management officials to determine the need for revisions to technical guidelines.
• Provides adequate training to agency staff on the basic principles of rangeland management in a multiple use environment.

Requirements
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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. If selected, you may be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are unable to reimburse for any fees incurred.
• Probationary Period: Successful completion of a 1-year probationary period unless previous federal service is creditable. Refer to Next Steps for more information.
• 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.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.
• This position requires the incumbent to obtain a Conservation Planning Certification in accordance with the guidelines in General Manual 180 Part 409.3.

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.
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.
Basic Education Requirement:

1. Degree: range management; or a related discipline that included at least 42 semester hours in a combination of the plant, animal, and soil sciences, and natural resources management, as follows:
   
   • Range Management At least 18 semester 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 Sil Sciences At least 15 semester 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 semester 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.

OR

1. Combination of education and experience: at least 42 semester hours of course work in the combination of plant, animal, and soil sciences and natural resources management shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement to be considered at the GS-11:
Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-11 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience include:

• Analyzing and protecting natural resources, developing programs and standards for rangeland use and preservation, and advising officials and landowners on rangeland management practices.
• Developing and reviewing multiple-use conservation plans on grazing lands;
• Providing guidance to land owners, operators, and field office staff on the identification of resource concerns on grazing lands;
• Working with landowners to implement grazing management plans, evaluating problems, and proposing land improvement alternatives
• Conducting onsite measurement, monitoring, collection, and analysis of data regarding land use and natural resources conditions and trends.

OR
Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience at the GS-11 grade level: Possess 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree in range management or a directly related discipline.
OR
A combination of education and experience as listed above. A 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.
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.
Additional information
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
Physical Demands: The majority of the work requires regular and recurring physical exertion related to rangeland management. This involves the incumbent to stand for long periods and/ or walk on rough, uneven, or rocky terrain.
Work Environment: The work is usually performed outdoors and involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks such as exsposure to wind, adverse weather conditions, insects, poisonous plants, or pesticides.
Telework: This position is eligible for telework as determined by the agency policy.
Incentives: Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.
Bargaining Unit: This is a non-bargaining unit position.
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.