Montana Veteran Jobs

Summary This position is with the National Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) in Montana. The incumbent serves as a resource soil scientist, responsible for maintenance, interpretation and distribution of soil survey information; conducting information and education activities related to soil and soil survey; providing training to NRCS employees and others. Also assists with conservation planning, environmental assessments and natural resources activities. Responsibilities Serves as a technical soil specialist for highly erodible land, wetland conservation, and conservation compliance. Makes wetland determinations following procedures outlined in the Wetland Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) or as outlined by the state's local operating procedures and recommends changes to hydric soil lists to the State Soil Scientist (SSS). Provides technical expertise in the application of Farm Bill programs including providing leadership and guidance to field offices and assists during the program signup and application periods for CRP, GRP, EQIP, EWP, WRP and other programs. Conducts on-site soil investigations and provides onsite technical assistance on the interpretation and application of soil survey information related to specific soil, water, air, plant, and animal resource concerns. Participates in functional reviews and program appraisals and serves as a team member for field office quality assurance reviews and appraisals. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications 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. Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. (e.g. one year at the GS-09 grade level for consideration for the GS-11 grade level). Basic Education Requirement:Degree: a degree in soil science or a closely related discipline that included 30 semester hours or equivalent in biological, physical, or earth science, with a minimum of 15 semester hours in such subjects as soil genesis, pedology, soil chemistry, soil physics, and soil fertility. OR Combination of Education and Experience: courses equivalent to a major in soil science or a related discipline that included at least 30 semester hours in the biological, physical, or earth sciences. At least 15 of these semester hours must have been in the areas specified in 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 in order to be considered: 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. Examples of experience include providing direct support as a resource soil scientist to field offices for technical soil services; processing Farm Bill program assessments and working collaboratively with Soil Survey offices; maintenance, interpretation, and distribution of soil survey information; conducting soils informational/educational activities and providing training for NRCS employees and other technical specialists.OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-11 level: 3 year(s) of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in soil science or a closely related discipline;OR Combination of Education and Experience: 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. Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-12 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: investigating, analyzes and evaluating soil survey information and problems involving a wide variety of circumstances or unusual conditions; resolving complex soil issues, developing new methods and practices, and modifying/adapting soils science guidelines to intricate issues. Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12 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. 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. Additional Information This position is being concurrently announced under Merit Promotion Announcement Number NRCS-25-12585998-ST-MT-AB. Current or former Federal employees or other eligible applicants may apply to both announcements to expand all possibilities of consideration since different referral criteria apply to each type of announcement. See the above announcement for more 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. Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed. Physical Demands: The work occurs in both outside and office environments. Outside activities involve strenuous walking over rough terrain, frequent bending/stooping and lifting and carrying of moderately heavy soil samples ,tools and specialized scientific equipment. The incumbent must be able to operate four-wheel drive vehicles and other motorized equipment. Work Environment: The work involves regular exposure to operation of soil survey equipment, adverse weather such as snow, extreme heat, icy or wet field conditions and unimproved roads. Work requires special safety precautions and/or protective clothing and equipment. PLEASE NOTE: In the interest of filling these positions as efficiently as possible, we are requiring the following: If called for an interview, applicants must be available to interview within 3 business days of being contacted. If a tentative job offer is extended, selectee will have 2 business days in which to accept or decline. This position is eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Other flexibilities are possible dependent upon availability and/or the position and its associated duties. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor. Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.

Montana Jobs