Montana Veteran Jobs

Summary The Great Fall's Area Rangeland Management Specialist serves as the area rangeland discipline lead. You will provide technical direction for the range program in 17 USDA service centers and 54 field staff across 40,000 square miles from the Rocky Mountain front to Fort Peck Dam. Technical support will include rangeland inventory, grazing system design, and practice certification for conservation activities planned through EQIP and CSP financial assistance programs. Responsibilities Serving as rangeland consultant and advisor to numerous ranchers and farmers in the assigned area of responsibility. Providing guidance, assistance, and training to field personnel to ensure that conservation plans on cooperating farms and ranches provide for the application of technically accurate and adequate practices and measures. Developing rangeland management plans. Consulting with personnel to identify and define existing problems of a plant science nature. 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-07 grade level for consideration for the GS-09 grade level; one year at the GS-09 grade level for consideration for the GS-11 level). Basic Education Requirement: 0454 - Rangeland Management 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 Soil 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 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 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education comparable to a 4-year degree. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: To qualify for the GS-09 grade level: Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 advanced-trainee level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: Assisting with monitoring and documenting changes in plant communities, rangeland, vegetative cover, and production and soil surface condition resulting from applied grazing management systems. Participating in administrative activities pertaining to range conservation, such as preparation of news releases on range conservation topics of local interest. Assisting ranchers and farmers in identifying conservation opportunities and developing conservation plans consistent with the needs of their land. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: You must have 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree for which the major course of study must be in a field directly related to the work of this position. (Must submit transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: You must have a combination of the specialized experience and graduate education as described above, such that they total 100% of the stated minimum qualifications for this specialty and grade. Only graduate education in excess of the first 18 semester hours may be used when combining education and experience for this specialty and grade. (Must submit transcripts and be reflected in resume.) To qualify for the GS-11 grade level: Specialized Experience: 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 requires the knowledge of a wide range of rangeland management principles, concepts, and theories sufficient to perform duties concerning the development and implementation of multiple-use rangeland management plans. Examples of specialized experience include: Developing resource management plans with ranch operators and other land and resource decision makers. Studying trends in range conditions to assist landowners in keeping grazing management plans in balance with forage resources. Assisting with long- and short-term rangeland management plans by collecting cost/return data on range practices and rang conservation plans. Analyzing ranch resources to make recommendations on rangeland management plans. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: You must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or which the major course of study must be in a field directly related to the work of this position. (Must submit transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: You must have a combination of the specialized experience and graduate education as described above, such that they total 100% of the stated minimum qualifications for this specialty and grade. Only graduate education in excess of the first 36 semester hours may be used when combining education and experience for this specialty and grade. (Must submit transcripts and be reflected in resume.) For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: Professional and Scientific Positions. 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 experiences, 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 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 work requires regular and recurring physical exertion related to conservation work requiring walking on rough terrain, jumping ditches and furrows, or climbing steep banks. Work Environment: The work requires regular and recurring exposure to operating agricultural equipment or earthmoving operations, adverse weather such as snow and icy field conditions, and unimproved roads. Protective equipment is necessary on construction sites. 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. 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. This position is eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Current USDA policy includes telework for an 8-hour workday, 4 days per week; other flexibilities are possible dependent upon availability and/or the position and its associated duties. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor. Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA). Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015, for more information. Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.

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