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The incumbent is a member of the Senior Science and Technology Service (SSTS) and serves as the Center Director of the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), in the Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center (ETSARC) Plains Area located in Fargo, North Dakota.
Learn more about this agency10/04/2024 to 10/21/2024
$145,700 - $199,700 per year
RA 00
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Permanent
Full-time
Excepted
00
Yes
Yes
Yes
ARS-SSTS-2024-12565705
812827000
Current or former competitive service federal employees.
Current excepted service federal employees.
Applications will be accepted from all qualified candidates.
- Have conducted outstanding research in the fields of animal or plant science, as determined by a Qualifications Assessment Board;
- Have earned a doctoral level degree at an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 u.s.c.1001),
- Have national or international recognition authority and leadership in an area of widespread scientific interest and investigation;
- Meet the qualification standards prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management for appointment to a position at the GS-15 level of the General Schedule.
- Directing the work of an organizational unit.
- Ensuring the success of one or more specific major programs or projects.
- Monitoring progress toward strategic organizational goals, evaluating organizational performance and taking action to improve performance; and
- Supervising the work of employees; and exercising important policy-making, policy determining, or other executive functions.
For 0401- Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
Degree: Chemistry, biological sciences, agriculture, plant physiology, plant genetics, entomology, plant pathology, pest management, molecular biology, soil science, agronomy, agricultural engineering, remote/proximal sensing or plant pest management, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
A Ph.D. in any of the disciplines listed above is required.
Consideration for competitive selection for this position is open to all persons within the area of consideration who meet the basic qualifications. Race, color, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, religion, marital or family status, disability, and other non-merit factors will not be considered.
1. This position is covered under the post-employment restriction of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). This law also requires the selectee to file an Executive Personnel Financial Disclosure Report (Standard Form 278), within 30 days of appointment.
2. Applications sent in U.S. Government postage-paid envelope and submitted through Federal Agency courier services will not be considered.
3. The 1993 Hatch Act Reform Amendments prohibit oral and written political recommendations for Federal jobs.
4. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with the Selective Service System before they can be employed by an executive agency of the Federal government. This requirement does not apply to Agency employees appointed before November 8, 1985.
5. All application forms are subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act and become the property of USDA. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication or program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
Reasonable Accommodation: This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency at 202-260-8128. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.
Effective January 1, 2010, OPM must authorize any employment offers we make to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education (if applicable).
Your application will be rated and ranked by an Executive Resources Board (ERB) Panel, using only the information submitted within the application package. Applicants who do not demonstrate in their application sufficient possession of the qualification requirements as outlined above to be eligible for further consideration will be determined ineligible for further consideration.
YOU MUST UPLOAD YOUR RESPONSE TO THE FIVE CRITERION QUESTIONS in the SSTS Professional Recognition Documentation Form as described below.
Evaluation Method: Applicants must meet the qualification requirements as outlined above to be eligible for further consideration and must submit written statements in response to SSTS criteria listed below (also referred to as the SSTS Professional Recognition Documentation) detailing evidence of the experience, knowledge, skill, ability, and other personal characteristic requirements and show how and when they were used. This evidence must include clear, concise examples that show the level of accomplishments and degree of responsibility. Qualification determinations will be based on the information supplied by the applicant.
Senior Science and Technology Service Professional Recognition Documentation Form
Name of Applicant: _______ Date: _____
Criterion 1: List and describe personal honors and awards received from major national or international organizations for accomplishments; publications in prestigious journals (e.g., Science, Nature, PNAS), and significant impacts on food chemistry, food science, entomology, biochemistry, plant genetics, post-harvest biology, agricultural engineering, crop production, or food safety.
Criterion 2: List recent instances in which you have been sought out as an advisor and consultant on scientific and technological programs or problems, reflecting either personal accomplishments or research leadership of the programs you oversee.
Criterion 3: List evidence of how your personal stature and recognition, and/or scientific leadership, has attracted visiting scientist, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and applications for scientific positions in the programs you oversee.
Criterion 4: Describe your research and/or leadership accomplishments in the areas of chemistry, food science, biochemistry, plant genetics, post-harvest biology, agricultural engineering, crop production, and/or food safety research programs, policy, practices or funding in the public or private sectors.
Criterion 5: Provide examples where your ability to lead people and manage financial, facility (buildings, laboratories, and greenhouses), and information resources (technology and data) have contributed to the impact of your scientific and/or technological accomplishments.
To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12565705
Current career SES Members and former SES Members who have reinstatement eligibility to the career SES should submit a SF-50 showing career SES status; OPM-Certified SES Candidate Development Program graduates should submit a copy of their Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certificate. Education (if applicable):
A copy of your transcript(s) or a separate course listing showing the course title, department, hours earned (quarter or semester), and grade (if applicable). If you have completed any part of your education outside of the U.S., you must submit the evaluation of your foreign education that has been prepared by an accredited organization. The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) can provide a list of who can evaluate your foreign education. For additional information, visit DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
Your resume should contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements as stated in this vacancy announcement. It is recommended that you include the following information:
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin. Failure to submit the required documentation by 11:59 pm EST of the closing date will result in loss of consideration. The following instructions outline our application process.
You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office during business hours well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be submitted no later than noon on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact us if you are requesting this.
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.
Step 2: Create a resume with USAJOBS or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).
Step 3: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application" to continue.
NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.
Candidates who do not submit complete application packages as indicated in this announcement will not be considered. Please be sure to remove all PII (e.g. SSN, DOB, etc.) from all documentation. Spell out Acronyms the first time used.
Applicants who cannot apply on-line may mail their applications (must be postmarked prior to the close date) or fax your application before the close date to the Agency Contact listed in the vacancy announcement.
Applicants who meet the SSTS criteria, above will be considered qualified for this position. Rating and ranking to determine the 'best qualified' will be conducted by a panel of experts and will be based upon consideration of the degree to which applicants meet the mandatory requirements as described in the announcement. Interviews and qualifications inquiries may be required.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/812827000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The Senior Science and Technology Service (SSTS) is comprised of men and women charged with leading or managing science and technology programs. These leaders must have conducted outstanding research and have earned a doctoral level degree.
If you would like to work for a premier agency focused on enhancing the quality of life for the American people by supporting production of agriculture; ensuring safe, affordable, nutritious and accessible food supply; forest and range lands; supporting sound development of rural communities; providing economic opportunities for farm and rural residents; expanding global markets for agricultural and forest products and services; and working to reduce hunger in America and throughout the world, then the USDA is for you. To learn more about our agency, our exciting mission, vision and guiding principles, please visit http://www.usda.gov.
