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Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource.
For additional information about the BLM, please visit Our website.
For information about the BLM in Oregon/Washington, visit our website.
For information about the Vale area, visit the Malheur County site.
For information about the Burns area, visit the Harney County Chamber of Commerce.
**AMENDED** Amends this vacancy announcement closing date to 12/06/2019.
Learn more about this agency11/26/2019 to 12/06/2019
$51,440 - $80,912 per year
GS 09 - 11
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Yes—**Relocation Expenses will be paid for the duty location of Hines, OR ONLY. Relocation Expenses WILL NOT be paid for duty location Vale, OR.** Travel and relocation expenses will be paid consistent with the Federal Travel Regulation, Chapter 302, and Departmental policy. The use of a relocation service company and home marketing incentive will not be offered.
Permanent - This is a permanent position.
Full-time - Work Schedule is Full-Time.
Competitive
11
No
No
OR Merit-2020-0009
552558600
Current or former competitive service federal employees.
Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.
Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.
All current career/career-conditional or former federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; Veterans' Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA); Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) and former Public Land Corps (PLC) eligibles. CTAP and ICTAP eligibles within the local commuting area. Persons eligible under Special Hiring Authorities.
This position serves as the Natural Resource Specialist focusing on Soil, Water, Air & Ecology work in a Field Office where the incumbent performs professional work in a dynamic program within the framework of multiple-use land management. The main function of the position is to ensure that these resources are maintained or enhanced through program development through following guidelines, conducting and participating in appropriate training, involvement in resource management plans and environmental assessments, and consultation for on-site specific recommendations. The incumbent may serve as project lead and/or interdisciplinary team leader in the preparation of all levels of documentation in compliance with the National Environmental Policy (NEPA). The position is responsible for performing duties that involve professional knowledge of the theories, concepts, principles, practices, techniques and terminology of soils, riparian, hydrology, and associated ecological processes as related to land use management.
Physical Demands: Work may be in an office, a field setting, or a public meeting. Field work requires the incumbent to be capable of operating both two and four wheel drive vehicle (under adverse conditions and in remote areas) and hiking for extended periods over rough terrain.
Work Environment: The work is performed in an office setting and outdoors. Outdoor work requires possible exposure to health risks and discomforts of extremes in climate and weather. Occasionally some exposure to moderate discomfort is encountered on field trips such as extremes of heat cold and inclement weather. Employees may be required to use protective clothing or gear, such as boots, waders, goggles, helmets or gloves.
Summary of Requirements: You must meet all requirements listed in the "Qualifications" section of the announcement.
Specialized Experience Requirements:
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled. For GS-09 specialized experience must be equivalent to GS-07, and for the GS-11 specialized experience must be equivalent a GS-09 in the federal service.
To qualify for GS-09 requires knowledge and skill in applying concepts, principles, practices, and methodology of the field; the organization’s programs and their governing laws and regulations; related mathematical and/or biological disciplines; and Federal, state, local, and/or tribal laws and regulations; sufficient to independently perform recurring, well-precedented projects using standard methods and techniques; identify and resolve problems; provide technical advice to laymen; evaluate requests for access and use of public lands; and prepare routine reports and make presentations in relation to hydrology, riparian management and soils. Providing input on those programs for project planning, such as timber sales.
GS-11 Examples: Ability to resolve complex problems involving matters, such as developing and implementing multiple-use resource management plans or covering diverse resource management issues; modify or adapt standard processes and procedures; assess, select, and apply remedies suited to the assigned problem or situation; devise strategies to overcome significant resource or environmental problems; assess the environmental impact of various practices; recommend and justify appropriate resource management strategies; apply environmental regulatory requirements; in resource management reviews and contract proposals; provide advisory and/or specialized services; and evaluate the economic impact of exploiting natural resources; sufficient to: develop, review, implement, and resolve complex problems on multiple use, sustained yield ecosystem management, and biodiversity programs; develop programs and provide solutions to complex problems covering an array of environmental conditions on varied forest units and successional stages.
Educational Requirements: Basic requirement is a bachelor's degree in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. In addition, to qualify for the GS-09 based on education requires 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. For GS-11 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement. Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade requirement in accordance with 5 CFR 300.604. If you are a current Federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.
This announcement is being advertised concurrently under Announcement # OR-DEU-2020-0015 which is open to all qualified persons. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.
SELECTIVE SERVICE: Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. To register or verify your registration go to the Selective Service System website.
May require completion of a 1 year probationary period.
For Duty Location Vale, OR: Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
Tax Law Impact for PCS: On 22-Dec-2017, Public Law 115-97 - the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 suspended qualified moving expense deductions along with the exclusion for employer reimbursements and payments of moving expenses effective 01-Jan-2018 for tax years 2018 through 2025. The law made taxable certain reimbursements and other payments, including driving mileage, airfare and lodging expenses, en-route travel to the new duty station, and temporary storage of those items. The Federal Travel Regulation Bulletin (FTR) 18-05 issued by General Services Administration (GSA) has authorized agencies to use the Withholding Tax Allowance (WTA) and Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) to pay for "substantially all" of the increased tax liability resulting from the "2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" for certain eligible individuals. For additional information on WTA/RITA allowances and eligibilities, please visit: https://www.gsa.gov/cdnstatic/FTR%20Bulletin%2018_05%20Relocation%20Allowances_0.pdf
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.
CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they receive a minimum score of 90 based on the rating criteria used for this position.
The Bureau of Land Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
Government facilities are required to provide a smoke free environment for their employees. Smoking will be permitted only in designated areas.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Upon receipt of your complete application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your rating will be based on your responses to the Job Specific Questionnaire and the information stated in your resume. If qualified, your score may range from 70-100 points. In addition, interviews may be conducted for this position. The interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis or may be scored. The job specific questions relate to the following knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the work of this position.
1) Professional knowledge of the theories, concepts, principles, practices and techniques of hydrology, riparian management, soils and ecology, with an emphasis in the knowledge of general ecological principles.
2) Knowledge of the interrelationships of various natural resources such as botany, forestry, range, wildlife and others; and the ability to communicate clearly about the interrelationships of these resources with planners, resource specialists and managers.
3) Professional knowledge of the theories, concepts, principles, practices, and techniques of hydrology, riparian management, soils and ecology, with an emphasis in the knowledge of general ecological principles. Knowledge and ability to plan, conduct and interpret the inventory, planning, management, and monitoring of key data.
4) Knowledge of BLM's program planning and budgeting system, including land use planning, activity plans, BPSS, PMDS, or their replacement programs and the like.
5) Ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing, with the various publics - ranchers, miners, loggers, environmentalists, recreation/sports enthusiasts, and other agency professionals -- as well as staff specialists, program leaders an manager within the BLM.
Resumes must show relevant experience and other information. Your resume must list your education and work experience including the dates (mm/dd/yy) of each employment along with the number of hours worked per week and salary information. Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s). You are welcome to submit a cover letter (optional). If you wish to do so, include it with your resume.
In addition to the online application (resume and responses to the questionnaire), you are required to submit the following forms:
Copy of Transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. If your degree is from a Foreign Institution, See Foreign Education.
Former PLC Member: Submit a copy of your “Certificate of Eligibility for Noncompetitive Hiring” along with a copy of your “PLC Participant Verification Work Hours Sheet.”
Applicants eligible under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) must submit documentation verifying (a) initial selection under competitive examining procedures to a land management agency under a time-limited appointment in the competitive service , (b) service under this initial appointment, or in conjunction with subsequent competitive service time-limited appointments, to a land management agency was for a period of 24 months without a break in service of two or more years, and (c) performance was evaluated as being at an acceptable level for the entire applicable period(s). “Required documentation” includes first and last SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) for each appointment verifying the Position Occupied code (Block 34) is 1-Competitive Service, AND documentation of successful performance for each appointment. Applicants are encouraged to combine all required documents into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping documents into files will simplify the application process. Failure to submit required documentation will result in loss of consideration.
Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligibles: documentation verifying your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility - this includes a copy of the agency notice and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level and duty location.
Current and former federal career and career-conditional employees: submit a copy of your recent (non award) SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, or equivalent document that verifies tenure (block 24, code 1 or 2) and Competitive Status (block 34, code 1).
If you are applying for this position based on eligibility under other noncompetitive special appointing authorities, you MUST submit proof of this eligibility.
You may submit your documents either via Auto-Requested Fax or by uploading your documents from your USAJOBS Profile.
Auto-Requested Fax: allows you to submit required documentation that will be electronically displayed along with your resume.
UPLOADING DOCUMENTS: instead of faxing your documents you may use the uploading procedures thru Applicant Manager. Do not use both options.
Hard copy paper supplemental documents, submitted without prior Human Resources approval, will be considered as an incomplete application.
Required documentation must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, on the closing date of this announcement.
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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To receive consideration for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes ALL of the following items: 1. Your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire; 2. Your resume; and 3. Applicable supporting documents specified in the Required Documents section of this job announcement.
Click on the button "Apply Online" and login to MY USAJOBS.
If you haven't already registered with USAJOBS, the system will require you to create a user name and password, complete a questionnaire and upload, paste or type a resume into USAJOBS.
If you have already registered with USAJOBS and forgot your login information, select the "Did you forget your username and/or password" link from the right side menu.
Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by the closing date of this announcement.
If you need assistance in applying on-line, please contact Amy Britt in the HR Office at 541-573-4418 or email abritt@blm.gov. If applying on-line poses a hardship for you (i.e. you do not have access to the internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying.
You can track the progress of your application package via your USAJobs account. You will receive an acknowledgment email from USAJobs that your submission was successful once we have received your online assessment questionnaire, resume and any supporting documentation. You will be notified of the status of your application and/or referral to the hiring official via your USAJobs account after the evaluation process is complete. You will be contacted if further evaluation or interviews are 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/552558600. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The BLM manages more land - 245 million surface acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The BLM, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
