Job Title:Lead Ecologist/Forester

Job Announcement Number:14-RES-4439G-PCH

JOB SUMMARY:

TRAVEL REQUIRED

• 25% or Greater
• Position requires 3-4 months of travel doing field work as well as occasional travel the rest of the year.

RELOCATION AUTHORIZED

• Yes
• Relocation expenses are authorized.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• US Citizenship is required.
• Designated or Random Drug Testing required.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A 1-year probationary period is required.
• Must carry a firearm.
• Willing to live/work in remote locations.
• Subject to drug test prior to entrance on duty.

Duties listed are at the full performance level.  Leads a team of employees performing work up to the GS-09 level. Ensure data collection activities are consistent with regional and national guidelines. Evaluate quality of data collected to ensure standardized protocols are used and measurements are repeatable. Maintain expert knowledge of regional and national Forest Inventory and Analysis program field procedures and data collection methods. Help managerial staff plan, organize, and implement forest inventory and forest health monitoring projects to meet short and long-term objectives. Serve as a data collection crew member or crew leader throughout the field season, ensuring safety, data quality, and efficiency. Assist in locating field sites using aerial photographs, topographic maps, compass and GPS. Maintain professional knowledge of local forests, botany, and ecology in order to collect data on forest type, stand size and stand age, land-use and ownership, natural and anthropogenic treatments and disturbances, tree attributes, understory shrubs and herbaceous vegetation, insects and disease, soil hydrology, and various geographical attributes. Complete accurate and concise plot summaries of all field visits. Conduct or provide oversight for aerial photo land-cover interpretation and land ownership determination using geospatial software. Participate in aviation operations, serving as a technical expert and a fixed wing flight manager, and may obtain certification as a resource helicopter manager.

In the summer months, the incumbent will make daily visits to field sites and must navigate over rough, steep, wet, and brushy terrain with a pack that weighs upwards of 50lbs. Field work requires hiking, walking, stooping, bending and climbing for long periods of time under adverse conditions. In the winter months, the work is mostly sedentary in an office environment.

Work is conducted during conditions such as rain, snow, wind, dust, extreme heat and extreme cold. The work involves traveling via varied forms of transportation (helicopter, float plane, small boat, etc.) and may include staying in remote field locations, requiring camping in an outdoor setting. During the summer months, the incumbent will live and work on a marine vessel in the coastal Alaska region for extended periods of time. While living on the marine vessel there is limited personal space and continuous background noise from engines and generators.

This position is being filled through one of the following series: Ecologist GS-0408 or Forester GS-0460.

You must possess the Basic Requirements identified below to be considered eligible for this position. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education.

For Ecologist GS-0408: bachelor’s degree in biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences.

For Forester GS-0460: bachelor’s degree in forestry; or a related subject-matter field that included a total of at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours of course work were in forestry. The curriculum must have been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas:

Management of Renewable Resources — study of the science and art of managing renewable resources to attain desired results. Examples of creditable courses in this area include silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, and wildlife or range habitat management.

Forest Biology — study of the classification, distribution, characteristics, and identification of forest vegetation, and the interrelationships of living organisms to the forest environment. Examples of creditable courses in this area include dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, and forest pathology.

Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory — sampling, inventory, measurement, and analysis techniques as applied to a variety of forest resources. Examples of creditable courses include forest biometrics, forest mensuration, forest valuation, statistical analysis of forest resource data, renewable natural resources inventories and analysis, and photogrammetry or remote sensing.

OR

Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in forestry, or at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours were in forestry. The requirements for diversification of the 24 semester hours in forestry are the same as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Your application or resume must clearly show that you possess the specialized experience requirements. Specialized experience is defined as experience that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

GS-7: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level; one full year of graduate level education; an appropriate combination of graduate level education and specialized experience; or Superior Academic Achievement (go to this site determine if you are eligible: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Specialized experience is defined as experience building work schedules, and logistical planning for ecological projects,collecting forestry, botanical, and geographic measurements; obtaining data on tree growth, forest type, stand size and stand age; and producing routine reports and summaries of field visits.

GS-9: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level; masters or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related; or an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education (only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Specialized experience is defined as experience managing forest inventory or resource monitoring projects (including development of flexible work plans that include anticipated workforce needs, time and cost estimates); making reccomendations for performance standards and measures, assessing employee performance, and making recommendations for employee improvement including identifying training needs. Utilizing field observations, aerial imagery, and historical site information for land use classification; and analyzing forest inventory data for accuracy and compliance with established protocol.

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 can verify accreditation of their educational institution at http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency.

Foreign Education: Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivfalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Applicants must provide documentation with their application that the education was evaluated by a U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials, commonly called a credential evaluation service. For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, refer to the U.S. Department of Educations website at http://www.ed.gov.

To receive consideration for this position, you must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and appling for a promotion opportunity, you must meet tim-in-grade (TIG) requirements with 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

REQUIREMENTS:

This position requires that the incumbent meet initial and continuing qualifications in the use of firearms as outlined in the Gun Control Act of 1968, amended by the Lautenberg Amendment of 1996.

This is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). Selectee must submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and random testing thereafter. Final appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results for illegal drug use.

May be subject to satisfactory completion of one year probationary period or trial period.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the education, experience, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below:

• Ability to manage research projects.
• Knowledge of established scientific methods and techniques applicable to forest ecology.
• Ability to communicate with others.
• Ability to manage electronic data.

We will review your application, including the online Occupational Questionnaire, to ensure you meet the job requirements and assess your ability to perform this job. Before any certificate can be issued to the selecting official, the resume and supporting documents are reviewed by an HR Specialist to ensure that (a) minimum qualification requirements are met and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your answers will be verified against information provided in your online resume and application. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

Applicants who meet the basic minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Non-Competitive candidates need to meet minimum qualification requirements to be referred.

Note:  If, after reviewing your resume and / or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score can / will be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form: i.e., the online questionnaire. The appllication form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the “Apply Online” button to the right.
To view the application form, visit: https://fs.usda.ntis.gov/cp/?event=jobs.previewApplication&jobid=35c6ec9e-b247-4d2e-89ad-a37d016a56c4 

OTHER INFORMATION:

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

AGENCY CONTACT INFO: