Summary This position is being concurrently announced under Pathways Recent Graduate program as announcement number 24-NPT-SRM-408-57-RG. Current federal employees may apply to both announcements. This position may be filled at the GS-05 or GS-07 grade level with promotion potential to the GS-09. See Position Information section below for additional details on the positions being filled through this announcement. Responsibilities The duties listed are at the highest grade level advertised (GS-07) As an advanced trainee, performs duties of limited scope and complexity in all aspects of ecology activities. Combines productive work with learning a variety of advanced skills, techniques, and procedures in order to increase ability to perform higher level work and to assist employees at higher grade levels. Receives formal and on-the-job training in more advanced skills, techniques and procedures by performing a variety of productive ecology work, such as the following: Performs assignments in planning the approach and collecting data to carry out less complex ecological studies or portions of larger investigations. Performs data analysis and writes small reports to evaluate findings. Assists in ensuring completion of program objectives and associated documentation in accordance with established program directives. Performs limited analyses of program plans. Prepares a variety of samples, performs data analysis in an office or laboratory, and drafts assigned portions of reports. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. Basic Requirement for the Ecologist, 0408 series: Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement as defined below. For more information on the qualifications for this position, go to: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/ecology-series-0408/ Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study 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. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GS-05 level: meeting the basic education requirement for the 0408 series is qualifying at the GS-05 grade level. For the GS-07 grade level: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as the two or more of the following: Served as an advanced trainee and applied academic theories and basic professional ecology principles to a variety of work situations; collected basic data from field investigations and made observations where ecological conditions were readily identifiable; assisted higher grade specialists in studying and preparing sections of reports on ecological investigations. OR one full year of graduate level education; OR an appropriate combination of graduate level education and specialized experience; OR Superior Academic Achievement (to determine if you are eligible, go to: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp . Please note that Superior Academic Achievement can only be applied if you have graduated or completed (or expect to complete within 9 months) all the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT (GS-07 only): If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 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 by the closing date of this announcement. Education This position has a positive education requirement, as outlined above under basic qualifications. The term positive education requirement refers to an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) determination that the duties of a scientific, technical, or professional position cannot be performed by an individual that does not have the prescribed minimum education. For additional information on the qualification standards for the 0454 series, visit the OPM Qualifications Standard found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/rangeland-management-series-0454/ POSITION INFORMATION This announcement is associated with the 2023 Society of Range Management (SRM) recruitment event. The target start date for these positions is Summer-Fall 2024. To see where these Forest Service offices are located, click here. Click each region name to see the different locations within the Forest Service. Please click this link to see the Career Map for these positions. If you have questions regarding duty locations in this announcement, please email [email protected] Please include the announcement number and the exact location(s) for which you have questions in your email. Positions may be filled at the GS-05/07 level, but will have promotion potential to the GS-09. Selecting the "Location Negotiable after Selection" option in addition to selecting your preferred specific duty locations, implies your willingness to accept positions to alternative duty locations that may or may not have been indicated in this announcement. Selecting this duty location option may increase your chances of receiving an offer. Final determination of duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of job offer. The duty station for these positions will be at one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Final determination of duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of job offer. Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE depending upon duty location. Additional Information Salary wage as shown is for Rest of the U.S. For more information, refer to the Office of Personnel Management, Salary and Wages web page. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): 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. 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). Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary and term employees the 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 and the last temporary or term appointment must have been with the Forest Service. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status such as leave without pay is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met. For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Resource Assistant Program (RAP) and Public Land Corps (PLC), explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website 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 or guaranteed. TELEWORK: This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements. RECRUITMENT/RELOCATION INCENTIVES: The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional information is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-and-leave-flexibilities-for-recruitment-and-retention/. Final determination will be made at the time of job offer. GOVERNMENT HOUSING: May be available. DAYCARE AVAILABILITY: Forest Service daycare facilities are not available. We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.