Summary This position will serve as an interdisciplinary botanist/plant ecologist performing professional work related to natural resource management, management of plants, and conservation measures. These positions are located in Oregon: Grants Pass (Medford District), Springfield (Siuslaw Field Office). Salary Ranges: GS-7: $49,025 - $63,733 per year GS-9: $59,966 - $77,955 per year GS-11: $72,553 - $94,317 per year Responsibilities Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor. As an Ecologist-Botanist in the field Office, the employee serves as an interdisciplinary team member providing technical expertise and guidance involving native plant communities, special status species, non-native invasive species and unique biological systems. As a member of the team, the position develops recommendations, strategies, and solutions to resolve botanical/plant ecology issues. The incumbent reviews technical data, collects field data, and writes reports to support the planning process and other land management efforts. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications In order to qualify, you must meet the experience and/or education requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application. Basic Requirements for the Ecologist series, GS-0408 A. Must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree, or have a bachelor's or higher 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. Basic Requirements for the Botanist series, GS-0430 A. Must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree, or have a bachelor's or higher degree in botany; or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany. Courses in basic botany, plant anatomy or morphology, cytology, histology, genetics, taxonomy or systematics, algology, mycology, ethnobotany, and those dealing with specific problems of a botanical nature or with specific groups of plants are qualifying. OR B. Have a combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major in botany or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. Creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation. Additional Qualification Requirements In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement(s) listed above, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying: To qualify for the grade GS-07: A. Have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service performing duties in a developmental capacity such as: 1) Collecting and reviewing botany, plant ecology, and/or restoration ecology data for accuracy and any discrepancies; 2) Reviewing requests for access and use of public lands and assisting with the processing of permit applications to ensure compliance with appropriate Federal law; 3) Providing assistance to specialists and senior staff in the analysis or computation of data in support of botany, soils, watershed, rangeland, or wildlife programs. OR B. Successfully completed 1 year of graduate-level education which included major study in fields such as botany, related plant sciences, ecology, biological sciences, physical sciences, or directly related fields which demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position. OR C. Have an equivalent combination of education and experience as described in A and B above that, when converted to percentages, equal at least 100% of the total requirement. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your graduate education as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. OR D. Meet the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement by earning a bachelor's degree with at least one of the following (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher based on a 4.0 scale; (2) a 3.5 GPA or higher for required courses completed in a major field of study during junior and senior year of a 4-year college or university; (3) class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or a major subdivision of the college, based on completed courses; or (4) membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College Honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies. In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position being filled. To qualify for the grade GS-09: A. Have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing 3 or more of the following: 1) Conducting inventories or surveys of plant communities and sites of rare species; 2) Monitoring land management programs to identify impacts on various ecosystem components; 3) Working with other offices, resource specialists, professionals, and other interested groups in planning and accomplishing plant species monitoring, conservation project implementation and management; 4) Analyzing and synthesizing scientific information for inclusion in reports and planning/environmental documents. OR B. Successfully completed 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree, or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position. Such fields include botany, related plant sciences, ecology, biological sciences, physical sciences, or directly related fields. OR C. Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above. To calculate, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 18 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. To qualify for the grade GS-11, you must meet one of the following: A. Have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing 3 or more of the following: 1) Developing and conducting investigations or studies of botanical/plant ecology related projects and activities affecting natural resource management; 2) Analyzing problems or issues which may be affecting botany, plant ecology, and/or restoration ecology programs to identify source and develop solutions; 3) Providing consultation on development of strategies for overcoming botanical, plant ecology resources or environmental issues, conditions or problems; 4) Providing technical advice on proper collection and preservation of specimens; performance of tests and non-routine procedures; and organization of field data. OR B. Successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, in a field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to conduct the work of this position. Such fields include botany, related plant sciences, ecology, biological sciences, physical sciences, or directly related fields. OR C. Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above. To calculate, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 36 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Qualifications continued below. Education Qualifications (Continued): Status merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. (Must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted). One year at the GS-05 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-07 level. One year at the GS-07 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level. One year at the GS-09 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Volunteer Experience: 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. You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. Education: To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. Additional Information Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. You may be required to travel overnight away from home occasionally. You must be eligible to obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. Physical Demands: The work is typically performed in an office setting with no special physical demands. However, work may also be performed in the field which involves periods of walking, bending, climbing, or driving motor vehicles to worksites. The work may also involve some overnight travel for training, meetings, and site visits. or Field work routinely requires physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing or walking over rough, uneven, rocky surfaces or mountainous terrain; recurring bending, crouching, stooping, or reaching; using hand tools such as shovels, trowels, or screening devices; and lifting of moderately heavy items such as equipment and samples. Working Conditions: The work is usually performed in an office setting. However, work time may also be spent occasionally visiting field sites. Field site visits are typically performed in either an outdoor setting subject to weather changes, diverse terrain, and safety hazards associated with working around complex features and/or construction. Both settings may require the use of personal protective equipment. Safety precautions and protocols are observed at all times and the incumbent complies with safety instructions and regulations and ensures individual and others' safety by promptly reporting unsafe acts, unsafe conditions, and accidents to the supervisor. or The work regularly involves moderate risks or discomforts which may require special safety precautions, e.g., adverse weather conditions, hazardous driving conditions, irritating or occasionally hazardous chemicals; hostile wildlife; and travel in off-road vehicles. The incumbent adheres to all safety rules and regulations as prescribed in manuals/supplements or by the designated Safety Officer. Telework: The Bureau of Land Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ctap_guideline.pdf. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 90 or above on the rating criteria for this position. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please contact San Antonio Services Branch at SASBMailbox@opm.gov or 816-541-8101.