Summary These positions are being concurrently announced under Pathways Recent Graduate program as announcement number 24-NPT-SRM-430-79-RG. Current federal employees may apply to both announcements. This position may be filled at the GS-07 or GS-09 grade level with promotion potential to the GS-11. Please see the education section for more information about duty locations and contacts. Responsibilities Responsibilities listed are at the GS-09 level. Provide technical expertise regarding threatened, endangered and sensitive plant species, plant community and vegetation management. Identify vegetation communities and conduct vegetation inventories using basic botanical methods and techniques. Maintain plant surveys to meet environmental assessments. Conduct environmental data collection field surveys and maintain inventory of plant occurrence records. Provide professional advice and guidance on botanical issues to colleagues and management. Prepare informational responses to internal directives or agency, public group, and individual inquiries. Implement management plans for the protection and enhancement of habitat for special status plants and control of noxious weeds or other invasive species. Plan surveys and lead monitoring crews to accomplish survey protocols. Work with partners to provide the documentation and coordination necessary for the effective management of invasive plants and threatened, endangered and sensitive plant species. 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 for the Botanist, 0430 series. 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. You must possess the Basic Requirements identified below to be considered qualified for this position, which includes all positive education requirements if applicable. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. When using previous work experience to qualify for the position, your resume must clearly detail the appropriate experience requirements. Basic Qualification Requirements: For the GS-07 and GS-09: 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: botany; or basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany. OR 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. Specialized Experience Requirement: 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. For the GS-07: Applicants must have One Year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level; Examples of qualifying specialized experience include two or more of the following: As a trainee, studying and preparing sections of reports on threatened, endangered and sensitive plant species and plant community and vegetation management. Preparing samples and performing data analysis. Preparing graphs and charts. 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). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Please note that Superior Academic Achievement cannot be applied unless you have graduated and have been awarded the degree (the final GPA is required). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. For the GS-09: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level; Examples of qualifying specialized experience include two or more of the following: As an advanced trainee, participated in the evaluation and monitoring of the threatened, endangered and sensitive plant species and plant community and vegetation management programs; Located, surveyed, identified and recorded threatened, endangered and sensitive plant species information in order to meet environmental assessment requirements; and/or Collected and summarized data and administered plant species projects. OR 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree 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. 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 0430 series, visit the OPM Qualifications Standard found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/botany-series-0430 Education completed in foreign colleges and universities may be used if it has been accredited or evaluated by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. POSITION INFORMATION: This announcement is associated with the 2024 Society for Range Management (SRM) recruitment event. The targeted start date for these positions is Summer 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. 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. The duty locations listed in this announcement include primary and alternate locations for available positions. You must select all duty locations for which you wish to be considered; final duty location for each position will be determined at the time of selection. 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. Final determination of duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of job offer. Positions may be filled at the GS-07/09 level, but will have promotion potential to the GS-11. Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE. 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. 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 are met. For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., 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/ GOVERNMENT HOUSING: 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.