Soil Scientist - Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs

Summary This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Northwest Region, Yakama Agency, Division of Trust Services, Natural Resources in Toppenish, Washington. This is a Bargaining Unit position, for more information see What are bargaining units? For Pay Flexibilities and Travel/Relocation authorized, read under ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. Responsibilities *Conducts a full range of soil surveys and interprets data collected for the purpose of achieving the Tribe's goals in planning, developing and managing their natural resources. *Serves as Team Leader for long- and short- term projects, including new initiatives, soil surveys, special analyses, etc. *Keeps management informed about progress and reports unusual problems that arise affecting progress/completion. *Identifies, classifies and maps soils and group soils into interpretive units. *Prepares, or directs the preparation of, special maps and data for resolution of land water rights issues. *Investigates special problems to provide assistance and interpretations for range and forest management problems related to grazing, timber, recreation, Wildlife and watershed management. *Responsible for writing the soil survey manuscript and preparing special survey and investigative reports. *Serves as the Agency Geographical Information System (GIS) Coordinator, disseminating information, coordinating input and retrieval of data, and providing technical assistance to Agency and Tribal GIS users. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Professional and Scientific Positions, for this series in conjunction with the Individual Occupational Requirements for GS-0470 series). BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR ALL GRADES: A. Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in soil science or a closely related discipline that included 30 semester hours or equivalent in biological, physical, or earth science, with a minimum of 15 semester hours in such subjects as soil genesis, pedology, soil chemistry, soil physics, and soil fertility. (You must submit transcripts.) OR B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major in soil science or a related discipline that included at least 30 semester hours in the biological, physical, or earth sciences. At least 15 of these semester hours must have been in the areas specified above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation. (You must submit transcripts. ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: In addition to meeting the basic entry level qualification requirements, applicants must have the following: GS-12: In addition to the basic requirement, I have at least one year of specialized experience or the equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience may include: 1) conducting a full range of soil surveys and special investigations and interpreting data collected for the purpose of achieving goals in planning, developing and managing tribal natural resources; 2) independently performing conventional classification and mapping operations; 3) estimating crop yield data for different kinds of soils; 4) conducting drainage studies; 5) preparing tentative farm water requirements; 6) and realigning land classes in response to changes in land classification standards; 7) serving as a team leader and/or technical expert related to soil science matters. These examples are not all inclusive (refer to the summary of duties for specialized experience). All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date. Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472). Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date. Education If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. 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. 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. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the 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. For further information, visit: FOREIGN EDUCATION Additional Information All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2024 Salary Tables here and select the duty station from the Toppenish, Washington to choose the appropriate pay chart. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart. Travel and Relocation expenses will be authorized in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations. The pay flexibilities of a recruitment bonus, relocation bonus or student loan repayment maybe authorized, pending availability of funds and managements approval. The full performance level of this position is GS-12. TELEWORK: Indian Affairs has determined that the duties of the position are suitable for situational telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. As a incidental motor vehicle operator position, you may be required to operate a government-owned or leased motor vehicle in the performance of duties; therefore, a valid driver's license is required and be able to meet the safe driving requirements of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (25 IAM 4 Motor Vehicle Safety Program). Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee\_guides/career\_transition.asp . Certain candidates may be eligible to apply under a special hiring authority including those for disabled individuals, Peace Corps employees, Foreign Service employees, veterans, etc. For more information, visit the following OPM websites: USAJOBS Information Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/; Vets Info Guide: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/. Former Federal Employees are required to indicate whether they received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) buyout in their previous employment with the Federal government, and are required to submit a copy of the applicable Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) regarding the VSIP. Most individuals who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation pay prior to reemployment.