- Position Title
- Soil Scientist
- Agency
- Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Announcement Number
- FPAC-21-11031973-SF Opens in new window
- Open Period
- Friday, March 19, 2021 to Friday, March 26, 2021
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS CAREFULLY. Your answers will be used to determine your eligibility to apply to this job opportunity announcement. You will be considered under the eligibility option(s) to which you answer YES. Select YES to all eligibility options for which you want to be considered. If you respond NO to meeting the criteria for all the eligibilities, you will not be considered for the position(s) under this announcement.
NOTE: You must submit the required supporting documentation to receive consideration for EACH selected eligibility. Failure to provide the required documents will result in an ineligible rating and your application will be excluded from consideration. Please refer to the announcement for additional information. If you still have questions concerning your eligibility for consideration, you may reach out to the contact in the announcement prior to the announcement closing. You must submit a complete application by the close of the announcement to be considered.
NOTE: You must submit the required supporting documentation to receive consideration for EACH selected eligibility. Failure to provide the required documents will result in an ineligible rating and your application will be excluded from consideration. Please refer to the announcement for additional information. If you still have questions concerning your eligibility for consideration, you may reach out to the contact in the announcement prior to the announcement closing. You must submit a complete application by the close of the announcement to be considered.
1.
Are you a current or former federal employee displaced from the agency hiring for this position? If yes, confirm:
To verify your eligibility, you must submit supporting documentation such as a Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice or a Proposed Removal/Separation notice to include your latest performance rating (if the notice does not have this information included, you must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal) and a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50.
- you are located in the same local commuting area of the vacancy; AND,
- you are applying to a position that is at or below the grade level of the position from which you were or will be separated; AND,
- you are applying to a position that does not have greater promotion potential than the position from which you were or will be separated; AND,
- your last performance rating of record is at least fully successful or the equivalent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit supporting documentation such as a Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice or a Proposed Removal/Separation notice to include your latest performance rating (if the notice does not have this information included, you must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal) and a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50.
2.
Are you currently employed with the agency/department specified in the announcement as a Federal civilian employee in the Competitive Service AND can you respond "yes" to at least one of the two below statements?
- The grade level or at least one of the grade levels I am applying for is higher than I have previously held or currently hold?
- The stated full performance level of this position is at a higher grade level than any of my previous or current position's stated full performance level(s)?
- career or career-conditional (Tenure field is 1 or 2); AND,
- status in the competitive service (Position Occupied field is 1).
3.
Are you currently employed with the agency/department specified in the announcement as a Federal civilian employee in the Competitive Service and you have held a permanent position at the same or higher grade level as this position with the same or higher promotion potential?
OR
Are you currently employed with the agency/department specified in the announcement as a Federal civilian employee in the Competitive Service and you have held the full performance level of this position on a permanent basis?
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status. Your SF-50 should document how you meet the above requirements including grade levels and full performance levels of current/past positions. You may need to submit more than one SF-50.Your SF-50 (or equivalent personnel action form) must also reflect:
OR
Are you currently employed with the agency/department specified in the announcement as a Federal civilian employee in the Competitive Service and you have held the full performance level of this position on a permanent basis?
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status. Your SF-50 should document how you meet the above requirements including grade levels and full performance levels of current/past positions. You may need to submit more than one SF-50.Your SF-50 (or equivalent personnel action form) must also reflect:
- career or career-conditional (Tenure field is 1 or 2); AND,
- status in the competitive service (Position Occupied field is 1).
Preferences
1.
Select the locations you want to be considered for. You must choose at least one location.
2.
Select the lowest grade you are willing to accept for this position.
Assessment 1
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
From the descriptions below, select the letter corresponding to the statement which best describes your qualifications.
1.
From the descriptions below, select the one response that best describes how your background meets the basic requirements for the Soil Scientist, GS-0470 position.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
The following questions relate to the experience and/or education required for this position. Read all responses before making your selection. MARK ONLY ONE RESPONSE. NOTE: Your application materials must support your response.
2.
From the descriptions below, please select the one response that best describes how your experience meets the requirements for the Soil Scientist, GS-0470-11 position.
3.
From the descriptions below, please select the one response that best describes how your experience meets the requirements for the Soil Scientist, GS-0470-12 position.
Select the one statement that most accurately describes your training and experience carrying out each task using the scale provided.
4.
Provide leadership, direction, and technical guidance to staff within soil survey areas.
5.
Coordinate survey activities to ensure that objectives and goals are achieved.
6.
Prepare soil survey workload analysis, evaluations, soil survey area long range plans,
project plans, and annual plan of operations for soil survey areas.
project plans, and annual plan of operations for soil survey areas.
7.
Coordinate with Technical Teams to determine soil survey information needs and priorities.
8.
Control the technical quality of all phases of soil survey areas for quality assurance review and final approval.
9.
Develop and implement ways to improve the efficiency, productivity, and quality of the Soil Survey and products and/or services provided to internal and external customers.
10.
Coordinate with staff to eliminate barriers and implement new technologies, processes, and procedures to accelerate the development of new surveys and the maintenance of existing surveys.
11.
Develop soil landscape predictive models to evaluate map units and mapping legends.
12.
Examine soil property and performance information to identify and correct errors and gaps in data.
13.
Develop and implement technical plans for initial maintenance and update of survey area.
14.
Perform field tests to aid in classification, mapping, and interpretation of the soils in the survey area, with emphasis on benchmark soil landscape concepts.
15.
Coordinate activities in planning and conducting special soil studies, special investigations, and data gathering necessary for the development and refinement of soil survey interpretations.
16.
Collect soil performance data to support soil interpretations and correlate Ecological Sites.
17.
Study the characteristics of soils, geology, topography, and landforms over the survey area to ensure consistency of map units.
18.
Ensure that site data are located using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is utilized for landscape modeling and quality review of mapping.
19.
Provide leadership in the development and management of the soil survey tabular and spatial databases for the Soil Survey Office area.
20.
Generate map unit descriptions, taxonomic unit descriptions, and interpretive tables for the soil survey manuscript or for publication on Web Soil Survey from data.
21.
Coordinate and communicate technical functions of soil survey activities with the Soil
Survey Region, and other Soil Survey Offices to assure all products of the soil surveys meet customer needs.
Survey Region, and other Soil Survey Offices to assure all products of the soil surveys meet customer needs.
22.
Analyze data to develop and validate ranges in soil characteristics and properties.
23.
Write technical and nontechnical materials that relate to the soils and the soil survey
and leads to the development of soil survey information and reports for assigned areas.
and leads to the development of soil survey information and reports for assigned areas.
24.
Provide soil survey area leadership in evaluation and analysis of technical needs, gaps, or deficiencies in existing soil survey databases (tabular and spatial) or reports.
25.
Evaluate map units of survey areas to plan the most feasible method of updating map units to current standards and achieve a seamless digital soil survey of the nation.