Job Information
Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs Soil Conservation Technician in Anadarko, Oklahoma
Summary This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southern Plains Region, Anadarko Agency, Branch of Agriculture in Anadarko, Oklahoma. This is a Bargaining Unit position, for more information see What are bargaining units? NOTE: TRAVEL AND RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE AUTHORIZED. ANY RELOCATION EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH REPORTING FOR DUTY WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SELECTED EMPLOYEE. Responsibilities Monitors farming and grazing land for lease compliance by making frequent field inspections. Works with federal agencies, tribes, and other government entities to coordinate land use plans and address environmental and cultural issues. Prepare farm plan worksheets for expiring leases which include tract specific stewardship requirements. Advise landowners and land users on practices that may be involved in the conservation plan that may include cross fencing, stock water development, critical area planning conservation cropping systems, shelter belts and weed and rodent control. Provide information on agricultural assistance available to implement conservation measures. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Technical and Medical Support Positions, Individual Occupational Requirements for GS-0458: Soil Conservation Technician Series). Seasonal experience may also be creditable. A season of experience is considered to be a period of no less than 3 months of continuous employment on a seasonal basis. Shorter periods may be combined to make a season, provided a total of at least 3 months' experience is shown. For any period where the work exceeded 3 months, the excess work is credited towards an additional season of experience. One season of experience is qualifying for GS-2; 2 seasons of experience qualify for GS-3; and 4 seasons of experience qualify for GS-4. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Installing and maintaining conservation measures on public or privately owned land including parks, shoreline, refuse waste sites, dams and reservoir areas, water and sewer sites, road embankments, forests, and wildlife habitats. Installing and maintaining soil and water conservation measures on farms, ranches, or agricultural land. SPECIALIZED EXPEREINCE GS-05: One (1) year of specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at lease the GS-04 in the Federal Service (obtained on either the public or private sector). Specialized experience must include practical knowledge and use of a broad range of soil and conservation principles, techniques, and practices to develop operational plans such as designing and implementing conservation measures; resolve problems that arise when changing established conservation practices; analyzing landowner income versus cost or practice implemented; change priorities affecting available funds to implement the conservation plan. OR EDUCATION: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-6: One (1) year of specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-05 in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience must include assisting in soil conservation or range activities. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: ability to identify the needs and improvements in farming and irrigated pasture units such as crop rotation, weed and insect control, irrigation practices and crop improvement programs; collects information that maybe used in writing conservation plans for dry farms and farm irrigated pastures; observes farming and crop activities for appropriate use; ability to assist with tasks such as noxious weed control, property lines, rights-of-ways, water systems, utility lines and land improvement projects. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-07: One (1) year of specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-06 grade level in the federal service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience must include the following: provide on-the-spot guidance and assistance in the installation and maintenance of conservation practices as identified in lease contracts, advising methods to follow in applying any provisions of the plans/leases; prepares inspection schedules and inspects terraces, water disposal systems, farm ponds, diversions, dikes, ditches, gullies and other similar structures for determining their conditions and effectiveness, recommending to the farm maintenance or changes as conditions warrant; ability to identify issues encountered in implementation of plans, devising course of action for resolving the issue; accountable for the design, construction layout and final inspection of engineering practices such as terrace systems, water disposal systems, channels, diversions, dikes, ditches, farm laterals, gully control and channel reassignments; locates contour lines, fences, and farm roads; designs and stakes farm ponds, detention structures and other similar approved mechanical practices as required in the minimizing of erosion and flood damage. OR EDUCATION: 1 full year of directly related graduate education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or equivalent). GRADUATE EDUCATION: Graduate education must be related to the occupation and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the position to be filled. 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 Anadarko, Oklahoma to choose the appropriate pay chart. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart. The full performance level of this position is GS-07. Promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. A career ladder promotion is at the discretion of management, and in no way guaranteed. TELEWORK: Indian Affairs has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster. 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.