Forester - Department Of Agriculture : Job Details

Forester

Department Of Agriculture

Job Location : Missoula,MT, USA

Posted on : 2024-12-24T08:34:56Z

Job Description :

Summary

This position is located in the Northern Region, Region 1, Lolo National Forest, Missoula Ranger District with a duty location of Missoula, MT.

The incumbent has primary responsibility for the preparation, implementation, and administration of the timber management program.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Shaun O'Connor at [email protected].

Learn more about this agency

Help

Overview

* Accepting applications

* Open & closing dates

12/16/2024 to 12/20/2024

* Salary

$72,553 - $94,317 per year

* Pay scale & grade

GS 11

* Help

Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

* Missoula, MT

* Remote job

* Telework eligible

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

* Travel Required

Occasional travel - Travel is required for trainings, meetings, site visits and field inspections.

* Relocation expenses reimbursed

* Appointment type

Permanent

* Work schedule

Full-time

* Service

Competitive

* Promotion potential

None

* Job family (Series)

* 0460 Forestry

* Supervisory status

Yes

* Security clearance

Not Required

* Drug test

* Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

* Trust determination process

* Credentialing

* Suitability/Fitness

* Financial disclosure

* Bargaining unit status

* Announcement number

25-R1SV-12640773-F-DC

* Control number

823740100

Help

This job is open to

* Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

* Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees who meet the definition of a surplus or displaced employee.

* Land and base management

Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted only from current permanent Forest Service (FS) employees with competitive status whose permanent position of record is Lolo National Forest; Land Management eligibles whose last appointment was with Lolo National Forest of the FS; and CTAP/RPL eligible candidates.

Videos

Help

Duties

* Establishes timber sale program and production goals, setting priorities and laying out work schedules.

* Develops annual program of work, prepares project work plans, and develops long- and short-term budget needs.

* Reviews and appraises the forest area timber resource to determine the area's capacity to meet allowable cut/public demand and future needs, as well as the protection and regeneration of the resource.

* Oversees the timber sale preparation program including determination of best access routes and cutting units, and ensures that logging methods are consistent with transportation and silvicultural plans.

* Determines staffing and equipment needs needed for the sales layout program.

* Provides for protection of water retention capacity of the soil and reestablishment of the forest growth to prevent or minimize soil erosion damage.

* Reviews and/or writes Environmental Assessment (EA)/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) reports for considering all alternatives in the timber sale design.

* Reviews silvicultural prescriptions to ensure that plans, treatments, and harvesting techniques are compatible with long-range timber management plan.

* Coordinates and directs preparation of the timber sale contract and related documents, ensuring all coordinating requirements identified in the Environmental Assessment Reports (EAR) are included in the contracts.

* Performs Supervision 20% or less of the time.

Help

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

* Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.

* Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.

* Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.

* Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.

* Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.

* Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov

* New supervisor training must be completed within your first year.

* Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.

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.

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.

Basic Requirement 0460 series:

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 forestry; or a related subject-matter field that included a total of at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours of course work were in forestry. The curriculum must have been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas:

* Management of Renewable Resources -- study of the science and art of managing renewable resources to attain desired results. Examples of creditable courses in this area include silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, and wildlife or range habitat management.

* Forest Biology -- study of the classification, distribution, characteristics, and identification of forest vegetation, and the interrelationships of living organisms to the forest environment. Examples of creditable courses in this area include dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, and forest pathology.

* Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory -- sampling, inventory, measurement, and analysis techniques as applied to a variety of forest resources. Examples of creditable courses include forest biometrics, forest mensuration, forest valuation, statistical analysis of forest resource data, renewable natural resources inventories and analysis, and photogrammetry or remote sensing.

Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in forestry, or at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours were in forestry. The requirements for diversification of the 24 semester hours in forestry are the same as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.:

In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

For the GS-11: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as performing THREE (3) or more of the following duties:

* Perform vegetation management duties including timber management, harvesting, reforestation, timber stand improvement, and fuels management;

* Assist in analyzing technical issues and/or provide advice and assistance on forestry resource management policies and practices;

* Assist in reviewing or developing standard plans for well-established programs or projects and recommend short-range plans for a forestry resource management program;

* Conduct cruises of timber stands to determine volume of merchantable timber, species composition, accessibility, and environmental constraints.

* OR-

Three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D.

Work Experience: Your resume must clearly document the following for each block of work experience; the beginning day, month and year the work assignment started and ended; the hours worked per week; position title, and series and grade if applicable; and description of duties performed. This information must be provided for each permanent, temporary, or seasonal appointment/work assignment or volunteer work and should be clearly documented as a separate block of time. Incomplete, inaccurate, or conflicting work history may not be credited for qualifications purposes. This can result in an applicant not being considered for the position..

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.

TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: 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

See above for education that may be qualifying.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP 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 applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

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 Lolo National Forest of 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 is met.

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.

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 on the OPM Website.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Forest Service daycare facilities may be available.

Government Housing is not available.

We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.

* Benefits

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the competencies listed below:

* Contracting/Procurement

* Forest Management

* Planning and Evaluating

* Supervision

* Timber

* Workforce Environment

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action.

To view the application form, visit:

* Benefits

Help

* Required Documents

As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

* Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.

* If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

In addition to the above, you must submit the documents below if you claim any of the following:

* Current Lolo National Forest Service employees

* 1) Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing that you are in the competitive service (block #34) and are a permanent or conditional employee (block #24), position title, series, grade, and position's organization (block #22) that indicates you are eligible to apply based on the Clarification from the agency section. If your most recent SF-50 does not reflect the highest grade (or promotion potential) held on a permanent basis, also attach the SF-50 that indicates this information. -AND-

* 2) Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. Do not submit a performance plan.

* Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP or RPL priority: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

* Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act Eligible Applicants: please review the required documents for this hiring authority on the Forest Service website.

* How to Apply

Please view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process.

Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

* Resume that includes:1) personal information such as name, address, contact information;2) education;3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable);4) other qualifications.

* Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.

To begin, click Apply Online and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.

NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBS transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center

Phone 1-877-###-#### X2 Email [email protected]

Address USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center

DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.

Albuquerque, NM 87109

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status.

You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).

Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to [email protected], subject line: Fair Chance Act.

You may receive an email asking if you are still interested in the position and requesting information by a given deadline. Failure to timely respond to this email may result in non-selection.

* Fair and Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

* Criminal history inquiries

* Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy

* Financial suitability

* New employee probationary period

* Privacy Act

* Reasonable accommodation policy

* Selective Service

* Signature and false statements

* Social security number request

Help

Required Documents

In addition to the above, you must submit the documents below if you claim any of the following:

* Current Lolo National Forest Service employees

* Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act Eligible Applicants: please review the required documents for this hiring authority on the Forest Service website.

Help

How to Apply

Please view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process.

* Resume that includes:1) personal information such as name, address, contact information;2) education;3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable);4) other qualifications.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.

To begin, click Apply Online and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center

Phone 1-877-###-#### X2 Email [email protected]

Address USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center

DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.

Albuquerque, NM 87109

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

You may receive an email asking if you are still interested in the position and requesting information by a given deadline. Failure to timely respond to this email may result in non-selection.

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

* Criminal history inquiries

* Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy

* Financial suitability

* New employee probationary period

* Privacy Act

* Reasonable accommodation policy

* Selective Service

Apply Now!

Similar Jobs ( 0)

-- View More Similar Jobs --