Natural Resource Specialst (Geographic Information Systems)

This position is located in a State Office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Serves as the State Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist for NRCS with state-wide responsibility for all GIS activities, including the Natural Resource Inventory (NRI). This position is responsible for managing the GIS program and providing GIS training to NRCS employees in the state.Qualifications: TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-09 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. One year at the GS-11 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-12 level.(Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No Award or General Adjustment SF-50's will be accepted). Time-in-grade requirements also apply to VEOA applicants having held a GS position in the past year. See addition information.
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
Basic Requirement for Natural Resource Specialist (Geographic Information Systems Specialist)
A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in biological sciences, agriculture, NATURAL RESOURCE management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
B. Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level(s) in which you are applying:
Specialized Experience for the GS-11: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties:

• Assisting with resolving Geographic Information System (GIS) issues to complete projects and assignments in support of business operations;
• Administering geospatial databases and/or mobile device technology to ensure its accuracy; AND
• Assisting in the facilitation of sharing and distribution of data.

(Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience)
Substitution of Education in Lieu of Specialized Experience: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: biological sciences, agriculture, NATURAL RESOURCE management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. Specialized Experience for the GS-12: One or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties:

• Provide technical user support and assistance for GIS software;
• Train staff on current and evolving Geographic Information Systems /Global Positioning System technology;
• Assist in the integration of Enterprise GIS with the long and short term planning and management activities; AND
• Analyze and interpret NATURAL RESOURCE information to make recommendations on findings for resource professionals.

(Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience)
Education Substitution: There is no educational substitution at the GS-12.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).
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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
The OPM Qualification Standards for this position can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series
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 nor guaranteed.Education: You must submit a copy of your college transcripts or a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify all education requirements (i.e. substitution of education and/or basic education requirement). If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement. You must document all requirements on every vacancy; we cannot use previous determinations as a basis for rating. All required information must be received by the closing date of this announcement, and non-submission of all required documents/documentation will result in non-consideration. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. This information must be received by the closing date of this announcement. Non-submission of these documents will result in non-consideration. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications.
Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.htmlEmployment Type: FULL_TIME