Jobs for People with MS: National MS Society

Summary The purpose of the position is to serve as a Conservation Business Tools Specialist with responsibility to provide leadership, technology development, technology transfer, and technical assistance for use of NRCS business tools in the Miles City Area Office. Responsibilities Oversees Customer NRCS Business Tools processes with users within the Miles City area, comprised of Natural Resource Conservation Service employees and Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Provides technical support in the use of NRCS Business Tools such as Conservation Assessment Ranking Tool, GIS, Remote Sensing, and other technologies to analyze data, make conservation planning decisions and develop digital tools and products. Works closely with area specialists and conservation partner leaders to determine the most efficient methods for implementation of technology tools, identifying new tools that may increase efficiency, effectiveness or accuracy of core work products. Provides training to achieve basic user skills in NRCS Business Tools for all employees with conservation planning job responsibilities. Provides training as needed on basic GIS and GPS technologies. Keeps appropriate staff informed of updates in policy regarding NRCS Business Tools. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled (e.g. one year at the GS-09 grade level for consideration for the GS-11 grade level). Basic Education Requirement Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: Specialized Experience for GS-9: Possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the Federal GS-07 level or higher, which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience include: Utilizing technical tools, systems, and databases (such as Geographic Information Systems) and other business tools in support of conservation activities; Providing technical support and training to others on the use of electronic business tools related to conservation planning and implementation; OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: 2 year(s) of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. Specialized Experience for GS11: To qualify for this position, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the Federal GS-9 level or higher, that has equipped you with the necessary competencies to successfully perform the duties of this position. For this position, examples of specialized experience include: Providing leadership, technology development, technology transfer, and technical assistance for use of business tools that support conservation activities. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate-level education and experience, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/general-natural-resources-management-and-biological-sciences-series-0401/ 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. 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. Applicants must, therefore, only report attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation via this link. All education claimed by applicants will be verified accordingly. Important: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Click on this link for more information. Additional Information Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP 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/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Physical Demands: The work is mostly sedentary. Operation of a computer keyboard and mouse for lengthy periods is required. There may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items such as books, small equipment, and driving an automobile. Field work requires normal physical exertion when participating in training or resource inventory activities for project verification activities. This involves walking over rough terrain in all types of weather. Work Environment: The work is primarily performed in an office setting and involves everyday risks and discomforts typical of offices and meeting rooms. Periodic travel is needed to review and assist in field operations and provide training where there may be exposure to extremes in temperature and precipitation. PLEASE NOTE: In the interest of filling this position as efficiently as possible, we are requiring the following: If called for an interview, applicants must be available to interview within 3 business days of being contacted. If a tentative job offer is extended, selectee will have 2 business days in which to accept or decline. Promotion Potential: 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. This position is eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Current USDA policy includes telework for an 8 hour work day, 4 days per week; other flexibilities are possible dependent upon availability and/or the position and its associated duties. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor. Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.