Easter Seals Jobs

Summary This position is located at an NRCS office in Palmer, Alaska, and provides guidance to implement the various programs of NRCS throughout the state. Appointment includes OCONUS (Outside the Continental United States) time restrictions (Current Federal Employees relocating to Alaska). Initial duty is not-to-exceed 3 years with possibility for extension for an additional 2 years upon approval. Responsibilities Serve as the state program coordinator for the implementation of Farm Bill Programs and assists in any other conservation program related duties as directed. Advise Assistant State Conservationist (ASTC)-Programs on aspects related to operation and management of Farm Bill Programs. Make recommendations to the ASTC-Programs regarding administrative changes needed to improve program quality, efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of products. Conduct quality assurance reviews for compliance to program policies and procedures, and report findings to the ASTC-Programs. Develop and implement ways to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of the products and/or services provided to internal and external customers. Provide leadership in developing, updating, and improving statewide conservation policies through interpreting national policies related to Farm Bill program coordination. Provide training to area and field office staffs on current policies and procedures related to conservation program implementation. 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 profession for the position being filled (e.g. one year at the GS-11 grade level for consideration for the GS-12 grade level). Basic Education Requirement: Degree: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree in soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering. The study must have included 30 semester hours in a natural resource or agricultural field, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. (You must submit transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: You must have at least 30 semester hours in one or more of the disciplines as shown above, including at least 12 semester hours in a combination of soils and crops or plant science, plus appropriate experience or additional education comparable to a 4-year degree. Of the 12 semester hours, a minimum of 3 semester hours must have been in soils and 3 semester hours in crops or plant science. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation. (You must submit transcripts.) 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: To qualify for the GS-12 level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or higher in Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. This experience must include knowledge of the principles and theories of soil and water conservation and related sciences such as biology, agronomy, and forestry, in identifying conservation related problems. Examples of specialized experience include: Preparing complex conservation or resource management plans and providing financial or implementation assistance; Implementing conservation programs, funding eligibility, funding procedures and contract management according to issued guidance, policies and procedures; and/or Implementing and/or managing natural resources programs and practices which involve exercising initiative and resourcefulness. Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12 level. For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: Soil Conservation Series 0457 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 In addition to salary, compensation also includes a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) of 1.69 (subject to change). COLA is not subject to Federal income tax & is not calculated as salary for retirement. This allowance is to offset the cost of goods and services, housing, transportation and miscellaneous expenses. For more information visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-systems/nonforeign-areas/. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or RPL eligible. 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. Physical Demands: The work is most often sedentary in nature. Some physical exertion is needed when making area and field office visits. Work Environment: The work is performed in a typical office setting. However, some amount of the work is away from the worksite when traveling for area and field office visits. Some overnight travel is expected. PLEASE NOTE: In the interest of filling these positions 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. 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. If you are a current career or career-conditional Federal employee who has a designated place of residence in the lower 48 continental United States or the District of Columbia (CONUS): The initial tour of duty in Alaska is for 3 years. An employee may elect to serve an additional 2-year tour with the approval of the Alaska State Conservationist. At the completion of the tour(s), the employee has guaranteed return rights to a position of grade and pay equivalent to the employee's current position, whether or not such position is the product of one or more competitive promotions earned during the tour or tours. Guaranteed return rights are forfeited once management accepts an employee's request to extend his/her tour beyond the 5-year period. From this point on, if an employee decides to transfer back to the CONUS, the employee is responsible for locating a position through normal merit promotion procedures.