Natural Resources Specialist (Ranger) Job in Thomson, IL

Vacancy No. CERGRI245746181952 Department U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Salary $60,911.00 to $95,803.00 Grade 9 to 11
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/16/2024 Close Date 12/27/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Thomson, IL


Summary

About the Position: This vacancy is for a Natural Resources Specialist (Ranger), GS-0401-09 target 11 with the Natural Resources Section located in Thomson, Illinois. Position is being filled at the GS-00401-09 grade level; target GS-0401-11 grade level, OR at the full performance grade level of GS-0401-11.

This position is being filled under the Direct Hire Authority (DHA).

Duties

  • Prepare various planning documents for assigned programs to include but are not limited to Emergency Action Plan, Operation and Maintenance Manual, Operational Management Plan (OMP), Project Safety Plan and Physical Safety Plan.
  • Develop guidelines, standards and procedures for analyzing public needs, demands, site carry capacities, natural resource and recreation program capabilities.
  • Serve as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and/or Contract Specialist in the preparation and administration of contracts within the authority of the designation.
  • Be responsible for administration and management of outgranted lands.
  • Enforce Title 36 CFR Section 327 and local/district policies on all U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lands and waters; i.e. issues warnings, citations to violators, etc.
  • Explain to the visiting public conditions prevailing within the project area, its purpose, and association with other programs, rules, and regulations affecting use of facilities, etc.
  • Oversee content of and provide interpretive programs related to managed programs for colleges, schools, professional groups, civic groups, and visitors.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • Pursuant to EO 14043, all Federal employees, regardless of duty location or work arrangement, must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by November 22, 2021, or before entrance on duty if after November 22, subject to exceptions as required by law.
  • If selected, the agency will provide information regarding what documentation is needed and how to request any legally required exceptions from this requirement.
  • Must possess a valid state motor vehicle operator's license for the class of vehicle being operated based on site specific, job related requirements, and must maintain this license.
  • Depending on mission duties, employee may be required to obtain and/or maintain a required Corps of Engineers license for the operation of a motorboat less than 26 feet (Class A under 16 ft. and/or Class 1 under 26 ft. boat operator license).
  • May be required to obtain an Herbicide Applicators license (within one year of starting position) and must maintain this license.
  • A medical examination is required. If selected, satisfactory completion of a medical examination is required before assignment to the position.
  • Position requires employee to wear a uniform and/or protective clothing.
  • May be required to work uncommon hours such as nights, weekends, and holidays.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens
In order to qualify, you must meet the education & experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Natural Resources Specialist (Ranger):Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in 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 the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

GS-09: Specialized Experience: To qualify based on your experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as providing project information to local, state and Federal agencies and/or the visiting public and ensuring compliance with rules and regulations of project lands and waters; and/or executing a recreation or environmental stewardship program. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).

OR

Education Substitution: Successful completion of a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree from an accredited college or university that is in a field directly related to the work of this position, and provides 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. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

Combination of Experience and Education: If you have less than one year of specialized experience; and have more than one year but less than the required education described above, you will need to compute the percentage of the requirements that you meet, and ensure your total is at least 100%. (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify.) (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

Time in Grade: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the GS-07 grade (or equivalent)

GS-11 Specialized Experience: To qualify based on your experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as providing project information to local, state and Federal agencies and/or the visiting public; ensuring compliance with rules and regulations of project lands and waters; and executing a recreation or environmental stewardship program. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).

OR

Education Substitution: Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree from an accredited college or university that is in a field directly related to the work of this position, and provides 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. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

Combination of Experience and Education: If you have less than one year of specialized experience; and have more than two years of graduate level education, but less than three years of graduate level education as described above, you will need to compute the percentage of the requirements that you meet, and ensure your total is at least 100%. (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education in excess of 36 hours (total semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100% to qualify.) (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the GS-09 grade (or equivalent).

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:
  • Environmental Law and Regulatory Compliance
  • Natural Resource Management
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Program Outreach

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

  • Incentives may be approved.
  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • One year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • This is a Career Program (CP) 18 - Engineers and Scientist (Resources and Construction) position.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information.
  • Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances may be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that a PCS move is in the Government Interest.

Benefits

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.

Review our 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.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category.

  • Best Qualified. Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
  • Highly Qualified. Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for the announced position.
  • Qualified. Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for the announced position.
You may claim Military Spouse preference.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

DoD Priority Placement Program (PPP) Applicants will receive preference consideration at the full-performance grade level only.

Only MSP/PPP applicants currently occupying a formal training program position are entitled to exercise their priority status.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

  • Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
  • For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
2. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
  • This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses


NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 12/27/2024 to receive consideration.

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12641952).
  • Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
  • It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
  • Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Address
RG-W2R905 US ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT-ROCK ISLAND
DO NOT MAIL
Rock Island, IL 61204
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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