Summary Join Montana NRCS. Rangeland Management Specialists in local communities assist individuals that want a conservation plan. Learn their goals, inventory their property, and provide personalized conservation alternatives. You may suggest conservation activities like cover crops, grazing rotations, high tunnels, or irrigation systems. Customers select activities for their plan and you help implement their plan. An incentive payment of up to $10,000 is authorized for eligible selected applicants. Responsibilities Gather rangeland, natural resource, and engineering data for developing complete ranch conservation plans. Assemble conservation implementation guidelines for vegetative and structural practices. Utilize financial contracting and GIS software to document and manage conservation investments and technical assistance requests. Coordinate with customers to ensure conservation activities are installed as scheduled and according to guidelines. Monitor grazing management plans as they are implemented to document changes to plant communities and make future adjustments. Ensure forage resources are not degraded by balancing utilization with forage production. Support local NRCS team members and leadership in advancing conservation in your community. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Applicants who meet the Basic Education Requirement meet the minimum qualification requirement for the GS-05 level. Basic Education Requirement: Degree: range management; or a related discipline that included at least 42 semester hours in a combination of the plant, animal, and soil sciences, and natural resources management, as follows: Range Management -- At least 18 semester hours of course work in range management, including courses in such areas as basic principles of range management, range plants, range ecology, range inventories and studies, range improvements, and ranch or rangeland planning. Directly Related Plant, Animal, and Soil Sciences -- At least 15 semester hours of directly related courses in the plant, animal, and soil sciences, including at least one course in each of these three scientific areas, i.e., plant, animal, and soil sciences. Courses in such areas as plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant ecology, animal nutrition, livestock production, and soil morphology or soil classification are acceptable. Related Resource Management Studies -- At least 9 semester hours of course work in related resource management subjects, including courses in such areas as wildlife management, watershed management, natural resource or agricultural economics, forestry, agronomy, forages, and outdoor recreation management; OR Combination of Education and Experience: at least 42 semester hours of course work in the combination of plant, animal, and soil sciences and natural resources management shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education comparable to a 4-year degree. Applicants who meet the Basic Education Requirement above meet the minimum qualification requirement for the GS-05 level. In addition to the Basic Education Requirement listed above, applicants at the GS-07- and GS-09 level must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered: Specialized Experience GS-7: To qualify for the GS-7 grade level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level or higher, or comparable experience not gained through federal service. For this position, examples of specialized experience include entry-level or trainee level experience such as: Assisting in the development of grazing management systems on grazing lands (i.e. rangelands, pasturelands); Assisting with forage inventories; Assisting in the implementation of vegetative management practices; Experience working with livestock operations. OR Superior Academic Achievement in a bachelor's degree curriculum directly related to the work of the position. To qualify for superior academic achievement, you must have ONE of the following: (1) standing in the upper third of your college class or major subdivision at the time you apply; (2) grade point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed, either (a) at the time of application or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum; (3) B+ (3.5 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed in a related discipline, either (a) at the time of application or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum; OR (4) election to membership in one of the national honorary scholastic societies that meets the requirements of the Association of College Honor Society; OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-07 level: 1 or more years of graduate level education in range management or a directly related discipline; 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 GS-9: To qualify for the GS-9 grade level, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level or higher, or comparable experience not gained through federal service. For this position, examples of specialized experience include advanced-trainee level experience such as: Developing and implementing grazing management systems on grazing lands (i.e. rangelands, pasturelands); Independently conducting forage inventories; Planning vegetative management practices; Experience working with livestock operations. OR Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience for the GS-9 level: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in range management or a directly related discipline. 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/#url=GS-PROF 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 If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: You must submit a copy of your transcripts to include course number, title, completion and grade. 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. 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. 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. Failure to provide all of the required documents/information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating. Additional Information This position is being concurrently announced under Merit Promotion Announcement Number NRCS-24-12524809-ST-MT-AB. Current or former Federal employees or other eligible applicants may apply to both announcements to expand all possibilities of consideration since different referral criteria apply to each type of announcement. See the above announcement for more information. Location Consideration: You may select up to three locations. 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. 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. Physical Demands: The work involves recurring physical exertion related to conservation work requiring walking on rough terrain, jumping ditches and furrows, or climbing steep banks. Work Environment: The work involves regular and recurring exposure to operating agricultural equipment or earthmoving operations, adverse weather and unimproved roads. Protective equipment is necessary on construction sites. 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. 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.