About This Position
This position is located at a Forest Service Research Station. The incumbent reports to the Station Director and serves as the Assistant Station Director for Science Application and Communication. The Assistant Station Director under the guidance of the Station Director has overall responsibility for administering assigned programs and activities of the Station. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact John Rothlisberger at [email protected].
Qualifications
In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.
Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GS-15 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 grade level. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as all of the following: Built innovative programs to integrate science into policy and decision-making including creating key relationship networks and translating and synthesizing science for a variety of audiences; Directed a wide variety of communication and marketing strategies and methods to achieve science communication and delivery outcomes (may include traditional, digital and social media, technical writing and legislative liaison work); Managed regional or national programs in communications, legislative affairs or natural resource management.
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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.
You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Major Duties
Serves as a technical expert and coordinator in providing intellectual leadership and focus on research to initiate dialogue.
Coordinates with Station Leadership Team to develop programs to share the Station’s science with stakeholders and ensure effective science delivery.
Assesses the impact of substantive programs and policies-including legislation, new USDA and FS policy, and State and private sector policies related to forestry research and resource management-on assigned projects.
Participates in program management and shares accountability for general effectiveness of research of the Station.
Leads, develops and participates in short- and long-range planning and priorities for new and innovative projects.
Performs long-range planning and management of new substantive agency research and development programs where precedents are scarce or nonexistent.
Monitors and evaluates the quality and effectiveness of major research projects through periodic review visits.
Oversees the release of research results in the form of technical and non-technical publications, talks, reports, and field demonstrations.
Supervises 25% or more of the time.
Conditions of Employment
Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov.
Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New Forest Service supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period. Selectee is subject to financial disclosure requirements and must submit form OGE-450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter.
Education
There is no substitution of education for specialized experience.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire.
Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet minimum qualification requirements.
Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Accomplishment Record Review: If you are found minimally qualified, a rating panel will review your resume and Accomplishment Record narratives. If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred.
Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action. To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13035009
Additional Information
This is a Detail/Temporary Promotion not to exceed 1 year but may be extended an additional 4 years for a total of 5 years or may be made permanent without further competition. If the position is not made permanent, at the end of the detail/temporary promotion, you will be returned to the position from which detailed/temporarily promoted or to a different position of equivalent grade and pay in the Forest Service, with the same geographic location, if possible.
Your salary will be adjusted to the grade level and step that you would normally have been in had you remained in your position. The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional Information is available on the OPM Website.
This is a non-bargaining unit position. Forest Service daycare facilities may be available. Government Housing may be available. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): 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.
How to Apply
Please view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process. Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin.
You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged.
We are available to assist you during business hours (7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Mountain Time Zone, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
Resumes must not exceed two pages. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this. To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX).
Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. Please ensure your resume does not exceed two pages.
Applicants who submit a resume that exceeds two pages will be removed from consideration. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc.
Required Documents
The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume that includes: Personal Information: name, address, contact information; Education; Work Experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); other qualifications. Resume cannot exceed 2 pages. Current Permanent Forest Service Employees: Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade held (or promotion potential) on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable.
A performance plan is not an acceptable substitute. Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP or RPL priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), current performance appraisal with rating of at least "Fully Successful" or equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.