Summary These positions are located in the Albuquerque District Office, Rio Puerco Field Office and , in the Farmington District Office, Farmington Field Office. This position is concurrently open to all U.S. Citizens under Announcement Number BLM-NM-25-12628191-DE-OPM. . Responsibilities This position serves as a Rangeland Management Specialist (RMS) (Full promotion potential GS-11), or trainee (GS-7), in a BLM Field Office. The RMS is responsible for performing duties that involve professional work conserving, developing, and managing public rangelands. The work involves the knowledge of the ecological requirements of native plants that are predominantly grasses, grass-like plants, herbs, or shrubs. At the GS-07 level: the incumbent will be assigned various tasks on an on-the-job training basis, difficulty of the tasks and degree of independent performance increasing gradually, as the incumbent becomes better trained, and demonstrates the ability to assume greater responsibility. As a RMS, the incumbent is responsible for preparing, evaluating and conducting biological analyses of public rangeland projects. The employee develops conservation plans, designs technical surveys, and performs work on rangeland construction projects. Coordinate range and wildlife ecological management with other functional activities in harmony with the concept of multiple use management. Serve as principal contact and negotiator on rangeland resources and activities. Serve on interdisciplinary teams, evaluating rangeland resource and ecosystem impacts, identify alternatives, and trade-offs or results of various rangeland project proposals. Maintain continuing liaison with permittee, affected groups and others to ensure compliance with agreed upon plans and desired quality of work. Advise rangeland users of various activities affecting their use of specific rangeland areas. Prepare long and short-range plans based on rangeland resource needs/health/capability, available work force, equipment and budget, and public demands for rangeland resource uses. Conduct short- and long-term monitoring of plant community change, trends, grazing impacts; precipitation; soil erosion hazards; to correlate other rangeland resource activities and uses Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications In order to qualify, you must meet the Basic Requirement AND the Minimum Qualification requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. A copy of your official/unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application. Basic Requirement for the 0454 Series: 1. Education: Successful completion of a degree in 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, 2. Combination of Education and Experience: Education that includes 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. AND, MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying: Specialized Experience GS-07: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: (1) assisting with the collection of field data on wildlife habitats and vegetation; (2) assisting with interpretation of aerial photos to determine vegetation types; (3) assisting with assembling biological and vegetation use data from records to determine past wildlife and livestock use; (4) assisting with communication and interpretative programs related to wildlife and their habitats. OR, Education GS-07: Have one (1) year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university. My graduate level education included major study in 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 described under the basic education requirements. (NOTE: Applicants must submit a copy of transcripts.) OR, Combination GS-07: Combination of education and experience as described above that, when converted to percentages, equal at least 100% of the total requirement. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your graduate education as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.) OR, Education-SAA GS-07: Met the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement by earning a bachelor's degree with at least one of the following (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher based on a 4.0 scale; (2) a 3.5 GPA or higher for required courses completed in a major field of study during junior and senior year of a 4-year college or university; (3) class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or a major subdivision of the college, based on completed courses; or (4) membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College Honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies. In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position being filled that included at least 42 semester hours in a combination of the plant, animal, and soil sciences, and natural resources management described under the basic education requirements. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts and GPA must be reflected on your transcripts, as proof of any claimed education.) Specialized Experience GS-09 : Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: (1) serving as an advanced trainee specializing in range management and performing common qualitative and quantitative analyses of range resources; (2) conducting surveys and drafted tentative professional opinions to assist in determining allotment or watershed needs and remedies; (3) assisting in carrying out a range of analytical/scientific assignments in the range management profession that included researching and analyzing data, issues, and information that support range improvement project recommendations. OR, Education GS-09: Have two ( 2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university. My graduate level education included major study in 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 described under the basic education requirements. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.) OR, Combination GS-09: Combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above in A and B, when combined, equals 100% of the total requirement. Please note only graduate education in excess of one year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify under this option. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.) Education Specialized Experience GS-11 : Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: (1) developing and/or managing range conservation, improvement, or treatment plans including designing technical surveys; (2) advising landowners and land lessees on principles of rangeland management and the laws, regulations, and policies governing management of range resources; (3) conducting inventories and monitoring of rangeland resource and activities to document degree of impacts occurring, plant community changes and trend of ecological status or diversity that results. OR, Education GS-11: Have 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited college or university. My graduate (Ph.D.) level education included major study in 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 described under the basic education requirements. (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.) OR, Combination GS-11: Combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above in A and B, when combined, equals 100% of the total requirement. Please note only graduate education in excess of two years (36 semester hours) may be used to qualify under this option (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.) Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Volunteer Experience: 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. You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your 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. PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. Additional Information Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GS-11. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied. Physical Demands: The individual works in an office setting at this level, however, in order to gather samples and complete monitoring activities, the individual may frequently be required to walk or ride horses and/or vehicles, over rough terrain, perform duties that require recurring bending. crouching, stooping, reaching or lifting. Work may also include lifting of moderately heavy items, such equipment and samples. Extended periods of driving four- wheel drive vehicles over rough terrain is required to reach remote areas. Overnight camping is sometimes required. The incumbent may be subjected to hostile wildlife, chemical and physical hazards. Working Conditions: The work of the employee is performed in an office setting. However, frequently when necessary to complete the work, there is outdoor exposure. Outdoor exposure requires some discomfort in extremes of temperature or inclement weather. Outdoor work is performed in remote areas. The work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks and discomfort (e.g., outdoor camping, insect borne disease). Special safety precautions and specialized equipment are required. The Bureau of Land Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive or Student Loan Repayment. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ctap_guideline.pdf. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 90 or above on the rating criteria for this position. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please contact San Antonio Services Branch at SASBMailbox@opm.gov or 816-541-8101.